Joining and Upgrade Bond
Hello everyone!! (no, I am not him)
I talked recently with an FO that did not pass his upgrade. Nice fellow. I was not aware that the upgrade bond applied even if one did not pass the course. Because, obviously, they gave one a type rating (and another bit to get back to the right seat), but one has been useless and is not going to use it through no fault of the company. He asked in the office, and the nice lady in abaya told him that if the company considers good will and he decides to leave earlier than two years, they MAY waive it. Or they may not..., your guess.
So this is yet ANOTHER HEADS UP FOR NEW JOINERS, who think they can not fail stuff in this company because they never failed anything before. YES, YOU CAN.
And I am not even sure what happens with the joining bond if one fails the joining course.
The waters have settled well, after (lots of) recent stuff.
3 man ULR seems a problem of the past, when in reality we are starting to do it next week.
Mr B. is trying (I genuinely think he is) to communicate more. But I am afraid that's not going to bring much. Some SAA and next door chaps will try and join in secondment. Let's see if that works and if it solves anything.
Other issues seem long gone problems. Most of them due to lack of crew. THEY ARE STILL THERE. Worth taking a look at the thread start, but just as a snack:
-Work-life balance gone
-Punitive Culture
-Annual leave & Rostering. Request anything. Get anything else.
-Loss of real income (massive Dubai inflation, no salary increase)
-The random and exciting ways in which contract is breached or changed (age to upgrade changes shafted many)
-Demotions, failed upgrades, wrong training mentality, surprise line-checks
-Accomodation (can not opt out once in company accomodation, example of breach of contract)
-New customs rules (can't bring alcohol and other stuff as crew)
-Hotels by the airport, not in the city.
Point being... think twice before joining. It is far easier not to join than to leave. Specially if you are all bonded.
This used to be a star job. More like a white dwarf now.
Cheers.
Desert Witch