Alan,
In all seriousness, presumably you want to stay this side of the pond (Ireland/UK)?. .If you go to the US it is fraught with immigration red tape and at the end of it there is a lot of flying for not much money.
My advice without question would be to join the military. Get your hours and experience. This gives you a fighting chance on two fronts:. .(a) It gets you loads of hours for free which helps with obtaining your commercial licence.. .(b) The training pipeline is a known and well tested background which everyone can relate to. I'm not saying the civvy route is any less professional but it doesn't necessarily come with a guarantee of quality <img src="frown.gif" border="0"> . .As soon as you get your quals, quit if you want to and fly commercially with the minimum of costs.. .Do it privately however,and it will cost you £30-£50,000. OR, it will take forever to clock up your hours renting yourself out (sometimes for free) to attain the relevant minimum hours.
Once qualified you can choose which sector to fly in: Off shore / freelance / government service / etc. This choice is made easier with a mil background.
Salaries: Commercial Captain with a CPL(H) ranges from: £20,000 - £40,000 starting pay. Believe me - no-one flies for the money
. .[except perhaps the rigs. . <img src="eek.gif" border="0"> <img src="eek.gif" border="0"> <img src="eek.gif" border="0"> ].
If you want the bucks - airlines. .If you want the thrills - helo. <img src="tongue.gif" border="0">
[ 05 February 2002: Message edited by: Thomas coupling ]</p>