gday HA,
thankyou for your reply.
I believe that the rules may be changing in regards to a charter company being viewed the same as an RPT operation, therefore requiring a check and training department. In this case, perhaps an instructor rating may prove benificial.
Sky diving looks like fun, and like you say, it is a good way to build hours.
In any case, I know that i do want to be an instructor. I will get a lot out of it, and i think that i have a lot to give. I am only looking at other possibilities to keep my options open i guess, trying to look at it from another angle. I am at the stage now where i have the opportunity to chose a path, and I'm really thinking hard about it.
I'm not too keen on getting a loan out, but at the moment I have a job that pays pretty well for what it is. I am sure that I will be able to keep a few shifts a week there whilst working as an instructor. I think that getting the loan is the only way I will be able to afford to do the rating this september. The other option is to bump back the instructor rating for another year until i can afford it - which i don't really want to do!
fnb