Emirates commuting

[Bluebaron]

Hi All,

I've read through pages of stuff but its all getting a bit mixed up so a few simple questions for F/O recruitment.

I know a 'normal' roster is a thing of fantasy, but I assume following a long haul 3-5 trip you would get around 4 days off. So by deduction you should get approx 3x 4days off a month with 3-4 trips.

As such would it be possible to commute to LHR on a regular basis?

Also WRT pay, I have worked out that take-home pay would be around £5000 a month plus accomodation allowance of £2300? (Assuming I do not take up the company accomodation and get a flat in town for around £1000 a month).

Also I have 3 children in the UK can I use the education allowance on UK schools and if so how much to they pay?

Anyone also know Time to command it seems to be around 3 years it this still the case?

Thanks in advance for your answers on a post card.

[Mr Good Cat]

I know a 'normal' roster is a thing of fantasy, but I assume following a long haul 3-5 trip you would get around 4 days off. So by deduction you should get approx 3x 4days off a month with 3-4 trips.

The rosters don't work like that. You MAY get 3-5 day trips with 4 days off afterwards but the network is so variable (flights from 25 mins up to 17 hours) that you usually get a mixture of long and short trips with 2-3 days off, occasionally up 5-6 days off... (all based on the 777 rosters - the 330/340 is mostly turnarounds and 2 day trips).

As such would it be possible to commute to LHR on a regular basis?

Almost certainly not unfortunately. Especially as flights are often full and even if there are free seats you get bumped off for cargo payload (on standby tickets).

Also WRT pay, I have worked out that take-home pay would be around £5000 a month plus accomodation allowance of £2300? (Assuming I do not take up the company accomodation and get a flat in town for around £1000 a month).

Also I have 3 children in the UK can I use the education allowance on UK schools and if so how much to they pay?

Yes, with certain limitations - you need to read the policy on education allowance comprehensively as it's quite complex (think it's found on the emiratesgroupcareers.com website).

Anyone also know Time to command it seems to be around 3 years it this still the case?

At the moment guys who joined 3 years ago are upgrading on the 777. Airbus guys have waited about 4.5 - 5 years due to slower expansion. Hard to predict how it will work out in the future but I'd plan on 5-6 years on the 777 and a bit longer on the Airbus if the A350 doesn't come as fast or in as big numbers as originally expected (likely to drop the A350-1000 for the 777NG).

Hope that doesn't put you off... Despite it's faults it's still one of the best packages out there when you factor in the quicker command than comparable legacy carriers.

[TangoUniform]

Forgot to add there is no "free" travel except for one's Annual Leave Ticket. Plus if you are commuting to LHR you will be paying the airport taxes. No jump seat. Might get a bit expensive if you plan to go back and forth a few times a month. Commuting is just something that is extremely difficult or close to impossible. If one has too many days off there will be inserted an Available Day into the roster. Doesn't matter the hours you fly, it is more like days of work. Just my 2 dirhams.

[CR9]

Tango Uniform is right, its all about days of work with these jokers not just hours...company policy now is no more than 15 days off even if someone wants to pick your trips up. Like he said they'll stick you with AD days just to be d!@ks if they cant squeeze the flight hours outta ya. The only real time we see a string of more than 3 or 4 off anymore is after or before a ULR in which case your either completely shattered or forced to be in dubai due to acclimatization.

[hunterboy]

I guess if you are living in the UK, you would be subject to UK income tax? Doesn't that defeat one of the benefits of working for Emirates?

[hunterboy]

I would imagine that if you are commuting to the UK, then your centre of life would be deemed to be the UK making you tax resident in the UK. If your wife and children live in the UK, then they have got you bang to rights. A read of the new rules on non residency may be worth your while. It is on the HMRC website.

[Bluebaron]

Thanks for all the info folks. I'm considering it but looks like too much of a sacrifice to me.

If I could get a DEC then it would work but with 3-5 years its a bit too far. I've got 7000 hours on 757/767 and 10 year senority in major UK airline. Might be better of waiting 3-5 years for the command here.

Thanks again.

[Mr Good Cat]

Thanks for all the info folks. I'm considering it but looks like too much of a sacrifice to me.

If I could get a DEC then it would work but with 3-5 years its a bit too far. I've got 7000 hours on 757/767 and 10 year senority in major UK airline. Might be better of waiting 3-5 years for the command here.

Thanks again.

You can only get DEC in most airlines if you have a previous command.

You can only get DEC in Emirates of you have a lot of command time on jets over 55 tons, and preferably on a 777/340/330 with experience as a TRI/TRE in worldwide ops.

If you only have right-seat time but you want a DEC then you're better off trying Air Asia in KL... I hear they take guys on as DEC with as little as 1500 hours in the RIGHT HAND seat... might be an option as you'e be home every night and life is cheap in Malaysia.

I believe several ex-EK FOs have gone down this route after not making it through the EK command course, but I think they were maybe from that part of the world anyway.

[777boyo]

HMRC/HM Treasury have a Consultation exercise underway at the moment concerning some fairly onerous proposed changes to Non Residency rules - specifically the Statutory Residence Test. This could have significant impact on commuters, especially if spouse/kids remain in UK full time in a home owned by the commuter. The link to the consultation document is http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/d/condoc_responses_srt_or_summary.pdf - 130 pages of fairly heavy reading, but in there you'll find the proposed changes. Worth thinking about.

7B

[GMC1500]

Forget about commuting. Unless you are from Riyadh or Baghdad. You take the job here, you live here, end of story.

[TangoUniform]

5 or more years ago...doable. Today, no no way. Agree 100% of the above.