Turkish airlines working experience
Hi guys,
Previously flew for 5 years as a F/O on the B777 fleet. Wanted to give you a feedback regarding working conditions as an expat:
-Please don't waste your time and money with thy, flying there.
- don't expect any upgrade for captain, unless your are in the company for more than 5 years and having at least 7000 hours . Might be considered, but only maybe. Expect also racism and unprofessionality during your upgrade process, since the Turkish instructors don't want to have expat F/O to be upgraded. Don't forget as a 777 F/O no command upgrade on the 777 , you have to go back to 737 and sign a bond for 3 years of 19000 euros.
- money wise no need to talk, spend my last 10 years in turkey and never saw the Turkish lira going back. Nowadays it looks like it will go back but don't trust it. You will always lose and have instability in terms of your salary.
- 777 freighter changed a lot of the rostering in a negative way, you have to dead head sometimes 20 hours to fly finally one leg of 6 hours , which of course your StarWars military captain will be PF.
- But not everything is negative , if you wanna commute THY is flying to a lot of places in a daily basis so commuting is quite easy.
- off requests in the beginning of my career there was always granted what I ask for , but forget it nowadays. Flying a lot don't forget that.
- new airport gives to all employee only question marks, it is too far away from the downtown. No company signal of providing any shuttles for employees . So after each flight you have to drive maybe by your own in the crazy Turkish Istanbul traffic , which you get quite exhausted after a time. Especially when you are tired after a long flight. Take care about that as well. Don't forget as well that in the area of the new airport there are nothing around where you can rent something. So you will have at least a traffic time of 1 hour car or taxi.
- at the end I got my 777 rating for free.. moving on my life and career and hoping in my new company to get my upgrade on the 777,. İt is really so great not to be stamped as a stupid expat F/O like in Turkish airlines ...Widen your world.
Cheers