For civilian at least...

Anything is possible with the right connections but if someone is asking this question, they probably don't have them.. No offense as I don't and am working on my cfi. If one thinks of flight instruction as one of the least desirable flying jobs, remember that low time pilots are fighting for flight instructor position. It surely gets more competitive when you try for other flying jobs. However if you meet the right person that prefers you over the other low time pilots they know, it can happen. I just wouldn't expect anything other than instruction until I had all my ratings and that opportunity was in front of me.

And remember that instructing can be great experience early in your career given the many lessons you learn from your students. The knowledge demands of even getting the rating alone are enough to convince me why I need this. The private/commercial didn't prepare me for understanding everything like I have to for the cfi. I didn't realize how poor my understanding really was till I was faced with the possibility of having to coherently explain it to someone else. I know some folks did fine without the cfi but for me personally, I needed this.