Cypilot77.
What are you goals?
Why do you want an EASA ATPL?
With 3000 hours and a ATP, your more than qualified to get any regional airline job in the US.
These pay about $50,000 a year and often have a signing bonus.
If you have the right to work in the UK/Europe the jobs that are available are not as well paid as the US.
UK regional like FlyBE only pay about $25,000 and have training contracts of about $20,000 tied to them.
If you aiming for something larger like EasyJet/Ryanair, just spend some time looking in the 'terms and endearment' and 'cabin crew' section of this web site. You'll get an idea of what they are putting up with. Yes, some 19 year old's from the top schools do get B-737 jobs. But don't think it's the land of milk and honey. For I think many of them would give their back teeth for the right to work in the US. Just look at the first year pay and training contract of about $35,000, and you'll see it's a wash.
I used to fly a lot out of Rome Ciampino airport. Whilst waiting on a crew bus to take us out to our plane, I got to speak to many Ryanair crews. Few liked it, most didn't, and some despised it.
Speaking to pilots at Americas discount carriers like Frontier, Spirit, Allegiant etc, nobody is really disgruntled. The worst you'll find is 'it's just a job, 'til something better comes along'.
You could end up spending a year and $20,000 getting a EASA (f)ATPL for very little point. It would have to be 'frozen' because you don't have the 500 multi crew. This would mean you'd have to go back and do a type rating at a later time.
Another and possibly better way to do it, would be to get a regional US job (one that has simulators available in Europe), and once you've got the 500 hours multi crew. You are now exempt from doing the ground school, but you still have to do the exams. I met a A-320 co-pilot who tried to pass the exams after doing a bit of home study. He failed miserably. As I would too. It takes an unbelievable amount of dedication to self study for these exams, especially if you have a full time job and a family. But assuming you pass, you can then do a type rating in the plane you fly in Europe.
Beware that there is a time limit on these written exams, and you have to keep an EASA I/R current or you'll have to do the whole thing again.
Last edited by button push ignored; 18th January 2017 at 17:52.