Thanks again to all of you out there passing on your experiences. I think Pakeha-Boy hit the nail on the head with his 'crock of ****' comment. Its a shame that good old honest living pilots have to jump through so many hoops and spend so much moolah just to fly a plane registered in a different country!
Thinking I will plan on staying in the South or Asia to build up my hours before considering the UK. As long as I'm enjoying the ride of course - lets just hope this 'pilot shortage' is a reality when I'm looking to move up!