Correct you will have 36 months to complete the IR from the point of finishing your ATPL exams. However there is nothing wrong with instructing for a year to build some hours prior to doing the IR. Infact if you have a few hundred hours behind you when you complete your IR your chances of getting employed are much higher. Do your IR at low hours and then instruct; you will probably end up instructing for a year and have to pay for an IR renewal and secondly with a loan to support you may not be able to financially consider instructing full time.
There is currently a shortage of instructors and it is now possible to get salaried instructor positions, although the flight pay only arrangement are still the most common.
Anyway if you end up doing ppl instructing at a school that also does IR training you may be able to get a discounted rate on the IR course.
Last edited by portsharbourflyer; 16th April 2008 at 18:19.