Macau vs HK: your view

[Arrowhead]

I live in Macau, and am thinking about applying to KA or CX as a middle/senior FO. Rumour has it that the "grass is greener on the other side". Meanwhile life does not seem too bad here...

So before I apply, I wanted to compare and contrast the cost and quality of living. Here is the lowdown on living and working in Macau. Please can anyone compare with KA/CX/HK (Discovery Bay???) Thanks!

FINANCIALS
Income: c. $50K per month net of tax, less...
- rent: $6,000/mth for a 1,000sq ft (incl crap kitchen)
- or: $13,000/mth for a 2,000sq ft decent appartment incl car pk
- hotel club membership (pool/gym): $14,000/family/year
- Cars are cheap ($11k for an okay-ish 7 yr old car)

LIFE
- Flying 15-20 hours flt time per week, incl 2 nights away per week, but 2 weeks off every 3 months to go on hols
- Commute to flt ops is 5 mins by car to (free) airport car park, then 2 min walk to office
- Captaincy in 4 years from joining
- ID90s
- Good small circle of Brit/Oz mums mafia
- no crime to speak of
- Primary schools are okay at best.
- limited choice of decent restaurants and bars, for now at least

Any comparisons much appreciated....

ps forgot to say the weather in HK always seems slightly better than Macau!

[777300ER]

"I live in Macau, and am thinking about applying to KA or CX as a middle/senior FO."

How do you expect to apply for a senior FO position? I think everyone joins at the bottom of the list bud.

[Arrowhead]

Everyone joins at the bottom of the seniority list here (ie time to captain), but not the bottom of the FO pay scale. So what is teh situation there?

[smallwing]

I can't speak for CX but KA you join on the bottom of the list AND bottom of the "FO" pay scale.

For some reason, your job right now doesn't sound so bad. What about annual leave? That is not part of the 2 weeks off in 3 months is it?

As stated by KA everything over here is "Ops Normal".

[Saturn]

Um, do whut!

I believe if you join CX on the freighter fleet you join as a senior F/O, 2 and a half stripes. Middle F/O, don't know what that is. You join CX now as an S/O or Snr F/O on freighters. Takes about 1.5 to 2.5 years to be a Relief pilot which I just achieved!

(I'd like the thank the academy for nominating me as relief in the "Cathay Story, one pilot's dream")

I hope that after the merger with Air China and Dragon Air we change our name To Air Dragon Pacific and I get promoted to Senior Relief Political Officer. I'll have 3.5 stripes, a red star on my hat, a small goatee with braids and carry a large stick to flog all of the infidels and capitalist pigs. Hey that's just me though. Good luck.

[Arrowhead]

2 weeks every 3 months includes annual leave, and means you fly a few more hours and are only entitled to 1 day off per week. But you will still only fly max 20 hours per week...