are awfully hard to find.

I just "interviewed" a couple at local flight schools by taking little
flights with them, ostensibly just for rust removal.

There's no way I'd hire them for instrument training. It is
tough to find an instructor who really knows his stuff, is a good
teacher and is congenial enough that I'd be willing to spend 10's of
hours in a cockpit with him/her.

Just an observation. I don't expect anyone to have a solution.