Originally Posted by
ERJ190
I know a lot of guys from the forum are unhappy at the EK, but in my situation, shouldn't I give a try? I can't say Im unhappy at the airline, and I really can have a normal life with a standard car/standard apartment in my country, but I'm always afraid I will never be able to become a realized professional once aviation in Brazil doesn't offer us jobs in big carriers as EK or QR could provide me...I've been thinking about this subject over and over in the last months, and I'd like to listen to other people too!
ERJ190,
It sounds like you are considering EK for the money. My only advice is, do your research! On paper the package looks very good, and it would be if it were not for the sky rocketing cost of living in Dubai. When I came for my interview 3 years ago, I did my research and look at food prices, petrol, etc. And considering that the package looked good. But what I did not account for was the sudden and extreme price rises that they like to do in Dubai for almost no reason whatsoever. 5% VAT, more like 25% in some places! Fees on everything that have ridiculous names, like when you pay your electric bill for instance. New EK 150% alcohol tax for crew. These things add up quickly. You need to think very long and hard about what sort of life you are after. Do you have a wife and kids? Will wife be working? Does she want enormous 4WD car? These things are expensive in Dubai. Suddenly your FO pay check is much smaller. You can save money here, I do, but not as much as I would like despite my efforts. it gets harder every year to keep saving the same amount. Every time I think I am finally getting it right, another enormous cost comes flying in my front door. Everything in Dubai goes UP UP UP, but paycheck stays the same! Simple maths!!!!
Read my previous post here about everything else. You are not a "professional" here, you are a child and will be treated as such. New 150% alcohol tax for EK crew only! Wow, I sure feel like a highly respected Boeing 777 pilot. Thanks EK! Maybe right now you think you don't mind these things, but trust me after 1-2 years you will. There is no escaping it.
Come and do the interview, check out Dubai and see it all for yourself
Best of luck to you