As an EK aviator, this is my advice for anyone who might be tempted coming from HKG.
Only consider moving if being based in Dubai suits your own personal circumstances better than HK. I am not talking about the pros versus the cons with both places but rather from a perspective of Dubai being closer to where you may have interests and even then, the circumstances have to be very compelling since 'me' time can be limited and especially on the 777 fleet.
Points to bear in mind though:
- For a number in HKG, it will be a
pay cut coming to EK. Budget on around 30,000 AED (65,000 HKD) a month or 44,000 AED (94,000 HKD) if you take the housing allowance and that is it as an F/O! Be expected to be quoted various sweeteners such as productivity pay and call out pay but the company will do its utmost to roster you to literally minutes within the productivity threshold and you only get call out pay if you answer your phone on a day off and given how precious days off are here you would be mad to - need I say more?
- The air is very polluted here during the summer due to dust and the overall air quality is no different to what you will have in HKG and could at times be worse. It is more pleasant during the winter months however. The World Bank published a paper a few years back and ranked the UAE has having some of the worst air quality in the world.
- Dubai is no longer tax free with VAT having been brought in this year and now that the hard part is done of implementing a VAT system, it is far easier for the rate to be manipulated as appropriate. Some costs here (such as running a car) are very cheap compared to HKG but others are more expensive.
- Time to command has and will always be fluid and the timescale the HR boffins will tell you is what is happening
now as no one can say with any certainty, as to what time to command will be in the years ahead. Take what is said with a pinch of salt and do not let it be a main deciding factor in coming.
- If you take company accommodation then you are 'locked in' unless you are forced to move at any time from company accommodation or if you wish to move out of company accommodation and buy. The location of company accommodation that is assigned has in general become 'less desirable' during recent years compared to the past. Rents are and have been decreasing, with there being an abundance of empty houses and apartments within Dubai, so it is certainly a renters market at the moment with ample room for negotiation.
- Read the small print and carefully do your home work with schooling and medical costs for your family, since what the company may give you, may not cover the entire cost. I mention this as it is obviously important if you are coming from an environment where you could be facing a drop in salary!
- There will not be any commuting roster and the company has no desire to embrace any concept of part time working and nor do we have the numbers to allow such a practice any time soon. Compared to 777 contract jobs, the freighter option that is advertised is a poor option for a new joiner. You could join Korean and get roughly the same remuneration plus tickets home and increase the total number of days off in your block by over a third per year. It is of course different for someone already in EK and especially someone who has been here a while.
Morale on the line is not great at present and the feeling of discontent and frustration with management is palpable and ever growing. It could be the best wide body job in the world and some little changes would go a long long way but sadly the individuals who are in positions of control, are by in large ineffective and lack the competency required. For some at CX, it could be a case of jumping from the frying pan into the fire.
I don't wish to sound negative but I am purely trying to add a balanced perspective to all the positive points that the company will bombard you with, should you consider applying. If you have not visited Dubai yet and are considering joining then come for a look first and formulate your own perspective. The assessment process is tiring and gives you little time to have a look around.