In Europe there are a number of airlines that have hired a fair share of Canadian pilots. In the late eighties and early nineties Canadian pilots seemed to be one of our biggest export products. I trained at Mount Royal College and have flown for KLM out of Amsterdam since the late eighties. There are at least 50 Canadian pilots with KLM.
Times have changed though. To begin with the job market is very tight, and that is an understatement. Follow that up with European laws that give hiring preference to EU citizens. A potential employer has to show that he was unable to find a qualified candidate in another EU country before he can hire a pilot from outside the EU (there are ways around this, but the majors in Europe play that one by the book). And lastly you have the license issue. I don’t track this much anymore.
Even though I had a Canadian ATR when I came to Europe I had to sit all the exams (seven in total, they weren’t multiple choice and the material covered was very extensive). This changed in the early nineties when airlines couldn’t get enough people in and you only had to do an air regulation exam. This was a weekend course with a guarantee pass. For several years now we have a common European licence (JAA) and I have heard that it requires a person to sit all the exams again. And I don't think it matters what your previous licence happens to be. I could be wrong on that count but you have to look into these things before you go much further than applying. Your best bet into Europe is applying at a carrier that flies aircraft that you have previous experience on. Once you get into Europe you can start to apply at the majors and try to get in to them. Most of the Dutch carriers have Canadians flying for them. I know Martinair is now hiring for some expansion. You could give them a try. But the market is saturated with pilots at the moment.
Regards O.