Work depends on how intricate you want. If just trained in a fan shape to cover the fence not really that much. That's basically what I'm doing with many fruits on a trellis.

I have two espaliers - a multi-graft pear and a multi-graft apple. I have to confess that I bought them already espaliered, but the maintenance has not been difficult. You just need to prune them correctly and keep them disease and pest free, like any other fruit tree. Plus they look really nice.

I had espalier pears in Italy and they were easy to maintain and made loads of fruit.

Check out this article on Bob Magnus's very simple method for espalier.

Here is a link that might be useful: Bob Magnus's KNNN Method

That article is really cool. But I might try the fan shape with a fig I already have. fruitnut, if I tried the fan on a 6 foot long, 4 ft high chain link fence do you think the roots will stay manageable? The reason I am asking is that the fence is connected to the edge of my house. I wouldn't want it to damage my foundation. I would think that if I keep the fig pruned to the size of the fence, that the root system would stay modest as well. Is that correct thinking?