As some may have mentioned, it’s a personal choice.
Weigh it out with your options in Canada. If your generally happy at Jazz with an option to go to AC, your in a pretty good place.
If you do decide to go to EK, have an exit strategy. The questions you should keep in mind are not just if you will like living in Dubai or working for EK but where am I going to go after. I would keep a 10 year goal in mind to make it worthwhile.
I would suggest committing to the job until you do your upgrade or else you’ll come home farther behind than when you left. Easier said than done.
Keep in mind it’s very hard to move back to Canada to work unless you have a nice stack of cash to buy a house or a solid retirement fund. The other option may be a commuting contract which works well for some but not everyone.
There are tons of negatives, no shortage of information on here. I would say it’s correct and EK will get their pound of flesh out of you.
That being said, at least go and have a look. I was there for 13 years and it worked out really well for us.
It was definitely a better time then and we had some luck financially. It was a grind towards the end and I had to get out of there for sake of my health.
If you have the to option get out of company accommodation do so ASAP, that will be the best thing for mental health.
For me, it was the best move I ever made. Great bunch to fly with, we avoided the trappings and came out farther ahead financially and personally than if we stayed in Canada (even with a pensionable job). As hard as the flying can be fatigue wise, your scope of experience will be very rewarding.
Again, this is all personal opinion. I stayed under the radar. Some friends have gone through some horror stories by no fault if their own.
Be Aware and good luck with whatever decision you make.