thanks choppertop and rtrnewboy, appreciate your imput. I'd like to think that employers would look at your experience rather than your age, but I'm not naive enough to know that isn't the case (at the moment I've got no experience and lots of age, but I'm hoping to change that situation - the experience, not the age). I'd also like to think that a prospective employer would look at the determination a person in my situation has shown to switch from a comfortably paid job to a career where I will have to suffer a lot of hardship before getting anywhere near the comfortable wage I left behind. This, of course, all depends on whether I am good enough as a pilot to achieve this situation. I am making no assumptions, I am only basing this on my determination to succeed - which is driven in many ways by people consistently telling me I won't (not on this site, though, and I am grateful to you all for that). I'm also basing it on the fact that achieving my PPL(H) was one of the best things I have ever done and it gave me a real appetite to go further. Only cash has stopped me so far, but, hopefully, that will change. I might not be an offshore pilot, but somebody at one of these firms telling me I am too old has just spurred me on to succeed even more. Sorry, I'm rambling now, thanks again everyone
best wishes,
Sean