Flying Grasshopper,
Congratulatons!
A simple request from our ATC colleagues, and you manage to turn it into a....."well i'm working too hard, and need to be paid a suitable amount before i'd even consider coming along"!!! type conversation
Yes, we're all working harder, and if we are, then it doesn't take a bloody genius to work out that Swanwick et al are working harder too.
If you don't want to do it, then don't! There will be enough pilots out there who are willing to give up a bit of free time to learn some good stuff, and hopefully give some useful input too!
I'll bet there are an equal number of ATCO's who'd come and sit on a jumpseat on a day off, if it would give them a better insight into our side of the job.
It works both ways, we learn from each other.