Pilots in the UK & IRL
 

Hello everybody,
could anybody please explain me, what the situation is like for commercial helicopter pilots in Ireland and/or the UK?
I am interested in how the job situation is there, are there many helicopter companies, are pilots with commercial licenses rare or is it difficult to get a job, who does the air-rescue in Ireland etc. Maybe somebody even knows how to convert a German CHPL into an Irish one ? Or if the JAA FCL is already introduced in these 2 countries ?
Currently, I'm working as a helicoter pilot in the German Army, but I'm gonna leave in about 3 years. I'm doing my commercial license in Germany this summer, and after leaving the army in 2003 I'm thinking of maybe working as a helicoter pilot in Ireland or the UK (during my studies I worked in Dublin for 6 month and LOVED it :-) ). By the time I leave I should have >2000 hrs.

Regards (& happy Easter :-) )

HeliInn