If you had serious multi engine hours on an FI ticket then someone might sit up and say that is interesting. 1500 hours on a C152 doesn't set the world on fire anymore. Only problem is that to become a multi/CPL/IR instructor you will need serious twin time in the first place which will cost you an arm and a leg. By the time you have gotten that you might as well just apply for a job anyway. The days when Flybe et al would fall over themselves employing FI's is long gone.
I would hazard an educated guess and say that the average PPL instructor probably gets no more than 300-400 hours pa at best and earns circa £10k. It doesn't take much to work out that for most of us we would be better off sticking to our day jobs, renting from a local club, hour building in the US or buying a group share (or all of the above) when time permits than giving up 4-5 years of our lives working for nought and having very little to show for it at the end.
The only way I can see instructing getting you to the RHS is if (and a BIG if), you work in a large club/FTO at a biggish airfield with a mix of charter, biz jets and maybe the odd loco or two. You just might be in the right place at the right time and be able to do a bit of networking to land that first job. Unfortunately most newly qualified FI's head for the hills (literally) and end up to, quote scroggs, at "little snoring flying club".
Edited to add: The above clearly only applies to the UK. In the US, Oz, NZ etc you are to a large degree still expected to jump through the FI hoops before ever getting near to a regional TP operator.
Last edited by potkettleblack; 16th Oct 2006 at 13:55.