Springbok,
I'm glad that I can entertain you
Like most of us viewing this forum I have traveled extensively and can say without a doubt that Dubai is one of the safest places that I have ever been. I think that was one of ME Flyer's points.
Of course any city has it pros and cons and Dubai has its fair share of both just like my hometown, maybe your's as well? For my wife and I the pros here in Dubai far out way the cons, so as long as that remains the case we will stick around.
I am not making anywhere near the amount that you mentioned per month but am still able to set aside some money and have what I think is a quality lifestyle here.
I think that you and I are saying the same thing just differently. I fully agree that this is no place to live if you are not being adequetely compensated, but where would be?
We find ourselves at a good time in this industry in that supply is not meeting demand for our services and we should take advantage of this.
There are airplanes coming to this region almost on a monthly basis and the seats up front are becoming increasingly difficult for the owners to fill with quality people. Once pilots stop taking the bad deals offered then the owners will be forced to come in line with other regions of the world.
I have heard that Nakheel is finding it tough to find good people to operate their new airplanes so maybe times are changing in our own backyard. Don't get me wrong I know very little about their department but we can all hope.....
I agree with your statement that you are looking forward to hearing how it really is. It would be nice if we could all know how it really is everywhere by putting some sort of a salary survey together for for this region. Similar to the NBAA or Professional Pilot Magazine Surveys in the US. I realize how difficult this would be to implement as the Owners and some Aviation Dept Managers would be hesitant to be truly forthcoming about their packages. Having said that I know that my department would be happy to participate in such a survey. How else can there be a regional industry salary standard?
At the end of the day if you are not happy with your deal and are unsuccessful in renegotiating and you are able then you should vote with your feet and leave. This will eventually bring the salaries up as long as there are so many airplanes to fly.
Maybe I have not been here long enough (1 year) to be jaded because I see things improving.
Happy Flying