Si Jet
1. It's like a new car, after a few months, it's.... a car!
2. What a feeling of flying 90+ hours all over the world! One day in Brazil, 48 hours later in Malaysia, come back home, short break, wake up at midnight, put a smile on your face head for India, or better, beautiful Maldives, come back to your home in Dubai just in time for tea time! If this is what you call lifestyle, you'll have a blast here.
3. There is nothing worst then galley food in any airline. Might taste better in some...still galley food!
4. You are so wrong, you are so at risk here. One mistake at work, one collision with the wrong person and you are out of here (make also your homework on appropriate behavior in an Islamic country, many expats payed the high price for some non tolerated behavior here).
You are actually walking on a wire. You will be disposed with out hesitation. If you are a good boy, yes you will enjoy an expanding network with a expanding fatigue level!
5. Tax free salary, yes, please make the maths on what you will bring net back home for your savings, DHS=USD!
6. Accomodation will be their choice, not yours, it's a lottery, might like it, might not and if you or the Miss doesn't like it, tough luck. Allowance: you need to be Captain to pay yourself a family villa, F.O. will pay for a flat.
7. There's private education in every city or country.
8. If you can enjoy it, good for you.
9. Mix emotions here, great to have a e-ticket quickly, problem is can you get on board (full flight, embargo on your destination,...) At least from UK you have options.
10. Watch out and read the fine prints. This department is in a major cost cutting mode, i.e. the coverage for your dependents just went significantly down with the latest revision! They will often play the card of a pre-condition to bail out of a treatment/payment in many cases.
Watch out for the salesman, might not really be the product you wanted or where looking for! The youtube short videos (how to cope with a pilot shortage,....) are such a good picture of what's happening here.
On the short term you will enjoy most of it, it's when you'll start digging under the surface that you'll realize the true colors of this place and then, you'll start to keep discovering!
And shortly after, keep recovering!
Good luck