Copied from a US message board;
Quote:
Originally Posted by corky
How is Emirates training course from (if hired) from day 1 to checked to the line?
Corky,
I absolutely despise Emirates' training course. It is probably one of the worst experiences you will go through. Some people will say that it has gotten loads better over the years, well, its not good enough. List of problems.
1. Course is self-taught. There is a mentality here that being taught by an instructor is being "spoon-fed". I do not buy into that mentality as a lot of students learn better when the ability to ask questions while a course is progressing is afforded rather than just throwing a student in front of a computer system and a large pile of books and telling them to learn it. This is absolute laziness on the part of the instructors and the training department, not the student....the students have their platters full already.
2. EK has developed this sporty grading system that they think is really awesome. Unfortunately, the system allows instructors to grade you down on you not using their "technique" rather than just pass/fail on the use of SOP's specifically listed in the book. These guys will go so far as to read between the lines in the SOP's to convince you that their technique is actually an SOP and if you argue with them you will either be graded down more or marched up to the training managers office for a meeting. While I think MM is a great guy and wants to change things more, his hands are tied by those above his head.
3. EVERY event in training begins with the proverbial dick measuring circle. Tell us about where you came from and what you have flown. God help you if you are an RJ guy. You will immediately have a preconceived stigmata branded on your forehead that says you don't know anything and can't fly. During training, a couple of my friends studied with their flight partners, learned the same material, and did things exactly the same way as him (not in the sim, in the fixed base procedures trainer). Their flight partners (UK Boeing guys) got higher marks than they did probably because of a favorable nationality to the trainer and the Boeing background. Could they have complained. Yes. Would it have made things worse for them....yes. So they kept their mouths shut during the training.
4. If you are from the US, nothing that you learned in the US is right. Our radio procedures are all non-standard (to them) and apparently aircraft fly differently in Australia and the UK than they do in the US because all these guys want to re-train you on the "proper" way to fly an airplane and talk on the radio. Despite the fact that the USA has one of the best safety records and the lowest accident rates in the world, us "yanks" do not have enough book smarts and "airmanship" (a VERY overused term here) to make the engines turn smoothly on an Emirates Aircraft.
With all that said, if you just suck up your pride, nod your head, roll with the punches, and say "oh, I see" a lot, you will get through the training in one piece and be happy out on the line. There are TONS of great guys here that are good to fly with. I am not one to say bad things about EK, but this is the one area that I would love to see them clean house in and change the way things are done. We all have the same goal in mind and that is to be happy and make some money while enjoying our work. AFTER training all those goals are met.