advocate, whilst I don't want to get dragged into your p***ing match, I will get stuck in when it comes to your comment "It is also worth noting that the 'pitance' you get (in many cases over £20 per hour) is someone else's hard earned cash - probably harder earned than the instructors role."
What a load of rubbish. Either you have no concept of what the job really entails, or you think the rest of the planet work like pit ponies.
An FI who does the job properly, works bl**dy hard. Certainly far harder than any airline pilot.
I suggest that you don't go into instruction, because from the tone and comments in your posts, you don't seem have love for the job or respect the people you would end up calling colleagues. These are two prerequisites in my eyes.
Stick to your £60k a year job and just hire when you want to fly. Your comments have naivety written all over them. An FI does a difficult and poorly rewarded job, who are you to say that those who do it and are cheeky enough to get paid are any less worthy than those who cannot get paid?
It is comments like your's that create the "bridge" between paid and unpaid. I have no issue with either side, but I make the choice that everyone in my place gets paid as well as possible with NO unpaid FI's.
Your limited experience IMNVHO don't qualify you to come on here and slag off the people who have got you where you are so far.
The old phrase "walk a mile in someone else's shoes" comes to mind.