You lot need to give the kids a break. Sure, it's a dirty hand they've been dealt, and they have to just suck it up for a few years. If they're young free and single they might even enjoy HKG - maybe find a rich Chinese gf to spoil them.
It's the senior guys who really shouldn't be in HKA. They have options, and they exercise them on a weekly basis, when the timing is correct for them.
HKA is demonstrably a worse job than RyanAir. At least in FR you won't be flying freighters (or Pax) around the backside of the clock, followed by minimum rest and do it again. In FR you get to sleep in your own bed most nights.
In FR you get a fixed roster pattern. 5-3-5-4 is it?
In HKA you'll work 6 days on the trot, get 1 day off, and then whatever they like after that. Legal Mins, Legal Max's - ad infinitum. No pattern. No predictability. No stability.
In FR you fly in civilised Europe, with competent and co-operative ATC. In China you get to learn how to survive in an ATC war zone.
In Europe you get a bit of fog, a bit of wind, a bit of ice or snow - with good infrastructure to help you deal with it.
In China you'll face typhoons, monster CBs and the fog, snow and ice too at certain times. All with little or zero infrastructural assistance (refusal of WX deviations etc) and ATC who seem determined to kill you, or at least drive you insane. Remember - the buck ALWAYS stops with YOU.
In HKA, if you don't DOT every i, and CROSS every t correctly you'll be hounded and harassed by junior office clerks and pen pushers who will instruct you on the errors of your ways.
You'll constantly be reminded you're a gweilo, and not really wanted.
If you face bigger problems - an incident - the management will gladly rush to hang you, to protect their own asses, and the organisation. You are a Patsy.
Not many can stick it out for very long. The mental and physical fatigue takes its toll on even the most strong willed and resilient. Everyone finally reaches their limit.
Also, be prepared to be lied to and misled at every turn. Remember that at the interview.
And forget about going home to your family in Europe, or anywhere else. There is no commuting roster, and they'll die rather than give you even a regular series of days off. That would spoil you! Could encourage unwanted extracurricular activities (like, a family).
Swopping is severely discouraged.
Every form of petty penny pinching mean spirited imbecility will be constantly foisted on you.
That's the deal. Eat it and smile.
Last edited by Algol; 3rd Nov 2015 at 09:53.