Hello guys,
I need to give a decision about my career. Now I am working as a first officer in B737 and logged more than 2500 hours. I am living in Turkey. I succeed EK assessment and most probably I will get a job offer from them.
At the same time, I have a green card and eligible to work in the USA. In order to work in the USA, I need to convert my license to FAA equivalent which requires me to pass ATP/CTP course and a check ride (Actually it is similar for one who requires to upgrade its FAA CPL to FAA ATP). I quickly reviewed most of the regionals, they pay for ATP/CTP course and also give type rating for the FAA CPL holders. In other words, FAA CPL holders don't need to pay anything for conversion. I tried to apply some of the regional companies tried to explain my situation about the conversion process but they declined my application. They also informed me to convert my license first and then re-apply.
After a quick summary of my case. Here are my concerns;
If I want to fly in the USA I need to spend more than 12.000$ to convert my license and then I can only apply for regionals. Those jobs are not paying well (50-70K in a year.) and need to stay there at least 3-5 years before finding a seat for the legacies. Besides, I am not sure as a foreigner will it be difficult to find a job in the States. Living in the USA looks much better than living in the desert and the USA is the number one place to fly in the world. Lot's of things to learn. Even though initial cost for settlement into the USA looks much higher, it looks like providing better opportunities for the future (citizenship, children education, etc.)
On the other hand, flying for EK provides a better life of quality when compared to regionals. Enjoying 8300$ tax-free salary, living in a villa and paying barely anything for the utilities such as electricity, gas, etc. Flying all around the world, promotion to widebody captain position ( I don't know how many years required to upgrade to widebody captain position in the legacies 20-25?
). Flying all around the world.
I am 29 years old. I am about to get my Ph.D. degree in aviation. I am married., no kids, my wife is a software engineer.
If you were me, which one would you choose? EK or moving to the USA starts from the beginning?
and also do you know any regional which can help me to convert my license in the USA?
Thank you,