Mr. Vision,
Vsf's post was pretty much on the mark regarding employment here in the U.S. Quite frankly, I actively encourage the (newer) pilots working under me to go the other direction. I have no idea what the situation is like outside of the godd ol' US of A so the following may or may not be accurate in your part of the world but, in the majority of cases, the pay is indeed subpar, benefits subpar to non-existant, and retirement is almost nowhere to be found save a few 401Ks that are floating around which, if you manage to stay with the company long enough, may buy you a cup of coffee and a doughnut on your 65th birthday.
Any advice coming from this office would be: If you are sincere in your pursuit of helicopters focus on the corporate sector where you can put your skills to use in both fixed-wing and helicopters. The pay, benefits and retirement programs are usually a lot better, the equipment is usually better and the chances of putting your previous experience to use are much better.
I know a lot of helicopter pilots approaching the age of 50 (myself included) who are looking to bail in order to get some kind of retirement.
I'm just hoping to get out with enough to buy one of those three wheeled bicycles to ride back and forth to my retirement job as a greeter at the local Wal-Mart.
Good luck with whatever decision you choose to make!
Sign me:
Beautiful Loser