Advice please! Airline pilot - USA vs EU
 

Hi All,

I am a 21 year old living and flight training in California and have earned so far a private, instrument, and commercial pilot certificate. However, I am a Dutch citizen so I'm wondering whether it makes sense to start my new flying career in Europe or if I should stay in the United States. I would love to live in Europe, but I have also have a great life in California so from that perspective, either location is a good option. I am aware of the time and money it takes to convert my licenses to EASA and the 14 ATPL exams I would have to take but obviously residency/citizenship requirements are not an issue.

My question is more about the quality of life of an (airline) pilot in the United States vs. Europe. Is there much of a difference, is one place better than another
How difficult is it to start your career in Europe From what I read, getting a job at one of the regionals in the US after you get your 1,500 hours is currently relatively easy, but I'm not sure about Europe, so any insight about the chances of getting a job there with 300-500 hours would be greatly appreciated. Does it make sense to convert my licenses because I would potentially get a job in Europe with fewer hours How about the opportunities for advancementupgrade times
I'd really appreciate any information, insights, or opinion you might have for me!

Opinion: America is the best place on earth to be a pilot.

This is a no-brainer. If you are in the US, have the right to live and work in the US and you already have the licence to fly US registered aircraft - stay there until you have at least 2000 jet hours then go to Europe if you really want to.

Getting a first jet job in the US is super easy.
Getting a first jet job in Europe is super hard.
Once you have 3000-5000 hours on jets then things start to even out and the rest of the world, middle east, far east etc opens up.

Don't be fooled into thinking that just because you can get a new job with 200 hours in Europe they are easy to get, they aren't. I would rather have a PPL and a green card than an EASA CPL.

Don't do the EASA exams unless you really need to. A waste of a year of your life.