Ralph,
If you get your JAA licence and an IR, there are still vacancies around for people with the right sort of instructional background (ie- CFS(H)), as TRI/TRE/SFI etc, especially if you are prepared to travel a bit further afield than Yorkshire!
Until you see some of the (international) competition, you wont realize just what the quality of your training and experience is compared to what is out there.