Hi Pipergirl
Little extra's, well as one who finished his IR last week (First time pass), here's my two pence worth.
I took my CPL and MEP in Florida. This is cheaper than the UK and, for most of the time, the weather is better. This enables you to finish in a quicker time than in England. I was paying under $300 for 1 hour Multi Engine Training, the sim in UK cost £160 per hour for IR!!!!!
However you are better off doing your IR over here, why?
Well for a start you have to take your inital IR test in a JAA country. Our airspace and R/T is different and can take a bit of time to get used to.
My IR included Landing Fee's at our Home Base, so be prepared to pay for approaches at other airfields. I also had to pay for the hire of the Aircraft on Test. The charging was take off to landing plus point two (12 mins). This, I found was fair as from start up to take off alone can take 20 minutes or more, if you do all your checks correctly without rushing. I would recomend both the schools I used for my CPL/ME and IR and you are welcome to contact me regarding them.
Yours
FF