err no thats not right the FI was never a licence it was always a rating, under the national system up to 2000, you could get an instructor rating added to a PPL and earn money, if you had 200 hours P1 and did the instructor course.
At 200 hours you could do a pre entry flight test with an FIC and some written exams for FI course entry. If you didnt pass that I think you had to do more hours but seem to recall it was 250 hours before starting FI course under old system.
The blind leading the blind?