I'm planning to convert to JAA/IR because I don't have access to a N reg over here to fly.
Consequently my hard earned FAA/IR is underused and only gets put into service when I hire in USA.
Not having a dig, Cusco, but you have got only yourself to blame for this situation.
In this paper collection game, the way to go about things is to sort out the plane to fly, where it will be flown, and then to sort out the bits of paper needed to fly it to those places.
It's a bit like you specify the application, then sort out the software, and only then decide what hardware is required to run the software.
I started with a JAA PPL and NQ. After a year or two (which were spent on many abortive attempts to find a plane on which the on-off switch wouldn't come off in your hand, checking out a few syndicates only to find disputes over maintenance, etc) I bought the TB20 and finished off the IMCR in that. At around that time it was apparent the JAA IR was a non-starter for me, for several reasons, so I did the FAA PPL, then put the plane on the N-reg (and got a written confirmation from both CAA and FAA that my IMCR was good for an N-reg), then did the IR ASAP, then I could fly VFR or IFR worldwide, then did the CPL for good measure.
This route gave me a continuous "maximum privileges" situation.
Now, if I wanted to waste a bit more of my life for no purpose and do the JAA IR I could do it with 15hrs min dual training (zero, I believe, if done in some other places in Europe) and hit the exams with the question bank. I will do this if EASA forces it, but obviously not before.
Some owner pilots I know simply went to the USA and did everything there, then came back and bought an N-reg plane.
As I wrote earlier, non owner pilots face the possibility of having got the wrong bits of paper.
I wonder how much of the Flyer group are owners and non-owners?
Regarding taking one's time, one cannot totally do that because the written exams have an expiry date. At some stage you do have to bite the bullet and hand over the £££ for 50/55hrs.
Why not allow self study, exams taken at a local centre and not Gatwick
If one does the ICAO IR -> JAA IR conversion, the mandatory ground school is eliminated. The availability of the question bank makes self study more viable too.
As regards the locations, no idea why this is so restrictive. The CAA does run these exams at one remote centre (the UK High Commission in Thailand or some place around there) so it's obviously doable. They are after the examination fees, pretty obviously.
The worst bit perhaps is the mandatory "professional school" flight training; this is a blatent protectionist practice and inconvenient for most normal people because most don't have a professional school nearby. The de facto requirement to train from specific airports is because the CAA examiners fly specific airways routes which are trained over and over. If taking off hotel time to do this pantomine, one may as well take off 2-3 weeks and go to the USA (where, even today, flying is probably half the price).