Re: Flying training, many questions!
Halls, When I started out flying I wanted to find some adventure, I had dreams of being a bush pilot in Africa or Canada.
As my training progressed my goals changed a lot! I also had two friends who went to fly in africa, both capable and experienced pilots. One hit a very, very large Animal on take off, snapped a wing got covered in fuel and was very lucky not to have been killed. The other friend did not come back, 'plane hit a mountain, the report is not out yet. Both worked for a very reputable and western owned outfits. I choose not to accept all the risks that come with this line of work and decided I wanted to become an old and not so bold pilot and joined the airlines. If you choose that route just be aware that it is tough flying, your on your own with no outside support and one simple mistake could kill you. Coupled to that for every well run outfit there are 20 gangsters in Africa, with badly maintained machines. Eventually all the holes in the swiss chees line up.
As for working in a foreign country. I note you are living in the UK? Would it be safe to assume that you do NOT have Canadian residency privledges, i.e you don't have a work Visa? If not its a no go unless you get one and a Pilots licence will not be a qualifying condition. To work in Africa is a differnet story most countries like Tanzania, Botswana and Kenya for example you will get a visa applied for if you get a job. You can convert an ICAO licence, FAA or JAA for example, to the local countries licence.
It will be hard to get a job straight out of basic training, you need to be a capable aviator, and there is plenty of competition down there too. Best of luck.