the devils advocate,
if your mate is a bit eloquent in the german language he should try with air berlin. they are constantly taking on crew...not sure if german is a definate requirement although it surely wouldnt hurt...has he tried in turkey? heard they are looking for pilots...the middle east??how about in asia?? a type rating has to be worth something...atleast a little bit!
as for him failing the ryan air sim check...hey, bad luck! keep your head up and keep on going! I´ve seen people forget what NDB stands for in a sim check...and mind you, these were people already flying for an airline! Just add enough pressure...
as for buying a type rating...i wouldnt do it. a.) because i simply dont have the money b.) because i think the airline should pay for the rating...how in gods name are you going to pay all of that back? with a crappy salary and no life?!? no thanks. but thats just my 5 cent worth.
take care guys and dont give up.