BlackHawkDown
The UAE pays well but the ANS managment as exemplified by Stromboli & Pinocchio is the worst that I have ever seen. Stromboli likes to put people under pressure and derives pleasure from watching them strive to please him. As long as they don't question the published orthodoxy (think North Korea & the Dear leader) all is smooth but the moment you raise any doubt as to his omnipotence you are doomed, Both he and Pinocchio are vindictive and think of their workforce as being stupid grunts. He denigrates and diminishes people behind their backs but never to their face which is quite rich when you consider that he has only ever worked at low level units and has no PANS-OPS qualifications. Nealy all the ATCOs at the UAE ACC are better qualified and more up to date in their thinking then him.
In Muscat the pay is not so good but the managment is significantly better and brings a more human perspective to bear. I met all your top people as well as those in the UAE and the Muscat chaps definitely qualify as those you would invite to dinner, ie. SaH, SaB (the Hammersmith kid), C, etc.
I was told once by SaH that the yearly financial funding for Muscat generally runs out around the 10th month of the financial year. If that problem were to be solved Muscat would be leaps and bounds ahead of the UAE.
As it is, on a scale of 1-10 on good man management, good manners, consideration of, and how to treat people Muscat scores a 10 whereas the UAE ACC scores a zero.
The UAE is reminiscent of Mordor in the Lord of the Rings, i.e. Dark, gloomy, no light, no fun, no laughter.
Rusty Nail hit it on the head (pun intended) in an earlier post.
You may well see people returning.
Cheers
