Originally Posted by
level_change
It's easy to disregard such things just like I did in the face of a decent paycheck and a new typerating but everything comes at a price.
Well guys. I have been warned before I joined as well(2006), of COURSE I did not beliefe this "dimwits" which tried to tell me that it would be the worst decission in my life(it was, they have been right). Now some of us try to warn new joiners, I do it in my current european loco ops whereever and whenever I can. Even the worst european loco is better than this qatari gig IF you consider things that
level_change was pointing out and I full agree with him.
I was close to leave QR the same evening I arrived down there and they dumped me at that crappy place close to Mushareb flyover(I think the place was called like that). Horrible. Should have followed my basic instincts and take a taxi to the airport, buy a ticket, fly back home. Unfortunately I stayed and started the "joining procedure" the next morning(no bus showed up even it was promised and it was a hassle to make it to the main office, this was warning #2 I, moron as I was, ignored. Al Baker is still there, that means the company will not change a bit(more or less comparable to RYR and O'Leary, just at least European laws force them to play a bit along, nothing like that exists in QR itself or the country.
I still beliefe every individual needs to make his own mistakes in life, which , by joining QR, sure counts towards a major mistake(at least for Europeans, maybe as well (North-)Americans). It was fine for South Americans, Africans and more or less everything from Asia as the safety standards in the ME would be even better then their home countries(excluding Japan and South Korea, maybe Vietnam), not even talking about pay.
QR(and EK in the menatime as well) is a choice. A good one for pilots from mentioned regions, they still make good money and some live like kings back home with that money earned. Not true for sure for Europeans IF you consider social security, retirement, unemployement, LABOUR LAWS, quality of life etc. Maybe still interesting for (deep) eastern Europeans, I heard that some countries like Romania, Bulgaria, etc. still struggle a bit with obove mentioned standards.
I am fully aware that if someone is fully set to GO for QR he/she will go for it because they beliefe it might be a chance of a lifetime(I did so as well and was SO wrong). In this case they need to see the place and ENJOY QR. Only by that you learn as a person and pilot. But there are plenty of others that are very happy to receive honest first hand feedback(some as well given in my current airline and this guys actually never went for QR, I assume I "helped" a bit to convince them to stay and get a fast upgrade instead) and are glad they do not need to make the same mistakes as we did.
My 10 cents....
Black Pudding
I whitnessed following in Doha:
-mass raping of western (white) women by some construction workes(because they are kept like slaves by themself, not to excuse what they did but find a possible explanation)(of course I was not there but the story was in the local newspaper and the woman made very clear who and how many raped he during he 3 day(!!) "adventure").
-slave labour camps distributed all over the country. For sure it went worse for preparation for the soccer campionship that they only got because of corrupt leaders of the soccer association(as we know from the news).
-slavery(maids, documents taken, raped by all the men of the local family, no possibility to escape, some ran away, worked for expats families - illegally of course because no papers - just to be hunted down by local police and re-submitted to their local "sponsors"....). Happened to a feelow south american skipper in the same compound. Our kids played together, so I heard the story directly from the other skipper.
-removal of human rights(taking away your passport for a month for the "visa" and you are trapped in that joke of a country. Need to ask for a multiple exit visa - company needs to agree on that, fully paid by yourself - otherwise you always need to ask, for each exit, to the company)
-and and and....could continue the list for ever. Ah, another one - locals can drive like the last crap, cut, turn, overtake, race, IF local police is picking YOU then you are f****d. Or if the "royal family" decides to have a drive - halve of Doha is blocked - each roundabout blocked by local police. Seems they never heard of bloody helicopters, and least they would the already messy traffic in this S***hole called Doha alone. Enough traffic jams WITHOUT the local dictator having a ride in his car.
I left by myself after I warned them before. They did not improve so I called it a day and I left. Some others have been not so lucky - I know of some pilots that made a minor or normal mistake(e.g. hard landing which only needed an inspection but no further mx action and they got axed. Or for not wearing that stupid hat. Comeon - that is a reason to fire someone? HOW could you possibly build a life or career on such a sandy base?). I decided that it is not safe to stick with them and returned to Europe. Simple choice that everyone needs to do for himself and his family. OR you decide to keep your eyes closed and continue to live in that (not real) golden cage. We all know people are different. Some are "wolves", others are happy as "sheeps" or even "goats"
.
So glad that I will NEVER see this place EVER again in my life.