I'm in the same boat as you P0onky, but I've got my CPL and ATPL subjects. I think the reward outweighs the risk, but It will be much cheaper for you to get your SA CPL, then do some bush flying and THEN head to EASA as the conversion price decreases the more hours you have. While you are bush flying, self study for the ATPL exams as whiskey1 suggested through someone like Bristol ground school on their distance learning course. Remember, in the early stages of the CPL, you want to get other people to pay for the hours, rather than spend a metric tonne on training and have no operational experience at the end of it all!
