@ Defbond:
First and most important question, do you hold a EU-Citizenship/Passport? If not, it's pretty much impossible (as a None EU-citizen) to find a pilot job in Europe, since most operators require EU-Citizenship, or the legal right to work and live in Europe. They won't sponsor a work permit.
Regarding your other questions, I think to following links might be useful:
OFT flight training school aviation academy, Florida
http://www.flightsafetyacademy.com/c...Conversion.pdf
Regarding the "conversion" in general:
In advance, it always depends on the individual/personal situation and it's difficult to tell which approach is the best to get the "conversion" done, e.g. for an Englishman the U.K. track is probably the best. I've been dealing with this matter for quite some time and considering all available options (e.g. Spain, U.K. etc) I personally came to the conclusion that the best and probably least expensive way to get the "conversion" done, is in Switzerland.
And here is why:
1. There is a an FTO in Zurich which provides a "Special Conversion Offer" (meaning you are exempt from sitting a ground school class) provided that you hold at least an FAA CPL/IR in conjunction with the FAA ATPL Written Test, or the FAA (or ICAO) ATPL itself. So that'll save you a couple of thousand Euros right there! But of course, you'll still have to take the 14. JAA ATPL exams. The name of the FTO is Horizon Swiss Flight Academy. Registration fee is about 2200€ (for being an autodidact! Welcome to Euroland!) not including the books. That'd be another 1000€ (for the Oxford books, which they are using) but you probably get them for less money on ebay.
Best online Test-prep (concerning the JAA ATPL) I've heard of is
AVIATIONEXAM.com - the largest & latest JAA-CQB question bank available online, in print and on CD-ROM.
2. As already mentioned in an earlier post above, in Switzerland there is
no re-training required in order to take the skill test! However, being realistic, it'll probably take a few additional hours of flying (to get acquainted with the European System and Airspace) in order to be ready to take the check ride!
By the way, regarding the preparation for the skill test, it's your freedom of choice which flight school or FTO you pick (usually or preferably in Switzerland, I was told the U.K. [CAA] also accepts the Swiss JAA ATPL theory). There's a flight school direct at the Zurich Intl. Airport (LSZH) their prices are quite reasonable, allegedly the offer the lowest rate for a Piper Seneca in entire Switzerland. The website can be found at:
MFGZ: Motorfluggruppe and the email is:
[email protected]
In general, most of the European Airlines/Operators require a MCC (Multi Crew Coordination) Course which you have to pay for yourself. Usually the price ranges from 3000€ to 5000€, there is a vendor in Berlin (Germany) they offer an MCC Course for about 1700€ - that's a pretty swet deal, if you'd ask me! Website: FSB Flugschule Berlin - International Flight School Berlin
So, if I did the Math right, going the Swiss way and getting the MCC Course in Germany, it should be feasible to get the JAA frozen ATP for less than 10.000€.
As I mentioned before, this is my personal opinion based on the information I have and the inquires I made. But perhaps, my post contains some useful information for others.
good luck 