To instruct or not to instruct?

[Bart_Man]

Dear fellow pilots,

I'm currently in Canada where I'm doing a CPL/ME-IFR course. I should have these licenses by December.

I have a problem to work out and I need help on my decision. The question is the following: I have Belgian nationality and Europe is where I want to work as a pilot in the future. I am trying to decide if, after I have my Canadian licenses, I should immediately go back to Europe and convert to a JAA frozen ATPL and try to find a job with low hours, or if it would be better to first do an instructor rating here in Canada, instruct here for another year or two and come back to Europe with 1000 or 1500 hours and then try to find a job, after doing the conversion (perhaps I can even do the conversion by distance learning while I'm instructing here...).

This is a difficult decision to make, as I have heard many different opinions. Here in Canada, companies are still quite old fashioned in the sense that, generally, the more hours you have, the better your chances of getting first officer in a bus. In Europe however, I hear that companies prefer you not to have more than 500 hours because otherwise you might have developed bad habits...

In short, the question is: are European airlines fond of instructors or is one better to look for a job in Air Taxi or Charter on a dual piston instead?

Is there anyone who would care to respond to my predicament?

Thank you all in advance,
Bart