Poonpossum, biting the hand that feeds you is never a good move. Take the same logic, did you go to an employer before you started to fly and ask your potential employer to pay to teach you to fly. Of course not! First jobs are hard to get in these times, the better the skill set you have the better the chance of getting that first job is. Paying for ICUS is like another endo, it improves your skill set and gives you more tools.
Gfunc,depends on the company doing the ICUS training. If you are getting some real good commercial skills training as ICUS in IMC conditions, at night in a pressure cooking fast moving operation, then as an employer I am going to pick the guy with commercial training in tough conditions with a good operator above any instructor rated pilot, who maybe able to fly an aircraft and have perfect radio skills but cannot economically manage his aircraft or time. As your ICUS training is real everyday work this is what you are taught, basically how not to cost your boss money through silly mistakes, this can only be learnt on the job, with tricks of the trade. Don't ICUS train with a company doing easy passenger runs in virtual VFR, look for a company that will push you.
Remember you are going to work in a tough commercial environment, anything you can do that puts you at the top of the pile with experience do it. Good ICUS trained pilots stand out so much to an employer with flying skills and commercial decision making and confidence than any ex young instructor ever has, trust me chalk and cheese. You will also amaze yourself just how much you don't know and with how much your skills will improve. If you don't feel this then you are with the wrong ICUS trainer, they will push you.
To also be brutally honest, the less time our CP has to spend with you to get you online, the better it is for us. The minute their bum sits in the seat it is costing us dollars in lost revenue be that freight or Passenger. Really that's why ICUS time costs you. You are still being trained and the time that involves with brief & debrief, as well as usually extra time in the air because you are slower at everything, but you are also costing lost revenue due to your weight or bum on seat. Think of ICUS as the next level of training, all pilots do it it's called commercial reality, you want a job do it. Your peers may think you are pushing in, your potential employer will call it dedication and ambition. Just what we are looking for.
By the way, we have no association with any companies doing ICUS training, but have seen the result and will always employ a low hour, good ICUS trained pilot above one without.