is anyone happy at ek
Hi. Moving to a new job and a new home (let alone a new country with for some, a very different culture) are two of the most stressful events in life (I think divorce and death (?) are the other two.
Rather than looking at 'happiness' you may wish to investigate the various factors that influence life here. Also, and this is a 'biggy', where do you come from. I have learned a lot over the last couple of years as to the importance of this question.
I have worked with people who, to me, have left good jobs with seniority. But then they tell me about how dangerous their countries are to live in. They find Dubai a safe and refreshing change and EK a decent company to work for.
EK.
It has its frustrations as do most if not all airlines. Some people cope well with them, others don't. For example, the ULR flights are 'killing' me because they mess up my sleep so much and I find the bunks to be totally inadequate. On the contrary I know of some who sleep very well in them and cope adequately with the sleep patterns. When I joined this was not an issue ( we had no 'long' trips) and back then we had very few eastern trips. I now find myself in a state of perpetual fatigue - this ranks high on the list of reasons why I am looking to leave.
My Arab masters have no concern about me and are explicit about this in many ways so I feel little disappointment when I am treated with disregard. If they come to my country they have rights, benefits and the right to citizenship etc. There are many people here who have been born in the UAE and know nothing else, and yet if they cannot renew their visa they have to return to the country of their passport (the next time you hear an arab complaining about the plight of the Palestinians, ask him/her why so many are stateless despite having been born in a 'brother' arab country). My perception is that the society here is two tiered, we're on the lower tier. Hypocrisy is a word that will come to mind too often in this part of the world.
Housing.
EK housing is a pretty good deal on paper and can be in actuality. The company has a tremendous challenge trying to house people let alone keep them happy. However their problem is not yours as one's home is a critical component in the decision mix. By and large you don't get to choose where you live and who your neighbours are. The guy you didn't like flying with maybe your neighbour. YOu may wish to close out work when you get home but find yourself surrounded by it living in company accommodation. YOu need to use your imagination to look at the pro's and cons.
If you decide to move out of company accommodation it is very very expensive. A house will cost you around 200,000 rent annually. Add on the increasing energy and water costs, AND, the property taxes (aka Dubai municipality fee) and your out of pocket expenses become substantial. A colleague went to HSBC about 5 years ago looking for a mortgage. THe lady assumed (he was an FO at the time) that his housing allowance was at least 160K per annum when the actual amount was 80K. I think it is fair to say that the housing allowance at the company is grossely inadequate and compared to other expatriot allowances ranks very poorly.
Pay.
How much is enough. Never enough for some. The dirham according to an official statement a week ago, lost 37% of its value against a basket of currencies in the last 5 years. Inflation has 'officially' been running at an average of a little less than 10%. They do not publish the items against which they measure the inflation rate. The papers often refer to the official rate and compare it to the higher assessed rate by a bank or other financial concern. The government has introduced subsidies for locals. A recent article in the Gulf News (weekend section two weeks ago?)spoke of racism against whites when it comes to charging higher prices compared to non-white customers.
Lifestyle.
This one is so subjective. Issues that effect it are your hobbies, friends, what keeps not just you, but your family sane. One colleague who has been here almost nine years can count an average of a different couple they know splitting each year - the wife cannot take it anylonger for whatever reason. I fly with some whose families are very happy here. These people (that I know of)are FO's and many, increasingly, come from countries where safety is a real issue. The longer they have been here the more I hear that their plan for staying at EK has changed. WHat I have heard to be the 3, 5, and 7 year plans. The 3 year is to fulfil the contract, the 5 is to get some PIC time (so that they can go to another contract?) and the 7 is to get the full moving expenses. I think a PP poster described it well when he said that for many, Dubai has a shelf life. It is an 'island'.
Values.
Increasingly not a big issue for many, money has replaced it and in Dubai, money is king. Dubai has become a 'frontier' town. Perhaps it has been for decades but in the 'cut and thrust' of business speculation the property market and other opportunities have attracted life's 'interesting' characters. The demographic is unbalanced as there are disproportionatley a greater number of young people here for a short time. YOur friends will take on a greater importance as the rudeness and selfishness level here is beyond anything I have ever experienced. We have clubbed together with other parents to provide books for our children. Public libraries are for the locals and the reading there is either arabic or a very limited supply of 'simple' english titles. Your internet is CENSORED yet your TV channels will routinely show some nudity.
Dangerous driving.
Don't underestimate how significant this is. For some it is a reason not to drive at all. Do not expect justice and you can expect a police force which is so not up to the job of policing. You get what you pay for - most are from other arab countries whose standard of driving pales in comparison to Dubai. YOu can expect Indian subcontinent drivers to tailgate you at speed - I don't think they have any malicious intent but that they come from a culture where if you give the next guy the slightest chance he'll get in front of you - you can see it when they jump the queue - waiting your turn is not in their culture. The arab drivers are intentionally dangerous - the favourite manoeuver is to tailgate you and when you don't get out of their way in time, they pass you out, then move in front of you and brake. It should be criminal but shows how arrogant they are about their position in society when they can do such things.
Interestingly for all the talk of 'greening' the UAE, the cars don't have catalitic converters. Dust and sand add to the polution mix. Though the construction here is an eigth wonder of the world -it is hard not to be impressed with how fast the infrastructure changes (I'm sure the construction labour has an opinion on that).
Lifeplan.
What do you do after EK. Direct entry captain position are available in China, India and other such places. How long will that last? I am amused by those who say that they will leave for a contract job after getting 1000 hours PIC in their EK aircraft. EK is contract and by contract standards is one of the best companies out there. Contract sounds good until you start looking at what's available out there. How long do you want to be away from your family. A friend of mine was making good money on a contract but now that he is going through a divorce with two children, how much of that money is left - perhaps he'd still have a marriage if he hadn't been away from home so much. I used to think that a Korean contract would be interesting until I did a few 9 day trips with EK and realized that I don't want to be away from my family for such a long period of time. Others have done the family thing and are happier away and for some of those Asia has a certain appeal.
I started off hoping to be close to objective but I think I failed. I am looking to get out, somedays desperately. However where to go is the biggest challenge. If you resign from one of the 'good' jobs you lose seniority and as we all know, even if you were a Chuck Yeager with every type rating in the world you still most likely will start at the bottom as the most juniour FO on the list if you get hired by a good company. Could many egoes take that after being a 'heavy' captain.
BTW, this has been written before but the front end of an EK aircraft is much the same as its smaller brethern, e.g. A330 and A320. The difference is that the A320 was more fun because you got to fly it.
That was long - hope it helps, I don't mean to stir any of the one liner respondents but hoped to give a helpful perspective to those who are making a huge decision ( I was about to lose my job when EK hired me - that's my excuse).