Well put worzel. I'm in a very similar position to yourself.
As was put very succinctly by Hamrah at the wannabes seminar on Friday, in the current economic environment, no airline wants to type-rate a new hire if it can get away with it. It is simply too risky for them to splash out £20,000+ on someone who may struggle or even fail. That is why the likes of Ryanair and Easyjet are hoovering up the supply of already-rated pilots, whereas the bottom-feeding TP companies are insisting that you buy a Shed/F27 rating before you get a look in. This will change over time with market forces as the outlook improves, however currently it is the case.
So what do you do? Sit waiting watching your skills go off the boil, pursue the instructing route to hours to find that there are few vacancies in that area anyway and the hours gained don't necessarily improve your chances with an airline, or buy a type rating which might turn out to be an almighty gamble, or might just get your foot in the door of an airline.
It's a very tough call to make. However you seem, as I am trying to do, to be considering all eventualities, so more power to you, mate.