Korean Air for expats
I just went through the entire training program at KAL. I was just one flight short of the check-ride, feeling great and fully ready for it when based on the opinion of one person, with total disregard of a trouble-free training, my contract was terminated with the only reason given as "following company procedure"
The training is between 3 to 4 months long and ok during ground school. I was there 4 and a half months. FTD training which is like fix based simulator with korean instructors is the beginning of the stress. Some of them are very demanding and treat you like you are stupid and has never flown before. They emphasize so much SOP's but on the other hand each instructor seems to have his own agenda and his own way of doing things. You need luck to be paired with a good and reasonable instructor. Full flight simulator is ok since most instructors are westerners and very reasonable, mostly retired airline pilots from US, Canada, Australia or Europe.
They don't let you get away with anything but they work with you. The real nightmare is during OE training. In my case I was failed for time management because my instructor wanted me to finish the long landing briefing they demand way before top of descent. Their own procedure states just before TOD but he wanted it way before who knows why. Everything else being ok he failed me for that, saying I had time management problems, and that was strike one. I was sent to the FTD and the junior instructor failed me because he put me in a holding, then all of a sudden changed the STAR and Runway and I made the horrible sin in his eyes to ask for an additional holding pattern to prepare for the new arrival and he wanted me to proceed immediately in an unfamiliar area.
I insisted in an additional holding pattern explaining I would be ready after it which I was but he failed me saying I still had time management problems. That was strike two. After that I was placed on another FTD with a training manager who found no problems whatsoever and gave me the green light to continue OE. However, on my recommendation flight, my instructor wrote about some minor mistakes on previous flights and unfortunately I almost missed my gate while taxiing in since there were 2 wing walkers in place at an adjacent gate and I got confused. Reason enough to report I had no situational awareness on the ground and not recommending me for check ride. That was strike 3 and they terminated my contract just like that.
They said their procedures call for automatic termination after 3 failures.
I appealed to my good training record and these being minor issues to no avail. So it's a matter of luck.
I am now another unlucky unemployed pilot that invested 13 grand plus hotel and airfare to get typed on the airplane only to be merciless dismissed with total disregard of a good training file and the good opinion of one of the training managers and all my simulator instructors. They don't count good things, only the bad. Any small thing or issue will be used against you, you can count on that.
KAL is a nice job if you make it through training. If you make the money investment like I did it is kind of a gamble.
I never studied as hard in my career. 27 years of experience, over 7000 PIC time hours and learning all their procedures and callout verbatim did not help me. They never compliment anybody. In my case the only compliment that I got as outstanding flying skills did not help. Like I said, only the negatives are considered to make a life changing decision there against a pilot who had made the investment in time, money and effort to get there and to stay there. If you decide to apply and get a class date, make sure you can get your old job back if you don't make it, be prepared to be humiliated, yelled at in some cases (not mine, I must admit) or treated like stupid and if you are going to pay to get your type, you have been warned, its a gamble. It will be worth every penny if you make it but it will be extremely painful as I can attest now if you don't.
I heard some similar stories of this happening to several experienced pilots before I went there and saw myself 3 of such cases while I was there in training. I felt so bad for them. Little I knew I would be next. I wish whoever decides to go there better luck than the one I and others have had.