Korean Airlines hiring
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: Asia
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Was current on the 744 when I lost my job with Oasis and applied.
I got invited to the selection process. About a week before going there, my wife was rushed to hospital (7 months pregnant) and she almost lost the baby.
I decided my place was to be next to her instead of Seoul doing selections that I would have most probably failed due to the preocupying situation.
I requested to pospone my selection date by one month. Had to re-aply and was never invited again. According to the lady from the agency I was on their "**** list" because you don't turn down an interview with KAL.
I don't know if I would have made it or not, but what I know is that I really do not want to work for an employer that might not consider these kind of emergency situations...
From what I heard, but this is second hand only, is that if you fly with caucasians, the atmosphere is OK. If with Koreans, then it becomes hell....
Cheers
I got invited to the selection process. About a week before going there, my wife was rushed to hospital (7 months pregnant) and she almost lost the baby.
I decided my place was to be next to her instead of Seoul doing selections that I would have most probably failed due to the preocupying situation.
I requested to pospone my selection date by one month. Had to re-aply and was never invited again. According to the lady from the agency I was on their "**** list" because you don't turn down an interview with KAL.
I don't know if I would have made it or not, but what I know is that I really do not want to work for an employer that might not consider these kind of emergency situations...
From what I heard, but this is second hand only, is that if you fly with caucasians, the atmosphere is OK. If with Koreans, then it becomes hell....
Cheers
Join Date: May 2008
Location: Far away from home
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As yet there seems to very little in the way of "negativity" on this thread which is encouraging.
Could any ex-pat FO's who have recently joined the B737NG fleet at KAL shed some light on what things are like?
I'm led to believe that the "local" skippers can be a bit difficult to work with, mainly owing to the "cultural" differances that exist, but if you're flying with another ex-pat then things are a bit more relaxed. Anyone prepaired to comment on that?
I'm also led to believe that ex-pat FO's will never be upgraded. Is this true? How many hours a month are the 737 pilots flying and is getting a business class seat for the commute home ever an issue for a FO?
Many thanks for any replies
Could any ex-pat FO's who have recently joined the B737NG fleet at KAL shed some light on what things are like?
I'm led to believe that the "local" skippers can be a bit difficult to work with, mainly owing to the "cultural" differances that exist, but if you're flying with another ex-pat then things are a bit more relaxed. Anyone prepaired to comment on that?
I'm also led to believe that ex-pat FO's will never be upgraded. Is this true? How many hours a month are the 737 pilots flying and is getting a business class seat for the commute home ever an issue for a FO?
Many thanks for any replies
Join Date: Feb 2000
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Bear in mind the following info is 2 years old...but here it goes:
KAL fly you on their network to INC in business class. You stay at the Hyatt INC which is very comfortable with a gym and a few restaurants with a variety of food types. There is a crew room in the hotel where you can get free internet.
Upon check-in you will get a package identifying who your sim partner will be as well as your program for your assessment along with bus tickets and instructions in Korean for taxi drivers to get you where you need to go.
The sim assessment is basic and was conducted by a Korean instructor. You will be well briefed and there are no tricks, just fly and do what you are told.
The interview is basic also...the key being to speak SLOW and ANNUNCIATE your words. They want to see that your English is of a high standard and that you will be understood by your companion in the flight deck. There were no technical questions, just the usual why do you want to work there etc. It was a panel of about 6 or 7 if I remember although only 2 or 3 asked questions. The interview lasted about 15-20 minutes.
The medical is intense, and takes a whole day with part done at the HQ and part at a local hospital. On a personal note, while I found the medical quite intrusive, to their credit they discovered a life threatening problem which my family GP had never discovered and frankly I am alive today because of that medical.
The whole process took 2 days and is very well organized. You must bear in mind that this is Korea and their culture is not a Western one and they do things differently. I was fortunate to be involved in an audit on KAL in 1999 when they had a bad rap for crashing airplanes and can testify that KAL have the will, the money, and the people to make KAL into a world class airline. There were bad apples in the mix but they are becoming rarer. Again, it isn't a Western culture, and their ways may seem alien, so if you can get your head around that you should fit in nicely.
Good luck.
KAL fly you on their network to INC in business class. You stay at the Hyatt INC which is very comfortable with a gym and a few restaurants with a variety of food types. There is a crew room in the hotel where you can get free internet.
Upon check-in you will get a package identifying who your sim partner will be as well as your program for your assessment along with bus tickets and instructions in Korean for taxi drivers to get you where you need to go.
The sim assessment is basic and was conducted by a Korean instructor. You will be well briefed and there are no tricks, just fly and do what you are told.
The interview is basic also...the key being to speak SLOW and ANNUNCIATE your words. They want to see that your English is of a high standard and that you will be understood by your companion in the flight deck. There were no technical questions, just the usual why do you want to work there etc. It was a panel of about 6 or 7 if I remember although only 2 or 3 asked questions. The interview lasted about 15-20 minutes.
The medical is intense, and takes a whole day with part done at the HQ and part at a local hospital. On a personal note, while I found the medical quite intrusive, to their credit they discovered a life threatening problem which my family GP had never discovered and frankly I am alive today because of that medical.
The whole process took 2 days and is very well organized. You must bear in mind that this is Korea and their culture is not a Western one and they do things differently. I was fortunate to be involved in an audit on KAL in 1999 when they had a bad rap for crashing airplanes and can testify that KAL have the will, the money, and the people to make KAL into a world class airline. There were bad apples in the mix but they are becoming rarer. Again, it isn't a Western culture, and their ways may seem alien, so if you can get your head around that you should fit in nicely.
Good luck.
Join Date: May 2003
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When you processed the huge paperwork and the internal selection process was done a maschinery starts to work with a precision of a Swiss Watch: You will fly in and out if your Airport of choice to Seoul and after you arrived here you go to the Hyatt Hotel at the Airport. There you will get all you need to make it thru the 3 days process. Everyone who wants to pass the medical should take the time and have a look at your condition before you come to Korea, Blood pressure, Colesterol and Blood Sugar should be as low as possible. If you ever had a laser surgery on your eyes you will find it difficult to pass the employment Check. SIM is straight foreward for any Type. Interview is 20 to 30 min average. If you had a Ex-Pat expirience before it is a plus, if you worked in Asia before you have a fair chance to know what you might expect.
After the 3~4 days in Seoul you fly back and about 10 to 12 days later your Agent get`s a feedback and you either get a Job offer or you are denied. That is the hiring process. People will show the best side to attract you and make you feel welcome somehow. KAL needs more Pilots of any Race and Gender to cope with the planned grow. It is imperative that you fit into the system to make yor life reasonable during the 20 days you are on the road per month. Bear in mind: Ex-Pats will never be part of the Airline, they are needed to fill a seat to fly the Plane. Therefore Airlines are using Agent`s to place you where the gap is. If you join and think you know it all you will learn one thing fast: Culture is priority not commercial. Efficiency is not that important when the Culture is in the loop.
On the other side some things had improoved since the last 10 years. Pilots where held responsible for theire actions. Most of the Guy`s who cooked something up recently where just "dismissed" or if you want to say fired use that expression for it. Ex-pats more then Natives.... but equal treatment is not in the book. Money is secondary, Yes there are some eager plans to safe and cut expenses but down the line they are not forced into your operation. For example: You find yourself hot and high in the approach - Go around! If you see one of the Chief-Pilots and you chat with him about that they will welcome your action and say it was good to fly another pattern and be on the safe side. There will be no word towards the amount of fuel/money that was adding to the bill. Airplanes are well maintained, seldom any open item when you leave for a flight. Somebody saight KAL has the will to get into a World-Class Airline, in the long run yes, funds are there to support that side. A downside is still the luck you need during the training, if any of the Koreans find you not appropriate to fit in:you are toast, period, no other option left.
Language is still a barrier, the younger generation of Pilots are better then those 10 years ago. Most of them left Korea for a while to study anything aboad and they are used to Westeners and diffrent cultures, they can be tolerant and understanding. KAL has a long history of having Ex-pats, some of the Cannucks have almost 18 years in KAL on contract.
As a resume`I have to say: It may suit some people, the more tolerant you are the better you cope with the working condition. If you are able to accept that fact it may help you in coping with it. There are always two side`s of the coin, it also up to each individual to make one side brighter then the other to set your ownn priority`s what is important. Maybe after 5 to 10 years you see a change, Korea is also known as the Land of the Morning Calm, changes take alot of time, months, years decades and century`s.
Fly safe and land happy
NG
After the 3~4 days in Seoul you fly back and about 10 to 12 days later your Agent get`s a feedback and you either get a Job offer or you are denied. That is the hiring process. People will show the best side to attract you and make you feel welcome somehow. KAL needs more Pilots of any Race and Gender to cope with the planned grow. It is imperative that you fit into the system to make yor life reasonable during the 20 days you are on the road per month. Bear in mind: Ex-Pats will never be part of the Airline, they are needed to fill a seat to fly the Plane. Therefore Airlines are using Agent`s to place you where the gap is. If you join and think you know it all you will learn one thing fast: Culture is priority not commercial. Efficiency is not that important when the Culture is in the loop.
On the other side some things had improoved since the last 10 years. Pilots where held responsible for theire actions. Most of the Guy`s who cooked something up recently where just "dismissed" or if you want to say fired use that expression for it. Ex-pats more then Natives.... but equal treatment is not in the book. Money is secondary, Yes there are some eager plans to safe and cut expenses but down the line they are not forced into your operation. For example: You find yourself hot and high in the approach - Go around! If you see one of the Chief-Pilots and you chat with him about that they will welcome your action and say it was good to fly another pattern and be on the safe side. There will be no word towards the amount of fuel/money that was adding to the bill. Airplanes are well maintained, seldom any open item when you leave for a flight. Somebody saight KAL has the will to get into a World-Class Airline, in the long run yes, funds are there to support that side. A downside is still the luck you need during the training, if any of the Koreans find you not appropriate to fit in:you are toast, period, no other option left.
Language is still a barrier, the younger generation of Pilots are better then those 10 years ago. Most of them left Korea for a while to study anything aboad and they are used to Westeners and diffrent cultures, they can be tolerant and understanding. KAL has a long history of having Ex-pats, some of the Cannucks have almost 18 years in KAL on contract.
As a resume`I have to say: It may suit some people, the more tolerant you are the better you cope with the working condition. If you are able to accept that fact it may help you in coping with it. There are always two side`s of the coin, it also up to each individual to make one side brighter then the other to set your ownn priority`s what is important. Maybe after 5 to 10 years you see a change, Korea is also known as the Land of the Morning Calm, changes take alot of time, months, years decades and century`s.
Fly safe and land happy
NG
Join Date: Jun 2008
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HI, I'm to KAL for an interview soon. As far I as I can tell, the interview is based on flying the sim profile while using your procedures from your last companey.
Does anyone have any input on the panel interview? Anything at all?
Thanks
Does anyone have any input on the panel interview? Anything at all?
Thanks
has their been any recent news on hiring for 737 fo
and any chance of upgrade
pay
B737NG F/O
Monthly payment
$6,200.00 - With Insurance
$6,340.00 - Without Insurance
9 Days Off per month
2 Days Annual Leave per month
$1,000.00 Joining Bonus
do the expats fly with expats there or is it a mix. thanks for the info.
AFD I am not on the A330 so the following may not be 100% correct.
Generally the A330 is nicknamed the "beach fleet" because of it's destinations. It operates from Seoul, both ICN, and GMP, and there is usually at least one in Busan (PUS) to cover flights to Japan and SE Asia. If you are looking for it's exact destinations have a trawl through the KAL website, but generally from ICN it goes to SE Asia, China, Mongolia and Oceania, with a limited number of destinations in Europe. It doesn't go to the USA. From GMP it does domestics to Jeju .
The scheduling rules merely state that you must have 24hrs free of duty once every seven days. So your "day off' may actually be down route and not in Seoul at all. Given that you have 11 days off per month, and 3 travel days it works out that you will work 16/17 days a month (February aside), so normally you get 2 days off during your roster pattern.
Korean Air's website,Korean Air
search travel planning>flight schedules and look for flights operated by the A330.
Generally the A330 is nicknamed the "beach fleet" because of it's destinations. It operates from Seoul, both ICN, and GMP, and there is usually at least one in Busan (PUS) to cover flights to Japan and SE Asia. If you are looking for it's exact destinations have a trawl through the KAL website, but generally from ICN it goes to SE Asia, China, Mongolia and Oceania, with a limited number of destinations in Europe. It doesn't go to the USA. From GMP it does domestics to Jeju .
The scheduling rules merely state that you must have 24hrs free of duty once every seven days. So your "day off' may actually be down route and not in Seoul at all. Given that you have 11 days off per month, and 3 travel days it works out that you will work 16/17 days a month (February aside), so normally you get 2 days off during your roster pattern.
Korean Air's website,Korean Air
search travel planning>flight schedules and look for flights operated by the A330.