Tall lion and others considering coming to AUH Acc these are the bare facts (which is really what this thread is about)
* As far as coming here for lifestyle goes, that may have been the case to some extent when they used to have a full compliment of 32 controllers, but not any more, they have a shortage and it will get worse, and those here are working more hours to make up the gap-----bottom line there is not enough time to have a lifestyle because you are either working or sleeping oh yes or working
* For some of the single (or otherwise inclined) staff this may not be too big an issue, but for those with families/kids the lifestyle thing is a myth and as the cost of living rises rapidly its eating into what little is really left, which the way things are going is not going to be a lot
* Accommodation....well I for one HATE apartments and did not envisage leaving a 4 bed home on acreage and moving into a dung heap apartment, we should be on a similiar parity to other expats so should be a villa, Serco made it out like it was the Ritz, NOT!!
Again if you are single maybe not such a big deal.
* Schooling here is expensive and if you want to send your kids to a second rate school fine, if you come here you want and should expect your kids to get the best education available and not have to pay for it.
* workwise the rosters here suck big time and in the REAL world would be considered UNSAFE and I am sure ICAO would agree. A lot of the staff in the UAE ACC are fatigued, and it is only a matter of time until a major occurence happens.
the risk management here is nil and the MIS management ot the ACC is rife. Because of the roster which infringes on ones free time frequently and the ever reducing conditions of employment. The one thing we dont want CAT is more people coming there as will not help with getting the pay and conditions improved. Remember we are not talking about 1st world country here it is still classed as somewhere between 3rd and 1st world and the pay and conditions should reflect this and they dont. I also believe that they never will.
I agree with those who have said come here and have a look, but make sure you come during Ramadan and during mid summer so you can really get a feel for reality, but dont bother speaking to any of the supervisors or Serco managers or GCAA as they will just piss in your pocket.
Chow