I'm sure you've seen plenty of it in the UK in your time Whopity!
I think the standard of FIC instruction for many of the modern instructors is far better than it was for some of the older ones. I have seen FIs with less than 100 hours give better briefs than some with 10,000 hours. Where they were taught does have a big impact on it though. I have seen FIs who completed a course in 2 weeks, something we know is impossible. EASA reduced the requirements for a FICI from typically over 2500 hours instructing, which was a start point in the UK, to only 500 hours, thats like building a wall with no foundation.