It is worth it - very much so. Even when you get a crappy roster I always think what I could be doing otherwise - sitting at a desk from 9 to 5! Its a no brainer and I have been airline flying for nearly 5 years so the honeymoon period had worn off a long time ago!
I did instruct when I got my CPL in Jan 03 since the industry was still picking itself up. 9/11 happened right in the middle of my training. For me personally, getting my FI rating was without doubt the
best decision I made. When I got my FI rating after I got my CPL, I was flying so I was current plus due to networking at my local flying cub I got my first job after 6 months of instructing. Nearly 5 years on from then, my FI experience has proven to be very useful since I have been made up to a Line Training Skipper and I have only been in the left seat for just over a year and I am at my second airline now. My superiors held my FI rating in high regard and the fact that I have kept it current and still instruct part time was probably a good omen as well. Perhaps I am just lucky but I do believe that the FI rating has helped me immensely in the career so far.
If you sit back for a moment then you are giving your peers the upper hand. Keep at it!
