captainng,
I respect your view / experiences and understand that things can vary between different individuals and operators.
I think most (working) pilots I've spoken to about this have recommended the FI scheme while continuing to apply for airline jobs, especially those who are FIs or FEs themselves. A few have said that I should look to buy a TR, but I'm still a bit skeptical about that. The idea of contributing to such an employment policy makes me a bit uneasy at the moment, but that doesn't mean I'll never do it. If I should feel strongly enough about adapting in that way, so to speak, I might go through with it.
On a different note, I'm not a member of the "bigger is better" crowd. Some of my favourite companies operate mostly turboprops. Their TT requirements are well above my hours at the moment, though.