I don't know what fleet you were on but i'm on the 320 and life is on the whole pretty good. no one has lost their job here in a very long time as far as i know. money is a lot better than the uk. FOs are taking home more than charter captains in the uk. captains on about £4900 a month which is a lot considering the uk market. flying is easy. no long night flights. weather is fantastic right now. i'm going water skiing, bit of fishing before i fly for 1 hour to have 24 hrs off in UAE then fly back tomorrow night. As long as you don't get involved in the politics. i'm very glad i came here from the uk charter market a few years ago. my mates are still toiling away on night dalamans and the like. me, i have a boat, bought another house, have 2 months holiday a year, travel everywhere on id90 tickets in first class. purrfect. its not the best job in the world, but its a whole lot better than anything in the UK apart from the majors.