If a pilot, can you choose to fly only on national level?

(1) It's good to make general plans for the future, but one of the facts of life is that the future is UNCERTAIN. This uncertainty often disrupts our best-laid plans, so try to stay flexible.

(2) It depends on what country you are employed in and what routes airline you are employed with flies. In some airlines most or all of their flights are international. In others, it is all domestic.

(3) As a rule, the long-haul international flights are more popular because they typically involve larger aircraft, which means more pay. Not everyone bids for these routes, but they usually go to the highest-seniority crews. As a junior employee, you might not even get to make the choice. Even in international airlines, the junior people are usually assigned to domestic routes only. this doesn't mean you'll be home more often. Depending on the country, you're likely to be home less often if you fly domestic routes. This is especially true in the USA.

The only real way you can pilot a plane without crossing seas is by becoming a regional pilot. This involves less pay, and probably more safer aeroplanes but in general, it is a little bit silly if you don't like flying overseas as in your flight training, I'm pretty sure you have to do some form of flying overseas.

Being a flying instructor is one of the very few pilot jobs where you don't live out of a suit case and sleep in your own bed every night not holiday inn.However it's not "a top paying job" by any means.Can't comment on ATC work because I don't know enough about it.However I do know that long haul or short haul if your concerned about having to do a few stop overs then airline pilot work isn't for you.

Unfortunately, being a pilot is NOT a "top paying job". If you DO invest the thousands of dollars and several years of your life in training that you'll need for this job, you'll make near MINIMUM WAGE to start with, and you won't reach "TOP PAY" until you are within a few years of retirement.

And if you actually DO manage to go to work for a major airline, you'll fly when and where THEY tell you to fly. You won't have a real choice if you want to advance your career.