Originally Posted by
Bosato
Also a T3 Cadet here,
It will definitely take 4 years or more to finish line training. I have been delayed for 13 months and counting, and it looks like there will be even more serious delays. Some cadets are more than 18 months of delays. I was sold a course that will take 22 months, but it simply is not the case. It has always been more than that, and it always will take more than that. Even before covid, it was taking over 4 years. T3 wants to maximize profit at any cost, as it is their main goal before anything else. This means they always take more cadets than their system can handle, leading to delays. Cadets will always come second to profit. In T3 and Air Arabia, maximizing profit will always come first, and always be at the expense/detriment of pilots/cadets.
Waiting isn't even so bad, I could go and do something else in this time, but either there is no information, or the answer is "soon". Always the answer is "soon". So weeks turn to months, months turn to years of waiting every week for an email that never comes. Bank balances keep dropping, and not so much as any recognition or even a sorry from T3. It is just ignored that people's lives are being wasted away. Or they try and tell you that it is because they want the best for you, and this is why there are delays... Yes I know that doesn't make sense.
When I joined, I believed that for the price of the course, it was going to be incredible, but in reality, it's a very budget course that costs a lot of money. During training, we used old outdated maps that another cadet had copied for T3, and manuals are not purchased but photocopied instead, and hard to read. One instructor was so confusing that no one could understand him, which increased the workload too much, to go and teach yourself what nobody could understand in the class.
Yes, you will eventually fly a320. But if I could go back, I would do CPL, ATPL etc from Europe or USA. It would be cheaper, quicker, and you have an EASA or FAA license at the end. GCAA cannot be converted to EASA or FAA, you have to do all the ATPL exams again. But EASA can be directly converted to GCAA. Even though it is the same syllabus and exams.
And summer in UAE is so terrible. It is so hot for more than half the year that you cannot do anything.
And with MPL, you cannot fly a private or solo plane, and you cannot fly multi-crew piston. So if you want to find another job other than an airline first officer, it's not possible.
With CPL you get to enjoy building hours and having fun experiences in different types of planes. MPL does not give that.
Also, it is not mentioned when you inquire about joining that if you get an air arabia contract, you go onto probation (6 months more of low salary) after you already finished flying 1500hrs for them, and then you have a 150k AED bond if you leave within 5 years. Plus you have to pay for your own medical, insurance, travel, food, uniform, accommodation, etc during the course.
There are no cheap tickets for friends or family or other benefits.
All the other MPL courses in the world are around 100k USD. This one is 170k USD plus the expenses listed above.
If you take into consideration the bond if you leave air arabia in the first 5 years and expenses during training, this course will realistically cost a minimum of $275,000 USD (1 million dirhams).
I would of liked if someone had given me this information so I could of made a better decision when I joined.
If your parents live in UAE and are very wealthy, this is a great course. If not, then consider all options.
Good luck