Big Geordie
You are correct in all that you are saying. I don't know of any guys that have left here to go to Virgin, I know a few guys who have come from Virgin to here. That doesn't mean that Emirates turned out as they thought (Just ask the guys who got shafted with this years profit share) it probably means that it isn't so bad that it is worth going back to Virgin. If you ask them whether they honestly think they are better off, i reckon you would get a split decision based on personal circumstances.
Dont be fooled by the tax thing. The amount of tax you are paying is irrelevant. The only thing that matters is how much you have left at the end of the month. By that I mean how much you have left to invest, because investing well is your only way out of here. The provident fund is unlikely to see you safely into retirement.
It sounds great that we get our housing and education paid for. That is until you work out that if the company didn't cover those things you would be working for almost nothing (Accom costing around 12,000dhs a month, and education for 2 kids about 2,000 a month would take a fair bit out of your 16000 starting pay). That gives you a fair indication of cost of living. Having said that, if you dont intend to have kids, and your wife can pick up a reasonable job, say 10,000 a month, then you should be on easy street.
We do have a good mix of flying within the company, but most people here on my fleet have lost interest in flying in much the same fashion as you have. Although we dont have to fight for the landings, we still do our share of long haul, more than our share of back of the clock, and way more than is reasonable of minimum rest layovers. The only time we have more than 24hrs is when the service is less than daily. We have several layovers less than 24hrs (12 hrs and 18hrs) after flying all night, followed by another night flight. I can only assume that when we start ulta long haul, the layovers will be min rest also.
It stands to reason that if you want to be part of a profitable airline and the stability that it brings in unstable times, then this is the price you have to pay. Just dont think it will be particularly better than what you have, just different.
Another thing worth mentioning at this time of unrest is the fact that you will be living amongst peoples who do not particularly like you. It is fair to say Dubai is by far the most moderate of ME cities, but it would be folly to suggest that it is an island of tolerance in a region not known for it. Nobody here is pressing the panic button, but there is a large number of families taking the opportunity to go home for the school holidays if you get my drift.
Now just say things got really unpleasant here because of the current regional tensions. What then. We can't leave because there are no jobs, but we may not want to stay.
As i have said before, there is far more to the decision to come here than just taxes and sunshine. Give it careful consideration, make your D and dont look back.
The Rev
P.S the figures i quoted on accom are based on getting an equivalent villa in an similar location to what the company offers. You can get much cheaper if you look farther afield and/or opt for something smaller.