Even if you had the aeronautical experience to fly nvfr under just a CIR, to fly under the nvfr, you would still need to meet the nvfr recency requirements.
Thats what i learnt recently outta my recent irex theory study anyways.
I myself am in a position where am deciding to get the nvfr due to the above reasons, or to just get CIR and gain the required night hours so to meet the aeronautical experience to fly nvfr with just the CIR. This thread has pretty much convinced me to get the nvfr anyway as its good for life and from what i hear employers usually require for new hires..
More money, so close yet so far away!
Cheers