Originally Posted by
AIMINGHIGH123
Cheerios it’s no use trying to convince people on here.
I have a few guys I know at EK and it is a mixed bag.......... I hate the U.K for many reasons UK tax being in my number 1. London is great but getting so expensive......... Working for a TP operator doing 160-190 hrs duty is tough, earlier to lates and even lates to earlier in a 5 day block!! Yes it is possible. Will I be happy at EK? No one can answer that until I have tried. Will I like Dubai? I have been there a few times and it’s not bad, it feels a lot safer than U.K and it’s not as expensive as London.
At least in EK I should be able to save.
I need to clarify a few things for you aiminghigh, that I feel you should know and it seems that you do not.
1.) Dubai has taxes, not in the form of personal income taxes but they exist. VAT minimum 5%, often more because they marked up the price higher. Fees on just about everything. You won't see those until you sign up to services here. And it is getting worse every month. I am genuinely shocked by how expensive Dubai is getting.
2.) Dubai is a very expensive city. It may not seem like it when you come on holiday, but trust me it is. I did significant research and budgets before I joined EK and it came up well short. This place takes you by surprise. Things are also getting more expensive very quickly and I highly doubt the salary will move much. I genuinely fear that my savings, while good at the moment, are going to decline in the coming years and I will have come to dxb for nothing.
3.) I'm sure your turbo prop job is tough, but this will be tougher. You are going to join the 777 with your experience. I hope you are ready to start work at midnight most shifts, do 12 hr night turns, then east, west, up down left and right. I was warned by a colleague here before I joined but couldn't comprehend it. WELL I DO NOW!
4.) Will you be happy here? I don't know, how do you feel about being told you can't bring alcohol in any more, or any thing for that matter without paying tax and fees or we fine you 1000 dirhams and take your items?. Or maybe EK screening your guests to your apartment and storing their ID's in a data base? I didn't mind for the first year.... then it started to nag at me. I''m not unhappy here, but the constant taking away of my basic freedoms is wearing thin quickly. My wife is also becoming fed up with it. I can't even bring home a nice bottle of wine from Italy or South Africa anymore without paying 150% tax on it at crew arrivals, in cash. That was something we really enjoyed. Now it is gone.
On the plus side, Dubai is very safe but then again they don't report anything bad on the news here so who really knows ?
5.) There is a big difference between visiting Dubai and living here. You will learn that also.
6.) Yes you should be able to save, if you are frugal. I try really hard, my wife works a job also and yet I still find myself wondering where my money goes . Big costs appear from no where here, you cannot avoid it.
Come if you want, do the interview and see. Talk to people here. I was warned here too many years ago and came any way, but you never really know until you join. I will tell you this, almost every commander i fly with is planning to leave or is in the process of doing so. So many have job interviews now I have lost count. I have never experienced such a thing in any other airline I have worked for. It speaks volumes about EK. I won't tell you not to join, you can make up your own mind but for the love of god if you do then make sure you do it right and don't fall into the trap like many do. The job has its moments and at times I really enjoy it, but there is just so much happening over here right now that I have to slap myself and wonder how did I not see this before ??