Stay away from KAL
Why KAL? that is a valid question who everyone has diffrent view and answer for.
It is easy to say for those who are on the Street: Better a Job then no Job.
For all others who think the Grass is greener on the other side it should be a serious consideration to evaluate if the Grass is really greener. It seems that way but in the last few years some people have learned that it was greener where they where.
Giving up a Job and take the risk to go thru training is still a valid point, even the failure rate is a little bit less then it was when it peaked a while ago. That can change again from bad to worse. Once in the mill it is depressing to learn that promises from the Agent are only "Bleed Air". No support when it comes to make a point, needless to say why. No Agency want to take it on with KAL because they fear that as a consequence Pilots from the firm Agent are not considert anymore and each Pilot placed into the system is some revenue and cash at the end of the month into the pocket. If there is a discrepancy between the contract and the way KAL-Administration is applying it then the Bermuda triangle is wide open to get nowhere. Administration sends you to your Agency to talk to them, the Agent will say everything to excuse it as a misinterpretation and a miscommunication at the first. Next he will not enforce anything at KAL because of the fear prescribed above, back to square one.
Honoring the written contract, applying it diffrent. What is minimum ten (10) in English? Ten, (10), for KAL it is Eleven, (11).... When you are sick you get penalised by leave days. You work and the hours are not credited towards your overtime even it is written in the Contract. Your are entitelt to four free tickets per year for you and your Family, confirmed Y-Class, standby C-Class. You make a booking several weeks in advance and on the day of the Family vaccation you stay behind because the flight is full and there is no seat available. The Check in Staff is not very accommodating either in ICN and you face the additional costs of taking another flight or stay in the Hotel at your own expense. The contract ? no value at all. Complaining to whom? tell it the Meter, it listens when you drop a quarter in.......The diffrence is immense, the contract does not refelect what the reality is. The promise is broken before it is even made.
There was another loss in a favour KAL was providing for the Crews, travel home for some Pilots is reduced to two days only because of Airplane Type they fly. Your are based in LAX and need to travel three days for one pattern, as a A330 Pilot you get the three days, as a B737 Pilot you get only two days. Strange counting. As KAL is hiring more Expat Pilots they now eliminate the Travel off First Class into Business Class despite that you are on the GD as a Deadhead Crew. Calling it enforcement of contractual terms......
Recently happened on a ICN-HKG-ICN flight for deadhead Crew: Korean Captain traveled in First Class to HKG, the ExPat traveled back in Business with Seat available in First.....
Confidential reports are common, they are even enforced by the Management: There are some signs behind your name and that indicates the other Pilot that the Chief Pilot is expecting a report after the voyage if proceedures are followed and how the Captain behaived. Subject to the report you can expect a surprise Line-Check with a devastating result. The track out is paved in some cases. Knife stabbing ?
Contractual terms are not enforced when the increment of pay comes into the discussion. It is missing since a while despite the fact that the company posted a profit in the fiscal year.
Racism against Expats is common. There are terms where Koreans clearly state "ForeignCrew", Foreign Captain and so on. You are not part of the Company or the team at all. The impression is that you are a obstacle in the system. The word welcome comes over the lipps but not from the bottom of the heart. Strange that strangers are still desiring that is heaven on earth. The cameradery is low, ellbow politics are high and the moral is missing in the middle. You can be on a 72 hours layover somewhere and some of your Crewmembers are not even care to say good morning when you pass them in the Hotel Lobby or somewhere around. You can try hard with a huge enthusiasm to improove the climate. Result : Kindness is seen as a weakness.
If you sit around a few guys who talk openly and tell you a few things how it is you may think they make it up. Usual for some Aviators after a few beers got drained, reality is that they only scratch the surface, most cases are more brutal then they can talk about.
Make up your mind and consider if it is worth to risk to be a target. There where good Guys expelled before they even walked into the Training. Somehow the result of a Checkride is made days before, regardless of the performance. There where Checkrides passed and then later declared as failed. No support and when someone is able to proof there was a false statement the messenger is shot because he is dare to blame. Blackmailing is also common. The moral is as low as the bottom is reached. What bottom? there is more to come below.