Originally Posted by
Laker
I used to work for EK and now work for a major airline in the US. I earn about the same now, average 17-19 days off/month, complete control of my schedule, training is a piece of cake, strong union, etc. Yet at times I still miss Emirates. There is no denying that Emirates provides things most airlines can't. The expat lifestyle, a worldwide route network, working with people from every corner of the globe, tax free money, pretty FA's, First Class travel, wide body acft, etc.
In my case the negatives eventually outweighed the positives and I felt like I was devoting my whole life to Emirates and Dubai. I was constantly fatigued and didn't see a light at the end of the tunnel. I left for a better company when I had the chance. But I wouldn't trade my years working for Emirates for anything.
So far it's been the most dynamic part of my career.
I would still leave knowing what I know now because 20+ years in the Middle East sounds like a prison sentence. But at the same time flying back and forth from JFK-LAX for 30 years sounds like just about the most boring flying job in the world. My advice would be to start looking for a better job but try to enjoy the experience while it lasts.
Maybe.
Thing is when so many people are looking to leave a wide body well paid tax free job there is something not quite right.
Depending on one's circumstances (young and single? sign me up) it surely woks for a few years, but so do many other gigs that do not bond you. You are looking at a minimum of 8 years commitment, if you don't fancy paying for the privilege of making them money.
We need to adapt and try to use the shortage in some parts of the world to our advantage, I know I will definetly try to. Not sure 90+ hrs a month with 24hrs layovers do that, I might be wrong though.