It's the biggest secret in flight training 🤫
So yes, you'll find most flight schools will push back against it, generally they'll say things like you shouldn't go back to VFR flying once you've got your IR etc, but ultimately it's about money. They can charge you as much or MORE for an hour in a 30 year old FNPT2 than for an actual airplane!
It's amazing how many people just go off hour building and don't think about what they could pick up along the way to make things easier/cheaper in the future.
The CBIR is specially useful if you're running out of time and/or money and you need to get a CPL/IR to save your ATPL exams. Even a single engine IR will do in that scenario.
You don't get hours knocked off exactly, instead you knock it off your hour building. Instead of doing 40 hours on your own, you pay the extra for 40 hours with an instructor, and knock out your IRR then CBIR while building hours. You basically get an SEIR for about £2000. Everyone has to do the MEP so there's no saving there, but you can upgrade the SEIR to an MEIR with 5 hours so there's savings there as well.
The icing on the cake is that doing the IR first means your CPL course is reduced to 15 hours.
My advice right now: get a CPL/IR an do it all single engine. Don't touch anything multi engine until the job market picks up. You'll save a fortune, you won't have to keep anything current yet you only need about 4-6 weeks to get everything else you need: MEP/MEIR/MCC/JOC
Last edited by rudestuff; 22nd Jan 2021 at 08:48.