Scratched, please do! Getting a pilot license will be an advantage. I don't know how controllers manage without being pilots (at least student pilots)--great training I suppose is how they do it, but actually having experience on the other side of the system provides insights that can't be taught in school or on the job.
Lemon, I'm sure some countries have fewer hoops to jump through than others, but there are so many variables and if the country has privatized ATC, all bets are off. Never underestimate the silliness bureaucracy can impose on the most seemingly logical things!