I am thinking of undertaking an IMC rating added to my PPL before I commence with my ATPL side therefore does anybody have any experiences of this subject whether it is worth undertaking as my instructor suggests so but than I dont want to listen to everything my instructor tells me!

Way way back in 1981, when the course was forty hours, that's how long I took to do mine. The great incentive to work at it was that I was stony broke, and I had just managed to save enough money for that many hours, the books, and a few landing fees and the exams. That was with a second job, at that. You do need to be very disciplined and not fly without a clear goal for each flight. no flight simulator, and no time with mates either.

6 months (October - March), ~46hrs. Battling the winter weather wasn't a terribly exciting prospect.

Burkini Faso Distance Learning College of Aviation. I've just received my ATPL in the post. £60 total and it came with a free pen!

I did it in 43,5hrs. Mind you, this was in 1991 and the Swedish standards only required a leisurely 40hrs back then, so I'm assuming I was a pretty average student.

Didn't fly much after that and let it lapse again so had to do new checkride/skills test in 1995. The it lapsed again and had to do new test. Again. But now I fly tons and hopefully it won't ever lapse again.

Actually looking at my log book it was faster than I remembered ...

Eighteen months, 51:45

10 Days in total, with one day on the ground due wx. Theory exams fitted in whenever we had chance, mostly at the end of the flying day. Was tempted by the USA courses, but did mine in good old sunny UK in the end.

I would say though, that doing it as an intensive course is so much better - no need to recap lessons from previous flights, as it's all so fresh in your head.