Starting at Cathay Pacific
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Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: Australia
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Starting at Cathay Pacific
G Day all,
Looking for some info on what is supplied to you when you start in ADL (ie:uniform etc) and when payment begins.
Is it a training wage, full wage or just a small allowance?
Any positive feedback would be great.
Looking for some info on what is supplied to you when you start in ADL (ie:uniform etc) and when payment begins.
Is it a training wage, full wage or just a small allowance?
Any positive feedback would be great.
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: hk
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you are expected to bring dark blue pants and white pilot shirts. They provide epaulettes and a tie. you must wear your uniform for all training but casual is fine at all other times. Food and accomadation are provided. You start at full salary from day one however payday is the 26th so it depends on when you start as to getting money. They also deposit a welcome 10000 hkd into your account upon activation which you do in adelaide. They will send you a welcome package before you start which outlines all of the above.
Join Date: Nov 2004
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Originally Posted by marbles1
you are expected to bring dark blue pants and white pilot shirts. They provide epaulettes and a tie. you must wear your uniform for all training but casual is fine at all other times.
Mayday
Cool as a moosp
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With a handle like "getablack..." etc etc we like you already. Don't sweat the small stuff, there's a lot of mythology about the induction to cx but just come and enjoy getting stuck into a new aircraft and you'll be fine.
Stay in the Headland for a bit, so that you can look around at the choices of places to live and you don't have the hassle of a one hour commute when on groundschool. The move out will come naturally to you. Some go soon, some go later. It's up to you when you've sussed out the scene.
FWIW
Stay in the Headland for a bit, so that you can look around at the choices of places to live and you don't have the hassle of a one hour commute when on groundschool. The move out will come naturally to you. Some go soon, some go later. It's up to you when you've sussed out the scene.
FWIW
Join Date: May 2005
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Family & Training Question
Nice discussion on beginning of training. Good info.
Here's another one,... does anyone bring family with them for the 4-6 months worth of training over there (HK). My wife and I were considering her and my three-year-old renting an apartment at, say, Discovery Bay while I complete training - guess I would be at the Headland.
Reasonable? Company policy ?? Thoughts on this??
Thanks, Gents
Here's another one,... does anyone bring family with them for the 4-6 months worth of training over there (HK). My wife and I were considering her and my three-year-old renting an apartment at, say, Discovery Bay while I complete training - guess I would be at the Headland.
Reasonable? Company policy ?? Thoughts on this??
Thanks, Gents
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9, it's pretty much up to you. There is no company policy or quasi official ruling about bringing family in the first few months. I've seen guys leave their family behind and two months later they are a mental wreck. I've seen guys do the same and it worked out fine.
My gut feeling is that if you have a good relationship with a supportive, capable partner, then bring them on day one. Or at least within the first couple of weeks. They will be smart enough to know that you will be working evenings and weekends, and they will need to do their own thing during the day too. The partner can get out there and explore the accomodation options and leave you to get on with the course. I would not recommend being in the Headland hotel for too long with a wife and three year old when you are trying to do the course. The rooms are small...
In the big scheme of things it is only a conversion course, and as Machiavelli said, nothing is as bad as it seems. You will need to relax sometime. You'll feel much more relaxed in the evenings after dandling the three year old on your knee than drinking with the other trainees and hearing tales of myth and woe.
You may now expect a gig of replies that say leave the family where they are.
My gut feeling is that if you have a good relationship with a supportive, capable partner, then bring them on day one. Or at least within the first couple of weeks. They will be smart enough to know that you will be working evenings and weekends, and they will need to do their own thing during the day too. The partner can get out there and explore the accomodation options and leave you to get on with the course. I would not recommend being in the Headland hotel for too long with a wife and three year old when you are trying to do the course. The rooms are small...
In the big scheme of things it is only a conversion course, and as Machiavelli said, nothing is as bad as it seems. You will need to relax sometime. You'll feel much more relaxed in the evenings after dandling the three year old on your knee than drinking with the other trainees and hearing tales of myth and woe.
You may now expect a gig of replies that say leave the family where they are.
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moosp thank you for your thoughts.
We were told it may not be wise to bring your partner at the start, which may be fair enough.
But you are right, its up to the individual.
Would you have any idea of the time taken to be checked to line??
Cheers
We were told it may not be wise to bring your partner at the start, which may be fair enough.
But you are right, its up to the individual.
Would you have any idea of the time taken to be checked to line??
Cheers
Join Date: Dec 2005
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HK CAD exams and type specific groundschool roughly one month. Simulators, roughly one month. Emergency training and various blundering around, perhaps 2 weeks. 10 sectors of flying for SO training, 2 months. Add a padding of another 2 weeks because it’s aviation = around 5 ½ months after stepping through the door.
Just a comment of living in the Headland whilst I'm at it... IMHO 6 months in the Headland would drive many people to cirrhosis, and it’s a really expensive option if you are going to be HK based. It costs HK$500 per day to stay there (aka your entire allowance), naturally you’ll have to buy all your food on top of that. You can rent a furnished apartment anywhere in Tung Chung on a 6 month lease for HK$7,000 per month, giving you HK$7,000 in change from your SO’s accommodation allowance. Commuting from Tung Chung is < 30 mins each way, and costs < HK$10 for the round trip. It does mean you have to make your own bed tho’!
Just a comment of living in the Headland whilst I'm at it... IMHO 6 months in the Headland would drive many people to cirrhosis, and it’s a really expensive option if you are going to be HK based. It costs HK$500 per day to stay there (aka your entire allowance), naturally you’ll have to buy all your food on top of that. You can rent a furnished apartment anywhere in Tung Chung on a 6 month lease for HK$7,000 per month, giving you HK$7,000 in change from your SO’s accommodation allowance. Commuting from Tung Chung is < 30 mins each way, and costs < HK$10 for the round trip. It does mean you have to make your own bed tho’!
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Rippa, if I said it doesn't matter, or not, if there are Brazilian pilots at CX would you begin to understand the concept? Yes, it might me good for you to meet up with someone from your own country, but try the diversity route and try being the first.
CX is one of the Foreign Legion airlines of the world. We don't ask where you are from, just can you fly aeroplanes.
I think we are up to 40 nationalities on the flight deck. Not quite as diverse as Emirates, but getting there.
CX is one of the Foreign Legion airlines of the world. We don't ask where you are from, just can you fly aeroplanes.
I think we are up to 40 nationalities on the flight deck. Not quite as diverse as Emirates, but getting there.
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Headland Hotel
Just my 2 cents on the Headland. Don't discount spending at least your first few months at the hotel, it's convenient and easy and on the social side of things the friends you can expect to make will be friends for life.
We all tore it up with freighter guys, command trainees and of course other Second Officers for about 4 months. The bar is open most hours at Dakotas, you've got the pool, gym, snooker table, squash courts, food court, study area and CBT rooms etc etc.
Just enjoy it!
Regards,
Cronus
We all tore it up with freighter guys, command trainees and of course other Second Officers for about 4 months. The bar is open most hours at Dakotas, you've got the pool, gym, snooker table, squash courts, food court, study area and CBT rooms etc etc.
Just enjoy it!
Regards,
Cronus
Join Date: May 2005
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Headland
Cronus and Others -Thank you all for the input regarding bringing the wife and son to HK for DEFO training. Your insight is very much appreciated. My thought was they could live at Discovery Bay or even Tung Chung (close by) while I complete DEFO training at the beginning of next year. At least this way they could be nearby and I could see family a few times / week when things aren't too crazy at work -- just wanted to see if you all thought it was do-able. (The wife loved her short ttime over there with me last year!)
Cronus, like you alluded to (and has been my flying training experience in the USAF), long days of studying while you need to be near classmates and near CBTs, SIMs, the gym, and a computer - is exactly what I expect from initial DEFO training.
Thanks for all of your advice gents,... I'm always willing to take it.
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Just remember if you stay at one place (eg Headland) & family stays somewhere else (eg DB) the CX housing allowance can only apply to one of them unless you take the basic cash allowance & try to split it which might not go that far (am a bit out of date on that point). I suggest you come by yourself for a few weeks, stay at the Headland, check out the situation re cost, what's available etc <then> make the "D". That way you don't have to commit to a lease even if it's only 6 months long & you keep the flexibility so your wife can decide where you end up living 'cause that's what's going to happen anyway 
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Preset, the way I read #9s post is that he is going to be in training as a DEFO and the wife and kids will only be in HK while he is there. As a DEFO he will be based in the US so housing allowance will not apply. Basically, they are just there on a long vacation. Whether or not it is a good decision is up to them.
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