Greetings to all ~
I've been up and down this thread...I believe that the answers to most of the questions I have are in here, but either my eyes had glazed over by the time I had seen them, or the info was outdated...either way, I'm going to pose quite a few questions / concerns here. Thanks in advance to any informational replies / links!
My situation : I was just recently (yesterday) awarded an interview for an FO position with QR. While excited, it raises a lot of questions :
1. The interview. I was told to expect an ATPL question bank, panel interview, sim. Any words of wisdom on this? Is there more to the interview, such as math / cognitive / physical, et al? How many days is the interview process?
2. Travel / lodging. The invite stated that QR would pick up the tab for a flight to Doha and lodgings there. Anything else is on me. What sort of expenses are incurred in Doha / how expensive is it to survive there?
3. Fleet. The invite said First Officer interview. I've seen much speculation, but does anyone know what they are hiring in to?
4. Doha / Qatar in general. I am willing to give the expat life a shot, but I want to know what I'm getting in to. I have buddies at EK who swear by Dubai, but I know no one in Doha. Are they similar cities / cultures / lifestyles?
Also, I'm trying to get a handle on the culture itself. Is it "oppressive", or what people think of when they think Middle East? Ive read that they confiscate your passport as soon as you arrive, and you have to have written permission to leave the country once you're in
5. Qatar Airlines quality of life. I've been reading a lot on the internet, and most of it is not flattering towards the company. Is this true, or is this just people being haters? Currently I'm a regional airline pilot is the US, so my QOL is quite low...a lot of the complaints I've read so far are simply a normal day for me, so I'm used to it. I'm not so worried (right now) about command upgrade, equipment changes, et al, because that all changes. How is Qatar as a company to work for? Is the housing allowance adequate?
These are just a few questions that are bouncing around inside my head currently. Certainly not all-inclusive, but hopefully I've gotten the tone across as to what I'm wondering....
Thank you to all in advance
Cheers