hey flyingdogguitar
I think that the advice you have been given is total horse s**t,
there should be no reason why you should not get your instructor rating build your hours and progress in time and with experience to charter on R44/B206 or similar with an onshore organisation.
I agree that getting into north sea flying may be tough, but even this could possibly be done if you had an instrument rating in due course. (before you get really crusty!)
organisations in my experience dont look too much at age, they look at how much will it cost them to get this bloke on line and how much experience he has, there is no sentimentality, but loads of commercial expediency
regards
CF