Originally Posted by
Pilot56
Where to start?
Avoid falling into the allure of the shiny jet syndrome. EVA Air serves as a perfect example of the meaning behind this phrase; the prospect of piloting a big and fancy jet comes at a significant cost to mental well-being due to the company's punitive and intimidating culture. The initial training is a very negative experience, marked by relentless attempts to break you, with instructors quick to fail you for even the most minor errors.
A firm landing during IOE can land you in trouble, while a hard landing might prematurely terminate your training. I witnessed numerous pilots facing hard consequences as EVA Air terminated their employment within the first month of training. Surprisingly, upon transitioning to the line, I encountered many pilots with remarkably low standards. What happened with all the “high standards”?
The Safety Culture at EVA Air is among the worst I have ever encountered. Voluntary safety reports can lead to reprisals, despite the policy supposedly guaranteeing immunity. During company meetings, top management frequently mocks pilots involved in incidents, labeling them as incompetent, and openly stating that the Company will not legally support a pilot if a serious accident or incident results from pilot error. Moreover, the company resorts to public humiliation by displaying warning letters and other disciplinary notices on TV screens where pilots report for duty.
Sadly, conversations within the cockpit are very negative, with most pilots embracing resentment towards the company. I cannot recommend EVA Air unless you find yourself with no other viable options. Many of us already in this environment are either waiting for initial training with another airline, in the process of applying to different carriers, or actively seeking alternatives.
If you still decide to pursue a career with EVA Air, it is imperative to have a backup plan in place.
I left a couple months ago and the only topics discussed in the cockpit were about the low salaries and your job options which these days are generous out there
No new japanese pilots within the las 2 years speaks how conditions deteriorated and salary wise they were loosing money compared to staying in Japan.
To be fair, currently SEA salaries are quite low these days and haven't kept up with inflation and the cost of living, I've had the chance to compare KAL and SIA and Eva is behind all of them but it is not too far off, still pilots are leaving for starlux (mostly locals, they work less and get about 2k$ more) and expats even without finishing their contracts are leaving for the middle east or north America.
Compare EK with Eva and the reason is obvious.
If you really need the job at Eva try to get on any fleet other than 777 because you fly less and get paid the same, contract is 75h guaranteed Across all fleets but for reference 77 flies 75hours and 78 flies 50 h on average and both make the same money soy you can at least make up for the low salaries by staying longer home, plus you don't fly cargo flights with all the delays and long patterns (up to 13 days away from home wasting 3 to 4 days per layover just because they can't schedule pax+ cargo flights so they make you wait for the airplane and you see other crews from passenger flights arrive after you and leave before). Most of the cargo flights you only see expats or the newly upgraded captains.
It is worth noting that usually expats get the worst schedule because of the commuting contract you only choose days off but locals have priority choosing destinations and flight patterns and on average locals get More days off per month compared to expats on commuting contract.
To summarize, Eva is a good short term experience building airline, financially it is unwise to stay longer than 3 years or you will be loosing a lot of money and if you don't adjust your living standards you can reach your retirement with a really small amount in the bank.