Am also in the process of doing my JAR and after emails and telephone calls with the British CAA as well as a few flight schools (including Bristol) I have learnt the following:
If you hold an ICAO ATPL(i.e SACAA ATPL), you need not sit the JAR ground school, you can buy the CD from Bristol ground school. Ground school costs 2000 pounds, CD costs around 500 pounds and extra 50 pounds to have three months access to online typical exam questions. Once you have the exams, then all the above comments and quotations around the flight training are not far off the true whack of the cost.
Regarding trying use 500 multi-crew hours on aircraft like the B200 and 1900, I have learnt the following, and find two relevant quotes from the LASORS 2007 documents from the British CAA:
One of the JAR ATPL requirements: "500 hours Multi-Pilot operations on aeroplanes type certificated in accordance with the JAR/FAR-25 Transport Category or the JAR/FAR-23 Commuter Category or equivalent code, or
single-pilot aeroplanes operated by 2-pilotsaccording to operational requirements."
And regarding the MCC:
"Note: Experience gained in single-pilot certificated aeroplanes that are operated with a crew of two or more will not normally be accepted
towards the 500 hour requirement but may be considered in certain circumstances (i.e. where national law requires such operation)."
Some guys think that just because the client requires two crew that it becomes a two crew aeroplane and you can log the hours towards a higher licence, this is not true. I am presently flying for an operator who is operating the 200 and 1900 under SACAA authorised multi-crew due to the operational requirements here in Afghanistan. I have had to find this out and get it in writing from the SACAA so that I can count 50% of the right hand seat hours I have here towards my SA ATPL (a lengthy and frustrating process that has taken over 9 months for the company to get).
Most operators of the 200 and 1900 do not have this 'stamp of approval' from the CAA and the pilots are being screwed by sitting in the right seat and not being able to count the hours towards anything but total time. The very important part to this is what the arrangement is between the CAA and your operator on this subject, as well as what is in your approved manual of procedure. This has a direct bearing on your chances of the UKCAA accepting some of or all of those hours as multi-crew.
I am South African, have lived in SA my whole life, but am one of those lucky
that have a British Passport. What the others say here about getting work in the UK without that document is so true, especially with new terrorism laws making it even harder for foreigners. I have many friends and family members to testify to this fact. Having said that, aviation companies seem to be quite desperate for experience, so a work visa may come your way if you are in the right place and the right time.