Flight Dispatch in UAE

[Kanuk]

Hello everyone

Do anybody have an idea how much does a flight dispatcher can make in UAE.? and what could be the expetation for a canadian moving over.???

thx

[Lovesickguy]

The pay for Ft. dispatcher's in the UAE is about $ 4000 pm for ''experienced'' guys/girls, however, it'll cost about $2500 pm just to live there... most of the folks doing that jobs are from the 3rd world as it makes sense to them... but coming from Canada !!! I wouldn't do it !..
LSG :=

[bcp7]

I would suggest reading this blog: http://expatuae.************* and sending a PM.

Sorry, the link is not formatting properly. the text after the two slashes is
expatuae dot blog spot dot com all one word and no spaces.

interesting the system gives those asterisks for blog spot with no space in the middle.

Alternatively, if you are a member at flightinfo.com, he goes by PulltoGuns and you can send him a PM over there.

[jackdaniels]

2500$ seems way too much for cost of life!! normally they give you have housing allowance plus benefits and I guess a normal figure looks like 5000 USD plus consider stuff there is much cheaper!!

[antonovman]

where do you get your figures from jackdaniels ?
"things are much cheaper there " ?
those days are over, its a very expensive place to live now, i am talking DXB
I worked for Emirates there and the pay want near enough to live comfortably
on.

[desertopsguy]

You ask a question but 1 out of 10 responses is actually useful...anyway.

If you're thinking of making the move to the UAE (you can apply most of this info to Gulf region in general) you should do your homework before you even apply for whatever job you're aiming for.

Life in M.East is weird in nutshell. And although people say it is cheap and you get a tax free salary, in fact it isn't exactly as cheap as you think.

It will help if you don't have a family. Family = bigger place to live plus schooling. The local school's lessons are in Arabic obviously and have poor academic records generally so sending your kids there, if any, is not an option. That leaves expensive international schools with tuition fees that rival those of US colleges. You're talking 1000's of dollars each year per child. Accommodation, though becoming cheaper, is still not cheap, you'll pay double for something that is half the size of what you would get at home. It will be generally poorly constructed by an army of 3rd world guys who get paid 5$/day...you get what you pay for.

You need a car, no question about it. In DXB, taxis are hard to find at certain peak times. There's nothing worse than standing on a street at 2pm, 45c and needing a ride! Soul destroying stuff.

Annual leave is usually generous enough for expat employees but taking it and going all the way back to Canada will cost you unless the company you plan to work for gives you a mid-year ticket, flys to or close to where you need to go or has some staff travel discounts with other carriers.

Cost of living, it depends really on you and what you like to do. There are some cheapo ways of having some low cost amusement but again alot of it is dependant on the weather and what you like to do. There is some good kite-surfing in and around Dubai's shores (water quality questionable lately) and some good biking about 1hr drive into N.Emirates. As I said, these depend on the weather as noone wants to ride a bike in the extreme temps they get here.

Groceries are cheaper, no doubt about it but imported stuff can be comparable to prices in your home country (especially at Spinneys aka Safeway as it has alot of US brands imported)

Alcohol in DXB and I think in AUH, requires a permit and you have a quota too, in SHJ it is not available except at the airport departures or on arrival at the hard to find duty free. Other than that it is cheeap enough to buy at the liqour store, the N.Emirate of RasAlKhaimah has reasonably liberal liqour licencing laws by comparison and its famous Barracuda bottle shop has customers from all over incl Omanis and the odd Saudi, who rock up and stock up as there is not permit or quota needed. Bout a 1hr drive from DXB.

Going out, well it's similar to most big cities, they have the movies although not many places to rent one for a night in (this is where the bootleggers come in handy) Eating out is comparable to US / EU and just like there it depends on where you go, you can go cheap or sky high. Most places are reasonably priced however majority of them don't serve alcohol so that will automatically keep costs down.

Gas is not as cheap as people expect like it is in Saudi or Kuwait (it's ridiculously cheap there). I would say coming close on US prices as they are at the moment. Cars are cheap enough though due to low taxes and picking up a good condition used one is no problem at all.

Shopping, you can spend spend spend but really, the bargains are thin on the ground. Expect to pay as much for something in a mall as you would in EU. In fact many of the EU high street chains that are set up in DXB's malls have the prices in Euros and Dirhams with the Dirham price often being more than the current exchange rate, taking into account that EU stores have very high sales taxes, often in excess of 20%, you soon start to see that you're being ripped off. Don't bother asking why it costs more considering they don't have the taxes and the disinterested, afformentioned 5$/day assistant will tell you that they don't know.

Most companies will not keep your passport as you are Canadian.

The locals are, for the most part, begrudgingly tolerant of you. They tend to love paper and the more beaurocracy the better. Small things require multiple visits to various offices, reams of paper, translations etc. (Am talking about driving licences, medical reports, kids birth certs marriage licences and documents etc). My wife works in a hospital that has a 'key office'. Sounds important doesn't it? Infact it is as the name suggests...an office whose sole responsibility is to hand out keys wherever and whenever they are needed, lockers, offices, store rooms, you name it, if it has a key then the key office and its 2 underworked and overpaid, rather rude Arab key keepers have it.

The new rule in DXB says that locals ie Emiratis cannot be fired, for anything! If the chopping block requires a head due to cost cutting or whatever, it will be yours, even if you are the lynch pin in the whole outfit. They'll just replace you with 3 from S.Asia and another local to yell at them!

Driving is insane, the accident rates are staggering compared to where you come from. Emirati drivers are agressive, that is the only way to describe them, and the S.Asian drivers, for the most part, don't look, don't indicate, don't really know the difference between driving and steering and are often sent home in zippered bags due to their seemingly dopey attitude to vehicle control.

The thin veneer that was disguising Dubai's vacant interior is starting to crack, it will be interesting to see how things pan out in the next 12-18months. As you may have heard, the property market has taken a whack and many projects have been cancelled before commencing and some even midway through as their investors become shy or run out of capital.

Take a look at the other posts in the M.East forum. You'll get alot of insight from various folks (mostly pilots) who live, have lived and will soon leave there. Some of it has to be taken with a large pinch of salt as Pilots tend to moan alot, it comes with the territory of no longer being held to the same esteem as Buzz Aldrin so alot of what they moan about is hard to have any sympathy for (what? they don't pay your laundry anymore, awww poor you).

As I said, do your research and don't be afraid to ask for more than they offer you if in fact an offer comes about. The concept of 5 guys doing the same job for the same money and benefits is lost on these people. They will low-ball everyone and if they need you bad enough they will bend slightly and give you the dental cover or the mid-year ticket or the 2 bed apt instead of 1.

If you're a single guy or will leave family at home in Canada, then your costs will obviously be lower, smaller place, smaller car, lower grocery bill, no school fees etc.

Hope it helped.

Feel free to pm me if you like.

All the best.

D.O.G

[jackdaniels]

hey desertguy...
tks for the exhaustive info, but I've got one more for u...
are you aware of what kind of visa do airlines issue normally for expats?
I heard that some (like quatar) denies multiple entry visa, meaning you cant leave the country without prior authorization of the company. Obv. UAE is a different state and rules can be different, but you can never tell !!

And also do u know what kind of freebies they gen. offer?? company ZED or staff ID's...

[jackdaniels]

btw, almost forgot...
expenses are directly proportional with the style of life youre aiming at. normally COL is aprox 2/3 of what we expect in EU/US. but of course if you wanna ride on a brand new aston martin, then in this case things are much different!

[desertopsguy]

Hi Jack,

Airlines in UAE generally give your a residency permit. It's an orange stamp that inserts in your passport and has a whole bunch of arabic stuff that basically says that you are entitled to live there permanently for the duration of your employment with XYZ airlines. With this you then come and go as you please. It is the same in Bahrain.

I can't speak for Qatar but I have heard they have something similar to Saudi arabia where you will get a residency permit but it is useless without the extra multiple exit / re-entry visa, if you don't have this you cannot leave. It is renewed every 6months at a cost of about 140USD and many companies will not pay for it, opting instead for the cheaper single entry visa that allows you to leave and come back again one time only.
Getting a multi visa does require the approval of the company so if they feel you don't need it (insane I know) then they may not grant it.

Getting visas in the first place can be a pain in the neck. This is where a good HR dept comes in. You see you will have to submit your passport to get the residency permit and this can take days or weeks or sometimes months. It depends on the sleep deprived nut who is handling it. The longer it takes the longer you will be stuck.
The HR department is a favourite haunt of the locals as it requires close to zero smarts, they are underworked so it suits their sloth like pace and they thrive in that kind of environment that is drenched in beaurocracy and in fact many of them relish the opportunity to screw the expat.

Most companies offer Z class and ID fares based on your grade in company. Eg. A flight attendant or check in agent might be eligible for ID90 for Y class but an engineer or pilot may use it for J class, stuff like that. The larger ones like Emirates have family discounts etc, I supposedly get ID 90 with them as a family member works for them (although I have never used it). Those companies also give mid year tickets and overall good staff travel benefits incl other carriers if they are in an alliance.

One thing about earning in Gulf currencies (with exception of Kuwait) is that they are pegged to USD so if you are saving in USD's or sending them back to US then you won't feel it too much if the greenback troughs as it currently is doing now. If you are saving in GBP / Euro you will be more concerned with watching exchange rates and trying to figure out the optimum time to wire it back home.

Taxes, these are 101% your problem and you will get zero support if you are supposed to be paying them back home. They will not lie for you or try to help you in anyway as a pal of mine found out when his tax authority in home country sent him a letter asking where he had been for 2 yrs.( He had been commuting home alot, enough for him to be elligible for income taxes and when he asked the company to tell a little white lie on his behalf and give him some paper to say he was in one place more than the other etc, they refused...fair enough I suppose)

Americans and many other nationalities are required to pay taxes on their income earned abroad. The rules are different say for someone who is working in another country that already taxes it workers but in a place with no taxes I believe uncle Sam wants a cut. Check this out also as there are limits.

You're right about cost of living, it does depend on you. If you enjoy the finer things then you will pay and often pay more as most of them are not made in this part of the world.

I'm trying not to paint a gloomy picture about the region, like everywhere it has its up's n down's. But if you move, do your research and be ready for anything.

In the Gulf region you are pretty central so it's a great way to explore beyond into East Africa, Lavant, India etc. Plenty of carriers and the fares are not so bad. Lots to see and do if you just put your mind to it and get out there.

All the best,

D.O.G

[vivekmigrydr]

Hi,
How much pay does a flight dispatcher gets in UAE if is unexperienced or can say a Dispatcher????

vivekmigrydr

[Ventumdei]

Hi,

I hold ICAO FDL - flight dispatcher licence. I am looking for opportiunity to get flight dispatcher job at gulf. Preferably in Bahrain. I have 10 yrs experiance in aviation bussines (4 as dispatcher in general aviation - one dispatcher for all - impossible at once, miracles in 5 minutes, everything for yesterday ;). I'm plilot also. Please advise how, what, where, how much, earnings, accomodation, etc.

I am also looking for possibilities to bulid flght time. Can you advise prices for rent multiengine aircraft e.g. Piper Seneca v

[ShinjukuHustler]

Gen aviation as it exists in US and EU, OZ doesn't exist in Bah.

As for dispatcher pay in UAE for newbies...crap. The majors aren't hiring and if they were they want experience. Expect between 5k to 7.5k / month if you land something with a smaller outfit. The vip operators are on their knees now and that's not just UAE, that's Gulf wide.

As for jobs in BAH, no one hiring out of GF, Bah Air or DHL and Bex.

Tough market right now.

Hustle on.

[JB007]

If people contribute to THIS THREAD (http://www.pprune.org/flight-ground-ops-crewing-dispatch/379819-what-your-take-home-pay-end-month-2009-a.html) i'll happilly make it a 'sticky' for all to update...

[canadiangal75]

I don't want to sound rude with this post, but what I am about to say is the reality in the UAE. You say you are Canadian, yet your language skills do not seem to be native Canadian. Can I ask what country you are really from? You see in the UAE, most companies will pay for your nationality, or worse.. your skin colour. I am a white native Canadian and was offered many jobs in Dubai as a flight dispatcher. Now the problem is, they can afford 3 people from a poor country for the same salary they have to give me. So really, unless you are willing to work for peanuts, chances of them giving you what you are really worth are slim. I was a flight dispatcher and Dubai and was paid reasonably well considering mine was just a second salary. I would not be able to afford a normal Canadian lifestyle (have my own appartment and not share with 20 other people) on the salaryI was earning.
Good luck, but I think you should stay in Canada. As for income taxes, you must sell everything, not leave a wife behind and not go back to Canada too often and you won't pay tax. You will be a non-resident. But if you keep furniture in storage, or even a car or own a house, you will have to pay tax.

[barnboy2006]

Hello everyone,
This is not a malicious post, this post only contains a few words of advise. Readers, please don't go for the Emirates college flight dispatch program. It is a very shoddy program and some of the S&P's of the instructors are abominable.

Let me give you a summary of my experience there. I won't name any names, but the program is run by Jeppeson, and I will say, they are just in it for the money, and the college is a figurative "diploma mill".We had 3 instructors, The first week we had a malaysian instructor (He was a genuinely nice guy and gave us a lot of useful info), from the 3'rd week onwards we had a Serbian instructor (also a very nice guy), and the last 2 weeks, we had this german f@#ker who thought he was all great, but he was really a hasbeen. Anyways ..

The module exams were pretty much a joke. The instructors pretty much told us that all the questions will come from the GLIME ATP revision book, and guess what, all the questions (multiple choice btw) came out of the glime. In many cases, the exam questions were even spoonfed to us. I remember a couple of people actually getting help during the exams as well. And one or 2 people failed many exams as well, but the instructors would actually make them erase their incorrect answers after the exam and then give them the right answers, just to make them pass. And these glime questions were a complete joke. Anybody who has read the GLIME ATP revision book probably will know what I'm talking about.

The instructors didn't want anybody to fail, cause then they didn't want to waste time on resits. The german f@#ker actually said "I have some important dates, and I don't want to waste my time on resits". Before the final GCAA exam, he actually gave us half the questions in the final exam. And then he threatens us by saying "If you tell anybody about this, I will hunt you down and I will make sure you never work in the gulf again". Yeah right. What a tosser !!!

And don't even get me started on the admin. Everybody is not that bad, but the place is seriously disorganised. 2 weeks before the O&P exam, they increase the fee by 200 dollars without even telling anyone. And now there is a stupid rule in the UAE that says that all Dispatchers must have 90 days of OJT before they can be issued a license. But they told us about this, and before the course, the co-ordinators of the program told us that we would be issued a temp. license if we apply for a full one. But guess what, after the course, they just brush us off like flies. Nobody was even able to get a temp license, since the people blatantly told us not to apply for one without OJT. No company will hire a dispatcher without a license, so most of my classmates have gone back to India to look for jobs. Some may have used their contacts to get something, but as far as I know, none of my friends got anything in the UAE. It was lousy.

The admin was especially useless. Most emiratis are very lazy and only rely on govt schemes or handouts to get by. The manager of the programs was an emirati, and nobody ever saw her around. She was a lazy c#$t.
Just go to Sheffield or some other school in the US and get your FAA license. It is more widely recognised, and I reckon the people over there would be a lot more helpful. Dubai is not all rosy. It's who you know, not what you know that gets you going here. If you know the right people, you'll get some work,that is especially true for dispatchers. Otherwise, it's useless.

Seriously, go to the US and get your FAA directly. Done come to EAC.

Consider yourself warned.

Take care.

[bala_murali]

Hi there guys

I have enrolled for the the flight dispatcher course in emirates aviation college for this October batch . I saw the previous post by barnboy and was baffled.

I would be paying the fee for processing the visa in 4 days time and the total course fee in 7 days time. I dont know anybody who has finished this course from emirates aviation college but general feedback of one to two students who have attended the other course was good( met them online ) i got from emirates aviation college was good . The name emirates and jeppesen also added to the reputation .
I am from India. i did my bachelors degree in electrical and electronics engineering and 2 years of work experience in Dell computer.As eveybody said sheffield school of aeronatics is really great . But at the end of the day with an FAA license what can i do ?:hmm::hmm: even if i find a job opening in USA ( which i very difficult first of all ) there is no way i can get a work permit from the government. FAA license is not recognized in India and there is also no way to convert it:ugh::ugh: ( checked it out from dispatcher working for paramount airways , India ). I did hear that FAA license it accepted by singapore airlines and lufthansa ,but this usually is the case when the airlines send people to train in sheffield or any faa authorized school . i heard that having an FAA license and applying for the job on an individual bases would not work .
From speaking to some flight operation professional here i found that generally getting a job as a dispatcher is very difficult and in India there is no DGCA authorized dispatch training itself . So considering India there is no place to train also .So my only choice was emirates aviation college ,Dubai.From my research i found that the chances in Dubai are also slim but there is atleast a chance, compared to other countries.
Barnboys feedback on emirates was very shocking :\:\:\. i would like to know some more feedback regarding emirates aviation college training and the possiblity of an OJT in Dubai from some of the guys who have trained in emirates aviation college . Your suggestion and opinions would greatly help me in my decision making guys . Please let me know your experince in EMIRATES AVIATION COLLEGE .
Lastly i like to know why Barnboy who is from America chose emirates aviation college in dubai when there are indefinete number of option in USA itself ?? .Thanks a million for your time . its much appreciated !:ok::ok::ok:

[desertopsguy]

I just wanted to clear something up Quote "The name emirates and jeppesen also added to the reputation"

I hope you don't assume that the name 'Emirate' relates in any way to the Airline of the same name. This is a just a cloudy marketing ploy to lead you into thinking that there is some affiliation.

What Barnboy is saying is correct, you will not get your licence unless you work at an airline. So, why are you going there then? To learn things that you may not get any recognition for? Also, you need to find out if any OJT that you do is actually approved, work experience in your home country may not be elligible for accreditation. Check this out in advance AND don't ask the school as they will tell you what you want to hear, ask this directly to the GCAA and preferably get it in writing.

Best of Luck.

[barnboy2006]

Man, do you know how to read ? I've already mentioned that if you want to get your GCAA licence, you'll have to go for 90 days of OJT. Why do you want to do that ? Just go to the US and get the FAA license without the OJT.

[skar3krow]

:ouch: you got kay?!!? lol

[wilson007]

Wow, this is shocking bout EAC. We really need more light on this as I plan to be there in Jan. Thanks guys

[johnysky]

This to me is surprising, considering that aviation employees had recommended to do at EAC, if EAC dispatch course is not good, then what is Jeppsen doing about this, since Jeppsen is course content provider there.

[Three.Green]

Soo.... still hasn't answered the question clearly.... how much can one expect to get paid after completing the flight dispatch course from EAC.? 4k AED/ month is it?