An interesting question considering most keep exotic GTP's who actually has the international licence? Its my understanding it is required for any number of exotic GTP's while natives are restricted and you could keep 2 on a rec licence(if not keepiong other restircted sp.)
I have found talking to DERM is about as accurate as flipping a coin, that said you cant talk to those who wrote the stupid rules or anyone who understands them. I have found that they try to be very helpful but they can only read the same ambiguous laws that everyone can read.
Hornet, in that case you just need to pay up and get the expensive licence, not sure if they still call it specialist, but that what they used to call it. You only need endorsement for keeping Elapids, maybe only the dangerous ones, but no one actually knows if you can keep less harmful species on a rec licence, its a bit like flipping a coin as mentioned above as to the answer they give.