Mate, personally, I would try and get a bit of work experience under your belt. Call into any of your local rotary operators and let them know you would like to get a bit of work experience on the floor. You will learn the basics, what to touch, what to let other people touch and what to look at the book before you touch. After a year or so, you will have a bit of an idea how a maintenance shop works and if you happen to pick up a skill like spray painting or sheet metal work (jobs that people don't generally like) you could then take them overseas with you (depending on the economic climate). Or you could hang around another 3 years, knock over some CASA exams, log your experience in your SOE and be licenced in 4 years. Then you will be in a lot more commanding position should you go to Canada. Also, in this time (with the help of a bank loan) you could be well on your way to getting your CPL(H). It's a lot of work but very achievable. You just have to be willing to start at the bottom. Cheers!