Quod. Where did you get 35 from, is that in print somewhere?
behind_the_second_midland. What in the hell are you talking about? We will hire pilots from any country if they are qualified. And just for the record there was a ban on hiring f/o's from Oz for nearly 2 years. There were getting to be too many from there and EK wanted to get a better mix.
trancada. Ek does not have any buildings, it is all leased. Only single and no children married couples get into the high rises on Sk Zayed, all others go into villa's which are scattered throughout the city.
Dizo. Bottom line, if the wife does not want to come then do not come! This job is not worth seperation from the family. Bring her for the interview and let her see what it is like. Summer is hot, but I still hav a tee time in the morning. The money is ok but not great. the schedule is ok but not great, the upgrade situation is ok but not great, depending on the fleet you are on. The work rules change often and there is nothing you can do about it. There are some great people to fly with and some are not so great. Dubai is a pretty good place to live, but it also has it's problems. In other words: FLYING FOR EK IS LIKE FLYING ANYWHERE ELSE! It has it's good points and bad points. It is what you make of it. Simple as that.
Come to the interview with your wife and make your own choice, but at least check it out. Remember "wife happy, you are happy".
As don says,some pilots commute but it is very hard to do. Some of them see the family every 2-3 months because of the roster and the flights being full. I personally would not plan on it.
Regards 330 man