You are correct. I misspoke with saying 10 hours. That number is stuck in my head from the insurance company and not the FAR.
That was my opinion too. It's not for the issuance of a certificate or rating. It's most likely not going to be a one time, one hour flight, ink in the log book and then you're done kind of deal either. The pilot knows this too. I suggested that the MEI sit as a safety pilot in VMC conditions, get five hours, and then do the IPC. The owner/pilot was ok with this and said they would like that because they feel they would be competent and not just current IFR.