Hi Guys and Gals,
I'm not long validated here in the UAE ACC so I hope what info I write is someway current and helps.
The training takes about 3 months all in. Short, (and when I say short, I mean 5 days) classroom work to learn the airspace and the procedures for the UAE along with the letters of agreement between ourselves and the adjacent sectors. Then its right on into ojti. 220hrs in total over around three months. Last I heard that they wanted to increase this time maybe to 260hrs because of the complexity and sometimes "grey" procedures. In that time you complete 4 practical assesments and around about the same written. Whether or not your with SERCO or GCAA, everyones training is the same. 4 sector at present (not enough). But steps are being taken to reorder and split these sectors into more manageable blocks of airspace. Also, certain air routes are being looked at. North sector deals mainly in sequencing traffic for Dubai App and a number of overflights which can't be sniffed at. Central deals with departure traffic from Abu Dhabi and Dubai and feeds them into Bahrain..albeit through a pinhole but somehow it works out. Most traffic in this sector is in the mornings around 730 onwards. Then East sector, which deals with departures and arrival sequencing from the east. Not a nice place when the preverbial hits the fan!!! Then thee's the lazy south, although the traffic here has picked up somewhat lately. Planners are available on request.
Now to brass tacs!!!......Currently the package offered by the GCAA is 47,000Dhs per month. Out of this comes your housing allowance which is about 8500Dhs or so per month give or take. Up front the GCAA will give you 100,000Dhs per year as your housing allowance which will get you a nice cozy box somewhere outside heroes pub!!! For a two bed apart in Abu Dhabi, expect to pay around 150,000Dhs per year upwards. If you have kids...well...good luck!! Thats where SERCO come in......AT THE MOMENT, SERCO will find this accommodation for you. SERCO have old leasing contracts around town so the 100,000Dhs you get up front after you validate covers this well. With regards the remainder of the SERCO contract, you are paid 40,000Dhs per month incl accomm. So as you can see its 7,000Dhs per month less than GCAA. I hope I explained the housing issue ok!!!! Accommodation is at a premium in Abu Dhabi at the moment. Its far behind Dubai in its development. Most new buildings won't come on line till next year at the earliest so it remains to be seen whether or not the housing will meet the demand...I have my doubts. At the moment a new contract is being negotiated by SERCO with GCAA for the next 3 years. Housing will HAVE to be considered seriously and also schooling. The housing allowance will HAVE to at least double to meet the cost of finding an apartment. Again, I have my doubts. We'll wait and see.
Other than the housing and schooling, everything else is much cheaper than europe. A nice car will cost around €25k+ (sport saloon, 4wd) depending on what you want. To fill the tank with juice costs about €20 or so...which shouldn't be much of a surprise now should it!!!!!. Very nice restaurants with good, inexpensive food. Of course some stuff like BEER is more expensive as it has to be imported.....a bottle of corona or pint of beer will cost around €6.
But having been here for a while now, I have settled in well and very much enjoy working here. Its a great challenge and great oppurtunity to spend and/or save some money and see some of the world. You'll hear mixed opinions but I guess you'll find that the world over. Personally, I'm enjoying the experience will do for a few yers yet.
Hopefully the above babble will give you some insight into working here. Any more questions just mail me or write it up and i'll do my best to answer.
PS: Schooling costs around 48,000Dhs per year per child...and thats only primary education....I'm open to correction on that!!
Cheerz