just wanted to share a thought....
on a recent long ass flight flying over the middle of nowhere had a really good discussion with the other pilot about the different terms and conditions that the company has for us....we were on different contracts (basing, scale etc etc)
actually turned out to be a very good conversation with a fair amount of friendly banter....
then the conversation came to the topic of the current contract for our cadets (local or international....doesn't matter - no difference)
Now i dont claim to be a genius for having thought of this and i am sure somebody has posted this information before - but just a heads up for the wanna bes out there who are are thinking about Cathay...
there seems to be some people who are telling themselves that they are going to join because the conditions are getting better - they keep mentioning the new HK Pilots allowance as evidence of things improving for cadets...well, guess what? it actually saves the company money years down the road...the current scheme may be a welcoming change but what people are unaware of is that local pilots actually did get a housing allowance (FO and CAPT) and what they were getting on the old scheme is actually MORE than what this new bs scheme has on offer. this is precisely why none of the local pilots getting housing signed over to this new scheme (fair enough, why should they settle for less)?? and now when a cadet joins the company they are automcatically enrolled in the scheme - no choice.
sure great! you start to get a housing allowance sooner in your career but you will never ever be entitled to the old local pilots housing allowance (which is already a **** rip off compared to the expat package). and trust me, we did the math many times taking into account different scenarios and you WILL get significantly less during the course of your career at CX with the new scheme. and you will NEVER be allowed to switch nor will you be given a choice of which package you will get.
Also, for those of you who THINK you will suck it up in HK for a few years and then move to a base....the reality is, the company offers basing as it reduces the amount of expat housing they have to give out in HK....but with the i-cadet program none of you will be on expat housing in the first place!!
I am not old, nor am I bitter - I just wanted to share this information with the wanna be's because on the surface things might APPEAR to be improving when really it is just a
PR spin off.
Hope this helps!