I am sure this one has been done to death earlier in this thread or in one of the many similar ones, but any long term residence in the self fly hire scene is the most likely death of one's flying career.
It results in the highest possible marginal cost, usually the most restrictive access for going away somewhere, usually (not always; there are significant exceptions in some places) get you flying the most decrepit old junk around which makes prospective passengers cringe, and you never quite know what somebody has done to it previously.
The best thing someone can do is commit as early as possible to a syndicate, or buy outright. And this must be true whether working in the certified scene, or in the microlight/etc (VFR-only) scene.