Asia, 1.100hrs
It is the cycle of supply and demand and then demand and supply.
Most Countries have enough supply in low time Pilots and therefore the threshould is "high" for people from elsewhere. It is also the hassle the companies have to go thru to get a non-cititzen to fly for them. Work permitt, VISA, licence conversion or validation and, in some cases, the proof that there is no Citizen in the Country available who has the skills and do the Job offered instead of the "Foreign workforce". If you see the INS, the Homeland Security and some other Agencies involved then you may realize that in other countries the hurdles are higher and the buerocracy is more complex to fulfill the requirements to hire a person from abroad.
Now fast growing companies take Pilots whith 500 hours and train them to then needs and after a few years later the now expirienced Pilot with ++3.000 hrs in heavys is thankful and goes home to compete in the market there and his old Buddies get jealous on the higher expirience and all of a sudden the jobs at "home" are now not home anymore. I meet a Pilot a while back and he told me: Once a ExPat allways a Expat....
I complete my 10th Year in Asia this Summer and have seen many coming and some going as well. To work abroad is not that easy, you could miss your daily routine and need to find a new one. It pays the bills first, it secures someting else as well. Ask yourself what do you want, flying is not the same anymore as it was. Income stagnated the last few years, if you see the inflation then actually you earn less then a few years back. Some of my Fellows do not allow theire Children to go into the same Industry anymore and that where the Grandfather was a WWII Veteran in flying and a former PanAm Chap for example. Why? because the once so glorious and well respected Position goes south.
Pilots share the pain of cost saving measures from the Management in bad times and the Management srews them in good times with the bonuses in the Pocket and the Pilot does the job for less because he likes or loves to fly. I´ve once got asked from a Administrator who workes for a Airline what is the merit of flying? I told him that he should go out to a local flying club and try it. His answer was: Too expensive for one hour, my response was then: If do not know what it is it is no value for you at all. He is now in a position of the company where he can decide of the faith of a Pilot and he screwed a few indiviudals in the past.
Would I do something diffrent today if I had the knowledge of now and be set back 30 years ago? Yes for sure, I would start flying commercialy earlier then but I would still love to fly. In a few years I retire and I do not regrett it. In the past few years I have seen only too many who went into flying with the wrong assumption and learned later that this was not made for them but now as they spent too many bucks on it they had no other option anymore.
A good friend of mine sent his Daughter to college and then encouraged her for a University degree. She makes now more in her early 30s with a "9 to 5" Job then he in his late 50´s flying over the Atlantic a few times a month night and day from Monday to Sunday´s, Thanksgiving and Christmas eve included. Where is the merit for yourself?
Fly safe and land happy
NG