Facts about working for Qatar.

[stop, stop, stop]

I apprieciate that everyone has many opinions about their life in the desert, but I would like to keep this thread about the hard facts......

:)

I would like to ask about roster patterns, days off at home, days off down route, duty day lengths...etc etc for all fleets. Could someone post a copy of their roster? (in an easy to understand format!)

Contactability on Days off? Standby days?

Buying and renting houses/flats in Qatar. What, where and how much.

Places to go....things to see??

Again, please don't let us know if you are happy or unhappy with your lot.....just the hard facts so the rest of us can make an informed decision.

Thanks!!

:ok::ok::ok:

[SOPS]

this will be interesting

[fractional]

stop, stop, stop, I'm not in Doha, but my networking leads me to tell you this roughly:
- rosters are as good as you see them for the first time:ooh:.
- days off are as good as they are (again) on the original roster. The next time you return to base, you may not find them elsewhere. If on days off, don't answer the phone.
- housing buying/renting is too expensive. It all depends what you can afford. Forget about buying.
- there aren't many places to go to. Sand dunes, shopping malls, hotel halls, restaurants. Fly out to Bahrain or the UAE. To get out of Qatar by land, you need to drive through Saudi until Bahrain and Qatar are linked by the causeway.

[Linerider]

Roster Patterns:

A320. Lots of night flights, mostly out and back flights. A couple of layovers a months in India or Europe. Most layovers are approx 24hrs. High duty hours and low flying hours.

A330. Mostly layover trips. Layovers 24 to 48hrs. Some trips will be operated on minimum rest, others after two or three days rest. Arguably the best fleet to be on in terms of rostering and varied destinations.

B777. Mixture of relatively short flights and ultra long haul. Therefore some out and back flights, other flights e.g. the USA would give you 24hr layovers. Some 777 pilots flying a huge amount, others doing one of two trips a month. Can't give you an explanation for this discrepancy.

Contactability:

Days off - you're not going to get called on days off unless your roster says 'XBTN' (to be notified)

Standby: Depends on fleet. If you are on the A330 there is a high chance of callout. Less so for the A320 and B777.
Report time for standby is 1 hour.

Buying and renting in Qatar:
Advise against buying due to the lack of legal support you would get here, and the difficulty many experience with local landlords.
Ball-park figures for renting. A nice two bedroom furnished apartment would be 8000 - 12,000 Riyals per month depending on area and quality.
Three bed furnished villa - 10,000 to 15,000 per month.
The housing allowance for FOs is 10,000 per month, for Capts it is 12,500 per month.

As it stands for new joiners, only Captains are allowed to take the allowances and move out of company accommodation. In theory a Capt at QR should be given a company villa, but due to lack of availability they may only offer you a three bed company apartment or the 12,500 allowance.

As an FO you will be allocated a three bed apartment in Ain Khalid Gate.

Things to do:
Inland Sea/dessert, the Souq Waqif, shopping malls, golf course, a few bars and clubs at hotels, the Islamic Museum, cafes and restaurants, the swimming pools or sports facilities at the Ain Khalid Gate compound.

[Ronaldo 330]

You can also get terminated based on DFDR download if you say anything against CEO . It happen already .

You can be terminated if you drink "not alowed " Evian water

Termination can happen also if you get into relation with cabin crew .

On 3 th floor next to Immigration they have also "resignation/termination department " the only of this type in the world .

[Random75]

Ronaldo 330......

You have two other threads on this forum to express your negatives regarding Qatar. Lets be fair, they are covered there in great detail. How about leaving this thread to the facts the origional poster asked for as it is helpful for prospective joiners. I am sure people researching Qatar Airways have read them too and it gets just a tad boring when every thread reverts to the previous one.

Regards, R75

[Fubaliera]

Guys its not true that you get fired for going out with cabin crew. Just dont mess with the ones that hang out at the 9th floor . But theres enough girls to go around for everybody, just dont get into a pissing match with the boss over a specific girl because your gonna lose.

[loc22550]

320 fleet:

Roster: 70...80 hours/month(duty 130+ sometime...)
: 8+... days off in Doha/month(sometime 2..3 days off outside station.
: 2..3 stby/month sometine none.
Bidding system available:Make the roster a little bit better, BUT i heard unfortunatly that the MAFIA in charge of roster are still interfering with the system...to be confirmed..
Yes you can be called during days off, BUT off course you don't have to answer..BUT since they have to pay you extra allownance when you are pull out for a flight on days off(if you accept), those thinks barely happens now..
Cancelling a day off in your roster whitout advising/asking you happens as well sometime.

Off course you can always buy a property here...if you are crazy enough...Or if you have cash..!(2 bedroom flat 500.000....600.000 U$ at least....!:\)
Because Don't forget IF anythink happens to you (termination..), and you can't pay the bank loan..you might end up in jail or being stuck in Qatar till you pay...So think twice..

Fubaliera: with a population of 1.5 million in qatar and a ratio of 1.2M male/0.3M female..i doubt seriously there is enough girls for everybody here:eek:..

[Fubaliera]

LOC I mean single avail and presentable cockpit crew/vs. cabin crew, im not counting indian/nepalese/sri lankan/pakistani contruction laboures.

[loc22550]

ok..now it's clear..:)

[MigratoryBird]

loc22550 said:

Bidding system available:Make the roster a little bit better, BUT i heard unfortunatly that the MAFIA in charge of roster are still interfering with the system...to be confirmed..

hello loc and everyone:

i do confirm that there are people interfering with the system... this is easy to find out. bids are closed on 15. jeppesen sends back the roster a few days later. last month, before the final roster was published (24th), i went into schedule brief format option in AIMS (if you go to Next Period you can see the pre-assignments, i.e. training, etc.) and there was a DAC flight pre assigned, that obviously someone did not want. when the roster was published, i had that flight in black and white. :mad::mad::mad: needless to say that i did not bid for that one...

a good friend of mine has not got one single R in his whole roster for the last 4 months. i saw his rosters, so he is not lying. how do you explain this one? isn't jepps supposed to maximize satisfaction for everyone. this guy had, considering rostering rules, zero satisfaction for 4 months in a row. :=

the mafia is still around, some people still get a great roster, and the ones that try to play fair and by the rules get f:mad:d. why is QR paying for a bidding system that costs a fortune if in the end we are always back to square one? :ugh::ugh::ugh:

[stop, stop, stop]

Ok, great. There is some REALLY useful infomation here (especially Linerider and loc22550, thankyou)....

Like Random75 says....Please, please....if you want to discuss the finer points about what YOU don't like about Qatar Airways then please start your own thread. Researching Qatar (to name but one!) becomes quite a bore when you have to spend 99% of the time wading through peoples moans....

If anyone else can confirm their duty hours and flying hours on the A320 for the past few months that would be appreciated.

What about pay....I have heard that the amount stated on the Qatar website falls way wide of the mark. Anyone care to share what they took home over the past few months??

Thanks guys,

SSS

[MigratoryBird]

SSS said:

Like Random75 says....Please, please....if you want to discuss the finer points about what YOU don't like about Qatar Airways then please start your own thread. Researching Qatar (to name but one!) becomes quite a bore when you have to spend 99% of the time wading through peoples moans....

Dear SSS:

i appreciate that you are looking for "Facts about working for Qatar", and i am like you, one of the people that try to stick to the simple facts. just take a look at my other posts, and you will see that this is my attitude.

however, if i am researching for info, i normally like to hear all sides of the argument, and i don't favour answers that just tell me what i want to hear.

your roster is YOUR LIFE, meaning that, the quality of your lifestyle in this place will be greatly affected by how much you fly, where you fly, patterns, sign-on time, 4 sector days, overnight flying, etc.

so, although it might seem to you that i am just wingeing about rostering practices, i am stating a proven fact that might affect you if you ever decide to come to this place.

it looks like you are being offered an A320 position. i am good friends with some of the A320 guys, and their lifestyle sucks because of their roster. that is also a "Hard Fact".

all info is useful. so please, don't tell other people that are trying to help you get a full picture about QR to start another thread.

i hope that you get what you are researching for ;)

[JungleJett]

Hard numbers...
End of 2nd year, F/O, 320 fleet, average flight per year for 2009 will be 780 hours, duty time probably double of flight time.
Pay for 2009 : 355,149 QR or 97,301 USD.

Concerning the preferential bidding, I get half of my requested wishes and I am NOT involved with any mafia and don't bribe anybody.
Life is better since the introduction of the bidding system.

Here we go, simple facts and hard numbers.

[loc22550]

A-320 CPT: salary for an average month...:..51000...QR/month =14000U$
(including everything ;except education allowance).
-Without the housing allowance: 39000 QR/month= 10500U$
-NO bonus,NO pension plan(promised by the CEO ...6 years ago...):uhoh:
-3% increase on the basic(only) for the first 5 years..only:uhoh:.(initial basic: 26500QR/month=7300U$).
-Free laundry for your uniform.

End of service benefit: 3 weeks of your last monthly basic salary/year of service in the company;
Becoming 4 weeks after 5 years of service.
Thats it!

[EGCC4284]

stop, stop, stop

Thank you for starting this thread


I am separated but not divorced. I now have a new partner who is also married and separated. How would it be if we cohabited in a Qatar accommodation?, would this be aloud.

I have a 13 year old daughter who lives with her mum here in the UK. If I started with QR, would I be able to return to the UK every month to visit my daughter and girlfriend?

What’s the chances of getting straight onto long haul, or is the A320 fleet always first option only?

Could I get company staff discounted travel back to Manchester

[ItsAjob]

Pay for 2009 : 355,149 QR or 97,301 USD

Have you included your housing allowance in this?

[EGCC4284]

SpamCanDriver

Thank you for your reply.

My new partner would not be coming with me, she has family/children and a good job in the UK. I have a 13 year old daughter who lives with my wife (seperated 12 months ago) So my partner with me in Qatar question was for when she came to visit me and not because she wanted to move there with me.

My intention was to go to Qatar as long as I could get home once a month, even if its only for a hand full of days.

Please check your PM

[JungleJett]

No without housing allowance since I live in company accomodation.
Otherwise it's an extra 10,000 QR/month for F/O's.

[Captain Oryx]

FYI

F/O's are currently required to live in company housing. I have not heard anything to indicate a change in this policy in the near future.

[sky-diver]

EGCC4284,

Have you been called for an interview? If so, when did you apply?

Many thanks in advance!

[justwannafly]

Hi guys

Can anyone tell me the chances of ending up on the A320, if your an A330 FO that accepts a job for A330. I only ask coz I heard a rumour from a mate that that they say A330 just to make sure you come. Im not too worried, but I would like to stay widebody if I can.

Thanks
Justwannafly

[fishbath21]

Dear Pilots,

I really appreciate if anyone can advise me with 500hrs of b737-200 and TT of 2100hrs (FAA-ATPL) how can I get into Qatar airways. Are they recruiting now? if yes or not then how can I get in? I really appreciate it.....................:D

[HandoverRichard]

It seems to be a very small difference between FO and capt salaries...

FO: Jungle jett says 8k/month + housing.
Capt: Loc says 10.5k + housing

Did I miss something?

(This is a pleasantly non-emotional and factual thread for QR. I hope it can keep going)

[Fubaliera]

Dude try 7k take home pay and your provided company accomodation.

[Fubaliera]

Like i have stated before, QR/Doha is good if your arabic/muslim or married/family wimp.If your single/western and your strait your only chance at any female interaction is the cabin crew, but it takes time.
If you join on the 320 as a f/o plan on staying on that fleet for ever, or at least the next 7years.

[X-BleedOpen]

Hello guys,

I've just applied a couple days ago to Qatar... I'm 21yo, 1100h total and 870 on the A320, currently employed till March. I would like to move not that I'm young and I still can to somewhere with a permanent contract and big/solid structure. How many possibilities I have to get a call from them with this experience? Last year they were asking for 1000h, now that I have 1000h, they want 2000... WTF!

Thanks for opening this 3ad... I've read it and it is very interesting to know more details about the conditions. TBH, right now that I'm so young and I'm still the happiest person in the world every day I go working, I don't care flying with this kind of rosters at all.. maybe in a few years I will change my mind. Salary is good as far as I can see... only problem is living in Doha.

Anyways, thanks for your help.

Take care.

[ainkhaled]

Latest on the galley FM is that the new jepp roster bid system just as it starts to deliver some nice rosters for crew (if you use it in a right way) is now to be cut back severely by order of flt ops pilot management... :*

Max days off allowed in a row now cut back to 3. Bad news for all fleets but especially B777/ A340/330. No more long blocks of days off possible giving chance to travel away from DOH. CPF and 330/BM are very against the whole bid process. Apperantly they want total control of all pilot requests for trips/ days off/ changes etc to be with the fleet offices. Do favors for their friends but make life hard for the ones they dont like.

Ability to bid for trips is also cut back to two only in the month becouse mgmt dont like pilots to have nice rosters unless they are the one that give.

Best part is that no crew notice will be put out to explain the new limits becouse there is no way this can be justified. :eek:

[loc22550]

Galley FM news:
Recently a(well decent&good) L.T.Captain received a WARNING letter from the little man(CEO):The ONLY "crime" he has comitted : not wearing his hat in the crew bus.:ugh::ugh::ugh:
True story.
Welcome to QR...

[Fubaliera]

no that moscow is done on the 320, its a round trip flt, not a layover anymore

[huncowboy]

What is yearly vacation like? How many days? Thanks!

[loc22550]

42 days vacation.