What Desert Goat said about the hours, plus if you do go away make sure your hours in Australia are also stamped and signed by your CFI or CP 'correct to date' before leaving. Most other countries will want to see verification of your logbook. You can't get too much official stampage - especially if you log hours in more than one country!
About ratings/endorsements, PNG CAA for example, will only recognise aircraft ratings/endos of aircraft that are on the current register. When I went up there, there were some Australian aircraft endorsements that didn't appear on my PNG license for that reason. It probably doesn't matter if your overseas endorsement on a flyingquackduck doesn't get put on your Aussie license when you return unless you particularly want to fly a VH flyingquackduck back here too.
I don't know if I can really give a reason why it can be hard to break back into home employment. Some operators may not understand or appreciate the type of experience gained elsewhere. Also, while you are away there other people more local who get to work on their networking better while you are a bit more 'out of the loop.' Some people may even feel threatened by a more widely experienced person and would rather employ on a parochial basis. "Better the devil we know than the one we don't know" kind of approach.
I know of a few guys who have taken maybe a couple of years getting employment back in Australia after being overseas. Sometimes a 'step back' is necessary in order to go forward (ie. maybe a job on singles again even though you were flying multis overseas or a VFR job even though you were flying IFR when you left).
Sometimes it is just the timing of the industry boom/bust cycle. It has not always been as good for employment as the last few years. If it is tough for locals to get work it will be doubly so for someone trying to get work after being overseas.
While I was overseas I still did my MECIR renewal back in Australia when I was on holidays to keep my Aussie license current and the number of renewals ticking over. If at all possible, maintain your employment contacts while away and keep them updated. Then the really ideal but hard one - try and have something lined up to go to before leaving!
Last edited by Captain Nomad; 25th November 2010 at 03:32.