Well, I currently have my FAA ratings up to CPL/IR with all of the instructor ratings. Nearly all of my training was done on a twin, the same twin I will use for my UK IR conversion. I also have an instructing job in the US on a visa that will build my time up to 1000hrs, most of which will be multi and lots instrument. I had the good sense to do the ATPL theory straight after my PPL so that makes it pretty easy, albeit pricey to do the conversion. I reckon by the time I'm finished with the JAA conversion I will have spent about 40,000-45,000GBP. This includes living expenses and is based on realistic training and conversion costs, not minimums.
It's probably possible to spend less doing all of the training in the UK; but then with 200hrs I find it hard to believe that I would get any kind of job. I realise that not having much time in UK airspace may be a problem for many employers, hence the reason I'm also converting my instructor rating. If I'm lucky I may even get a job flying N reg turboprops or jets.
I don't think training in the US to CPL/IR and converting at minimum hours makes sense though. If you do the ATPL theory after the FAA stuff that will take 6+ months in which your flying skills will rust away. That increases the potential of conversion costs snowballing. At the end of the process you still have only 300hrs and that still in all probability makes you unemployable.
As a means of buliding up quality twin and instrument time to what I consider to be an employable amount of hours (1000ish) for turboprop and air taxi jobs I still believe the US is the way to go. In the five years I've been reading Pprune I've seen plenty of US trained posters go on to airline jobs.
Last edited by Fair_Weather_Flyer; 14th March 2005 at 00:01.