Can it as well be trolling with no real intentions to fly for free? TRIs aren't normally desperate for hours and are in a somewhat higher demand than regular pilots even in the worst of times. 1500 hours is the bare minimum for enrollment onto the course, most airlines won't normally fund it unless you are a Captain with some considerable LHS experience, many also require you to have some time in the capacity of Line Training Captain or Initial Line Experience Captain. Not to mention that with a TRI you can also get a job as a sim instructor - and such positions come up here and there even these days.