Speaking as a Brit, working in the USA...The UK has adopted the European Joint Aviation Authority (JAA) licence system. It gives you no credit for your FAA licence. You will need to take all the exams and a check ride to get a JAA licence. Now here is the bad bit, The exams are very expensive and hard to pass. They are not like the FAA multi choice. You have to study hard for a few months prior. Most of my ex-colleagues (military) would study for about 2-3 months (5 nights a week, never saw them down the pub) and then take the exams. Others didn't pre-study, but paid a fortune to go on a 6 week course prior to the exams.
A met officer in the Royal Navy, who was a budding pilot, took the met exam. He told me that it was harder than the stuff he had done for his degree in meteorology. Each country in Europe was given a subject and told to construct the exam. They all tried to outdo each other to prove their pilots were brighter. Then there is navigation, math, physics, aerodynamics etc etc.
I don't know your personal situation, but if you can convince your fiance to move to the USA you will save yourself about $10,000 for a licence.
Regards the job situation: Virgin and BA are the biggest, Easy Jet, Ryan Air and Go are the SWA lookalikes. The pay does not compare to the USA, the cost of living is substantially higer. If you want more info, pm me.
Good luck.
