55% of $1500? That’s $675 a month take home! I thought I had it bad! Fortunately you were able to collect food stamps for your family, assuming you were in the states. Not uncommon to see a regional airline pilot doing so.
Consider your sources Stereolab. I went from a right seat 737 job in the US never cracking the $30,000 a year mark and no upgrade on the horizon to sunny days in Dubai as a widebody FO.
I now sit at Emirates receiving a housing allowance that is valued at more then my yearly income back home. $30,000
$6000 plus a month, most of it tax free back home.
Yearly profit share. (I didn’t even know it existed until I joined… bonus!!)
Schooling for children.
12% Retirement fund if I tough out 7 years total from family and friends.
No sales tax.
No handguns.
No School shootings.
$15000 interest free car loan on joining.
Cheap Automobiles.
Maid to clean the toilets. (I pay her $5.00 an hour plus a tip.)
The list goes on and on.
Even a 10 year upgrade would put me ahead of the game back home.
It’s hot, it’s dusty…. There is construction everywhere, get yourself a good used 4 wheel drive. Sure the traffic sucks, although with the beautiful new toll road I can pay a lousy $3 a day to drive traffic free on the SZR road. Roads can be dangerous due to the traffic, but the traffic is much better then most major cities in the US that I have lived. (No drive by shootings!) Inflation is high granted, but my lifestyle here exceeds what my 30K US carved out for me back home. Yes locals get a little favoritism when it comes to the law, stay under the radar and you’re fine. Never got in trouble home, haven’t and don’t plan to here. The paycheck is worth the risk.
There is a concentrated effort on PPrune to discourage US pilots from making the move to the dessert. Fortunately PPrune is no longer considered a reputable information source by most. Demand creates worth I guess. The fewer applicants at Emirates the more the current pilots seem to think they are worth. I’ve never seen a group of people so excited about parking airplanes and a shortage of crews. I am here to tell you my US Comrades that considering the Airline Industry back home, this is the place to be.
See you at 41 OH!!! (I love it that you guys hate that.)
Yes go ahead, beat me up. I’ve watched the boys here do it to anyone who has anything positive to say about Emirates over the past few years. (Usually an American.) I’m sure I don’t know what I am talking about and I’ll learn to hate myself and my life for being here. You guys really need to look at the ladies here more.
I felt someone had to point out that it isn’t all gloom and doom in the sand box for guys trying to make an educated decision for themselves and their families.