Token Bird - I am impressed by your attitude and thinking.
My story runs like this:
1998 - 1999 worked at a desk using my degree whilst putting in 2 hours a night on ATPL correspondence with PPSC
Apr 1999 got a BCPL/IMC and FI rating and walked into a FI job at my local airfield 2 days later becuase I'd been setting it up for a year or two beforehand.
Feb 2000 joined British Aerospace in Jerez and they turned me into an approved Intrument Rating Instructor
Feb 2001 joined a UK scheduled jet operator on B733.
The Flying school year saw me average £800 a month, the time teaching airline cadets and the like saw me on a salary in excess of that enjoyed by FO TP drivers for British Regional et al and the first year jet salary is agreeable enough. Given that the modular old fashioned route only cost me £16k this has been a much more cost effective way of becoming an airline pilot than handing £55k to OATS. I would have missed the years earning teaching PPL, my first year (assuming I got a TP job staright away) salary would have been less than my FI salary and then I got a jet anyway. But with 1,500hrs rather than 200 which helps meet some of the requirement to move into the LHS.
Looking back I am telling you the stone cold truth that some of my happiest times at work and in the air occurred as a Flying Instructor. In 1999 there were me and 4 other 20 something lads flying all day together in the local airspace and drinking all night in the local pub. In 2000 I was with 80 odd people is similar age with a massive outdoor swimming pool and nothing to do each weekend but to work out where to go drinking... the number of times I woke up bobbing on the swimming pool or wrapped in a curtain in the TV lounge... <shudder>
Good times, good experience and in retrospect good money. If you factor in no standby, no flying if you didn't like the TAF, no night work, every weekend off, 9-5, larking around doing unusual attitudes or PFL's down to the flare... money for having fun really.
I've said it here several times over the years but its very true and I've seen it a lot - don't be in such a mad rush for the RHS of something made by Boeing or Airbus that you overlook the joys and rewards of all rest of the world of aviation. You'll have a long career in some jet or other and believe me you'll look back fondly on the path that got you there *if* you are wise enough.
Best of luck with it all,
WWW