Sounds like a walk in the park.
I had to :
- Courier documents to an authority , to be told "officially" what was written in an authority's published documents because you couldn't apply without a " Personal letter of requirements"
- Fly over to do the required exams.
- Wait for the results back at home because it would cost too much to sit there and wait for results to be issued at the authority's leisure
- Fly back for a flight test but, fortunately I managed to go early and complete a medical and had it issued before the test ( otherwise, no test).
- Immediately prior to the test, problems arose because I hadn't booked any 'practice time' to prepare (?).
I advised that I was an examiner on type in a few countries and perhaps, didn't need to 'practice'.
- The test was stretched to 4.5 hours by a type examiner and in front of the authority's inspector.
I then was told that my flying was excellent, all my approaches were to the letter and my experience was obvious ( I would hope so with 10,000 hrs on type) .
The examiner didn't answer my question as to why he found it necessary to stretch the time out if I was so good but, he did say that he wanted to see just how good I was and he then offered me a job on the spot ( a pay for interview?).
Don't know why he thought that I was interested in a job because I was a long time employee of a major airline on the other side of the earth.
- The company providing the test then started pressuring me to pay for the extra time, even before leaving the building ( and presumably the country).
The meaning behind the use of the the word "practice" was becoming clearer.
- One crisp new licence was delivered the next day but, only after I fronted the authority office at 10am and told then that I would wait ( it took 4 hours).
Not the end there.
Held that licence for a some time and then decided that I would apply for an EASA licence as it appeared that it was all going that way anyway.
I was told over the phone that if I did nothing at the 5th year ( expiry date), I would automatically be issued with an EASA Licence.
For some stupid reason, I decide to apply early.
- Another medical, a sim check and I was told over the phone that all was good, my new licence would be issued shortly ( it's only money ,I told myself).
- A follow up call resulted in the same answer.
- 6 weeks later, I get all the documents from the application back in the mail and was advised that they did not have any record of an English Language Certification ( like that was my problem) , the application was rejected.
The post date was between the two phone calls.
Funny thing, no mention of the state licence validity if it didn't have a language certification!
Well it was my problem, even though it turned out that the either the original testing examiner , the authority's FOI or both failed to submit the appropriate paperwork,they couldn't answer how I was able to carry out the test in front of the two ( supposedly) language and aviation examiners successfully without the ability to speak English.
- No problem I said, I can send you the level 6 Certifications from the other half dozen licences that I hold and the authority in those licences to carry out examinations for English, not to mention that I am a native English speaker and the fact that we are actually conversing by written and spoken English.
- Yes, that was acceptable in the past but, as it took 6 weeks to get the documents back to me, no longer the case.
- Another flight over to do an English exam and accepted as being at level 6.
Still not the end.
The documents were re- submitted but, rejected once again because the result certificates from the exam centre ( a Language University approved by the aviation authority ) were not 'certified' by the university that, they were the documents that they had issued to me ( including the required, certified copy of the government authority's own certification for the school to carryout said exam ? ).
In the words of the government idiot at the other end of the phone line when I complained from across the world at 4am ( my time), "How can we be sure that the test was carried out by an approved language authority if we only have a copy of our certification approving them without their certification that the copy is genuine"?
The language establishment was less than a mile from the authority office and it was this authority office that suggested the examination be held there in the first place.
Kind of like saying that your pilot licence isn't valid as a document , unless you certify that it is a valid licence, even though it was issued by the government authority that is now demanding to see it.
My reply was to suggest that he should head over to one of the grey filling cabinets in the corner of his office ( it would be the one covered with dust) , look inside and see if the authority did actually examine the language tester and issue their own certification. If they did, they may find that the certificates were in fact, identical. I suggested that the certificate numbers might even assist him, if had any difficulty.
Nope.
Fortunately, the language university certified, scanned and emailed copies.
I then printed them, mailed them back to the authority and, they accepted them ( copies of copies with no extra "certifications", umm).
I later thought, after14mths, the Medical and Rating submitted with the original application would now be expired.
This time I kept my mouth shut,I certainly did not want to tell them how to do their job.
Conversion to the State licence took 3 months.
The conversion to EASA ( the one that they were just going to issue if I did nothing) took 14 mths.