NGFellow ,
Transport NOT provided , or an allowance , as Farrell said -its a pleasure to buy cars and petrol here .
Accom allowance IS low ( rents doubled in a year ) but it is being looked at . The schools you mention are in MSQ and Al Khuwayr - rents high there now , most of us live out beyond airport , so long slog through traffic to said schools , but there are other schools . The amount of accomodation now being built indicates that rents will turn eventually , The Wave is going to put plenty of property on the market - the initial offerings are high-rent but it is just the early birds trying to cash in on the shortage , this is not Dubai.
Difficult to answer yr questions re - rostering etc , the company is going through massive expansion / change etc and there has been , and will be , shortages of crew which cause instability of roster at times , the trainers being one-armed paper hangers at the mo. A new Roster system comes in shortly , high hopes all round. A new leave system is also being started for 09
. Lots of new hulls on order , but the Boeing strike is causing some delays to the plan , recruiting may be slowed down somewhat until it is resolved , but the new route structure will be announced shortly , rumours are good , and of course the A330s arrive next year which is going to be a huge step.
Exciting times indeed , it is good to be here , nice place , nice people , hard to realise there is a financial catastrophe going on elsewhere . I know I am glad to be here.
Unless you have a very secure job somewhere with better t&c's , get applying.