Any Expats here that work for Korean

[Ronand]

Hi Lads, I'm currently working as B737 FO for a lowcost Carrier in Europe. I know there are bad romours about KL towards expats. I would really like to talk to some guys who actually fly there at the moment and could share some first hand experiences.
thx

[tokamak69]

Would be really interested for 330 F/O as well ! It seems to be bad for CPT but what about F/O's?
What are the A330 routes in KAL?

And what is the best agency to work with? Rishworth, CCL, Direct Personnel ?

Thanks

[captjns]

CCL is a very reputable organization. They would be my first choice. My understanding is that xpat F/Os haven't a chance of upgrading with KAL.

[Ronand]

I know that there is no chance for Upgrade for expat FO's, however my long time plan is to go to Emirates anyways, I'm just really fed up with that low cost carrier life style and the low salary that comes with it... Financially and life style wise it would make a lot more sense for me to build the 1200hrs I'M missing for Emirates at KL rather than where I'm working now. At the moment I can barely pay my loans off, suffice to say that the working moral is really low. Also this new european social security law might cut my Salary another 35%. If this really comes into play I will be forced to give Korean a try no matter what just gotta take that risk then.... (I guess you can guess who I am working for :hmm:)
The only thing that has kept me from applying so far is that I read a lot of bad things about how expat get failed in Linetraining, and then they are on the street with nothing, and once u fail something and get sacked its close to impossible to find a flying job again.... It would be really helpfull if any F/O who is currently working there could say something about failure rates, and how hostile the Koreans really are towards foreigners. If some expat at Korean reads this you can also contact me via PM if you do not want to write in public. I am also open to other suggestions if anybody knows any better other gig I could try My experience is: JAA ATPL,
2000hrs TT, 1400hrs on B737, current on B737Ng, the rest of the hrs are turboprop and piston. I'm single and have no family, so I am happy to go basically anywhere in the world if the salary is good enough.... Thx for any advice

[Apache702]

Build up ur hours and go to the sandpit, its where u will make the most with ur experience, and chances to upgrade at a later stage, dont go korea, not a good choice for u with ur background.

[tokamak69]

I'm interested by KAL just to fly the 330, get some hours, and have a commuting contract. Then with that experience i will find a job in my country.

[Poster]

Listen!

Avoid, avoid, avoid!

You will be sorry if you don't.

[tokamak69]

Hi Poster,

Can you tell me what an FO can expect during the line training and then in normal operations? Is it really unbearable ? I use to fly in asia ( Singapore ) so i know asians can be picky but i have no experience with korean guys.

I don't want to spend my whole life there, just 1 or 2 years maximum.

KAL has a lot of expat FOs , if anyone is there to give me some feedback, PM me please :)

[tokamak69]

And btw if i apply it would be for a non type rated A330 FO position...

[Poster]

The FO position has been a revolving door since KAL started hiring for the right seat a few years back. There is no possibility of career advancement at all and it has been an option for furloughed Americans or Europeans from low cost carriers and defunct Airlines looking for experience flying with a major airline.

Regarding the cockpit culture, I heard the training was pretty hard as they had to match the performance of the Korean FOs that are little robots but once on the line things will get easier until novelty wears off with nothing to look forward to.

You are probably better off to try EK or anywhere where you can have a career path and save wasting your time

Good luck.

[Wings Of Fury]

I sort of fit into the furloughed part.. need a job.. don't care if there is no upgrade.. I'm over that right now,

can anyone please tell me/us what the flying is like on line after training?
layovers?
do you do over 65 hours for the overtime?
anyone with Direct Personnel?

Thanks

[tokamak69]

I've heard that the 777 fleet is the hardest regarding the training. Don't know why but it seems that it's a bit more "normal" on the 737, 747, or 330.

No upgrade i don't care either, i won't go there to make a career.

I'm just a bit scared to pay for my ccq 320 to 330 and then be sacked during line training or even ground course!

[Liftdumper]

B777 fleet definetely hardest fleet during training, especially when non-rated.

A330 fleet is more or less ok regarding training.

Key is attitude, attitude and attitude.

[HighSpeedAluminum]

Fleet training difficulties fluctuate. When I joined as NTR, the A330 had the higher wash out rate. It does depend on your capability and the quality (subjective of course) of your personality.
Most of the F/O's on my course (have moved on). The hours are low (40/mth) on the B737 as flying is mostly domestic. B777/A330 hours average 900+/yr.

tokamak69 your apprehension is justified. The decision is yours. IMHO with the right attitude you will be able to gain what you are looking for at KAL.

[tokamak69]

Then attitude is the most important thing. Submissive is the key word for FO?

Anyway thanks for your sharing

[Wings Of Fury]

Thanks for the feedback guys, any decent layovers on A330?