Hey BCAS,
As a west coaster, I was in a similar situation this spring after freezing my a$$ of in NW Ontario all winter. I finally decided to take the plunge and convert my licence to a JAA ATPL. I have talked to a lot of guys ahead of me who have done very well - Ryan Air, Easy Jet etc. with little or no jet time. I am sitting my first set of exams in September which I have done via distance learning through Bristol, who I would highly recommend.
If you have an ICAO ATPL with 500hrs on the BE-20 the conversion is relatively straight forward. You will require the following:
1) CAT 1 Medical - initial must be done at Gatwick I would recommend doing this first, instead of finding out later that you didn't pass and you have wasted a bunch of time and money.
2) Pass all 14 written exams - there is no ground school req't if you already have an ICAO ATPL you just need to study, sign up and write the exams. They are challenging, but nothing 6 months of hard core studying can't take care of. Look at
www.bristol.gs for info on distance learning.
3) For the flying - with the 500hrs on multi-crew aircraft you are exempt from any MCC Courses (CRM, SOP's style training). You will require a letter from your employer that the aircraft you fly is indeed operated two crew. The 200 is accepted for this, but is otherwise only recognized as a single-pilot A/C in the UK. Unfortunately your 737 type rating won't do you an good unless you have 500hrs on type. To complete your training there are two routes: you can do your CPL, MIFR training over again at major expense in the UK. Or what I have decided to do, is complete a type rating which will satisfy all the JAA ATPL req'ts, as well for little extra cost make yourself much more marketable. Or even better, convince a company to type you on their equipment!
Don't listen to any negative comments from guys on here. I have personally talked to 10 individuals who have done this and have absolutely no regrets. Canada will be a great country to work in as a pilot in 2-3 years, but 'til then this is by far the best route!
For more info look at the Canada Forum and search "conversions" there is a lot of useful info.
Cheers!
