a small pack of blueberrys 35 AED (7.50 GBP)
1 pumpkin for halloween ca. 200 AED (43.0 GBP)
1 beer 45 AED (9.85 GBP)
I could go on, but I think you get the picture.
Quality time with family..... that's a very real issue. Often you will be rostered 1 day off in 7, 2 off in 14, and 8 off in 28 (recently improved to 9 off in 28). Many night flights.....and I don't just mean getting home late, I mean ALL through the night (often 3 in a row), followed by a rest day and then in for an early between 4-6am. You can have anything from 1 night flight to 15 (I've had it).
The roster is random and based on seniority (joke). As a new entry you can expect little of what you ask for and will have to put up with the scraps.
The take home message from me would be:
Don't expect to save much money as an FO with a family. If however, you want to live a frugal life, it is possible, but you won't be able to enjoy your time in Dubai. The working life is tiring to the point of fatiguing and the subsequent strain that that can convey upon a family is not to be underestimated. A few guys (as mentioned previously) have seen their marriages fall apart in Dubai.
Dubai is not for everyone, and the only way to discover whether it is for you or not is to experience it. This thread is populated with all the info, good and bad. Unfortunately, there won't be many people here that will give you the definitive answer you're looking for
Last edited by what-to-do; 25th Nov 2016 at 14:39.