Eagleeye
I totally understand where you are coming from - if you look at all airline forums it is full of moaners but if you dig deep enough there are some good bits of info that people have put on such as example questions etc.
If you read half the crap on these forums about how bad places are you'll end up slitting your wrists half way through and never applying anywhere...I have worked for 2 very well known companies within Europe and everywhere you go there's always the moaners so try to see through it. It will help if you have friends out there who can give you an honest opinion. I have mates out there that really love it and cannot see themselves ever returning back to homeland...but then I have a mate who is desperate to come back, not because of the airline, just because he doesn't like living in the sand.
I did the Etihad selection and have just been offered a position with them so can speak from experience with regard to what to expect. Having read half of the complaints on Pprune about Etihad I was a bit scepticle at first...however, after going out there you realise that many people that type the words "stay away from Etihad" on these forums obviously have nothing better to do with their time...Maybe if they ventured out and got involved in stuff in Abu Dhabi instead of locking theirselves in their bedrooms with their boxers round their ankles posting on Pprune they might actually enjoy it!
Anyway, you will see all airline forums the same, but what I can say is that during the selection I spoke to many pilots within the company and the comments on Pprune don't seem to reflect their thoughts. Yes, every company has its bad points - but where is there a perfect company in the world that gives you one days work a month, pays you £2 million a day and gives you free first class flights anywhere in the world?? If you find it, please let me know!
The selection...
Despite what some people say on here, 2 legs and 2 arms help but it won't guarantee you a pass. On my day 1 there were 26 people...by the end of the medical we were down to 9.
English test: Straight forward, although a few tricky parts in it even for us English people...add words to complete a sentence e.g. (While / Whilst) I was in the park....No biggy.
The tech exam...I did the non type rated exam, but having spoken to the guys that did type rated exam, the best bit of revision I can advise is the front of the Jepp manual. Have a look at codes on a flight plan (i.e what is the code for RVSM compatible) - loads of useful stuff in there. Also we had questions asking about capital cities around the world. I've done a lot of selection processes for big flagship companies and passed them all, and I can say that Etihad tech tests are very similar in difficulty (or easiness if you think so!) to other airlines. The Emirates selection is over an extra day but they do things like showing you around accommodation etc.
Interview...General chat, the guys/girls that interview are really nice and friendly and make you feel comfortable. They are very open and will give you as honest as possible answers. I actually checked with a couple of pilot friends in EY about some of the questions I asked the interviewers and they agreed that their answers were "about right". I suppose I will find out for myself if I take the offer. Couple of tech questions, depending on how you do in the tech exam. I screwed up on a capital city of an obvious place in the world which the interviewers found quite amusing, so hammered me on that (for example they asked me where England is!) so they have a sense of humour and generally it is not a bad experience. Just think of some examples of things you have done in your flying career and you'll be fine.
Simulator....The sim is pretty straight forward with a couple of gotchas...if you are a switched on guy you shouldn't have a problem. The non-type rated sim was a normal takeoff with autopilot engaged at 1000ft...intercept a radial with the autopilot engaged (no Lnav - HDG sel)...enter a hold (thats somethingbto revise in the Jepp manual - know your hold entries). Then downwind, autopilot still engaged, intercept ILS and manual landing. They want to see you go around if unstable but most guys were stable. Again, they want to see that they can sit with you in a flight deck for 8 hours and that you ain't gonna kill them or try to punch them...
Medical...don't fret..nothing you can do about that so just go and do it...and despite the rumours, they don't put their fingers up your arse!....They use their fist!!
If you want any more info PM me and I'll be happy to try to answer any more questions you have.
As I say, take a lot of the stuff on here as a pinch of salt. Whilst we were waiting for the sim check we were chatting with a group of about 12 pilots and most of them were saying that generally its a good life, with good career prospects and they seemed quite happy. They also said that you will spot the same few moaners on Pprune so again take it as a pinch of salt.
One that makes me laugh is that as you read through Pprune you will see some people complaining because a few years ago Emirates got 14 weeks bonus whereas Etihad only got 1 week....They forget that Emirates had huge profits that year - given the fact that Etihad has not made an operating profiit over the years a one week bonus is a nice touch I think personally. And in a few years time when the profits start to come in, I'm sure they will start looking at the bonus. It's a new airline still remember. Look at it for what you are considering it for and not what others are portraying. Well worth going through selection - that will help you decide if you love it or if you hate it. The selection team will answer any personal questions you have at any time.
Enjoy!
