"Its funny how you vent your frustration here, having obviously not done enough research before getting your licence."
It's not a question of research, it is a question of trust. An FTO tells you that your licence is going to be valid in any JAA member state, and advises you that you will be able to work there. You do a little big of digging and find out that this may be true, then you get tied up studying for your ATPL subjects. Therefore, not much time is actually spent trying to find out from each and every NAA whether or not you can work in their country with a minimum of fuss. When you do actually find out that it is virtually impossible to do so with minimum hours then yes, you do feel somewhat 'cheated' Especially when our UK market seems to be flooded with european JAA licenced pilots working here, a lot of them with minimum time.
It is also not a vent of frustration, but a discussion point. You do realise that this is a discussion forum don't you. If this is too much for you then you could always go and post on a womens knitting forum instead.
People shell out a lot of dosh on this career and expect to be given the truth. If the truth hurts then maybe "you can't handle the truth" Because when you finish your little MEIR and are stomping around looking for a job then perhaps this will matter a little bit more to you.
Effectively you are paying for a UK licence and not a European licence. So, at the start of your career you can only work in the UK. Pitting yourself against the thousands of others that have just got their shiny new licence. What is going to make you stand out ? Why are you any different than the rest ? Then you find out that some UK airline has taken on some europeans with a little bit more experience than you. Well, good for them, so can you now go and work in their country with your new JAA licence and slip into that low hour job they vacated to come to the UK. Answer = NO. Why, because their NAA couldn't give a shi* about you.
The point is that this matters, just a quick look on another forum here and you will see why
http://www.pprune.org/forums/showthr...=240982&page=8 UK Pilots so desperate that they are almost bankrupt, harrowing stuff. Why, because they are stuck with just the UK market to apply to, and that UK market is getting flooded. Next year I imagine it will be worse with even more countries joining the EU. But of course none of this matters to you because with your new UK issued JAA licence you will just be able to walk into a job wont you ??
Hey, just be sure that you have done YOUR RESEARCH before you start shelling out your thousands on the flying part.
