The real decision at the moment is whether to go to the considerable expense of the instrument rating. At the moment the big companies on the North Sea are saying that they are not interested in recruiting anybody without one as there are sufficient people who are willing to pay for one out of their own pocket. The long term decision problem is that the situation tends to change with amazing speed. At times if you are vertical and breathing with a CPL/H, you are in when there is a panic on. At others-zilch. A month is a long time on the North Sea!