My 2 cents...
Think
long and
hard before parting with your cash. Go talk to some of the instructors at your local flying school who have (f)ATPLs. Also weigh up the option of a self-sponsored Type Rating (read this and last month's Log for a point of view).
I'm 34. I've got a fATPL. I've got
nowhere in trying to find that elusive first job. I've been kicked back by CTC (too old
) and opinion changes daily on whether an Instructor Rating is the way forward... nice if you have the cash, but useless if you have a mortgage, repayments on the £50k training fee, a life, etc. etc.
Would I have done it given a second chance? Tricky. At the moment I'm leaning over the "No" side of the fence eyeing up the colour of the grass; it's certianly not very green on the flying side!!
Having said that, 18 months down the line when you're all qualified the job market will probably have turned completely round, and you'll walk into a job.
Spyke