permafrost
An instructor rating costs around £5000 + you are not sitting on your arse whinging about not having a job with your 200hrs or so. Dont forget you have a CPL so got out there and bloody well use it. I used to fly the old props you were on about as an air taxi pilot, it certainly was not for peanuts, almost as much as a turboprop F/O salary. Who said that you then move up the ladder on to a Shorts 360s for a couple of years after that. Thats total b*ll*cks. Most of us with flying experience such as above tend to do better than the likes with none and a very expensive type printed on their licence.
My advice to anyone with no experience and no hours stood there with their hands open expecting a job to land on their lap. Go and get some experience! Its a tough world out there, buying a type rating is foolhardy without the offer of a job. You never know, that ATPL may be permanently frozen!
I did it, now I fly a jet.