Emirates Roadshow HONG KONG March.
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: HKG
Age: 54
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I've spent several years not at EK but at the other airline, down the highway. Left long before COVID struck and on my own account. All I can say is, I wouldn't think for a second about going back.
There are no taxes? I remember paying 5% "communality fees", bills for aircon/elec./water/internet that were heavy and going up all the time, maintenance fees (whether I needed them or not; generally I rather fixed stuff by myself than having to rely on the maintenance team), and so on. Yeah, they don't call it taxes, of course, just mandatory fees.
Speaking about fees. Schooling fees are high and going up year by year, and you still pay extra for each activity for your child (we're talking of DHS 2.500 per semester just for swimming or for football in the afternoon). That wasn't a high-end school, but one which is at least not full of extremists who ask my kids to "convert" in the changing room. Still very bad with bullying, rude behavior, and an arrogant principal. I understand this might be normal for some cultures - and on a large scale it's how the whole UAE works, but we didn't particularly enjoy that. The standard of the school is "superior" and "outstanding" on their brochures, but you will need to really study and practice hard at home with your kids, if you want them to be able to keep up with the level of education required in your home country. Just because the school has an amphitheatre, computer rooms equipped with imacs, marble floors and an indoors swimming pool, doesn't mean your kid will learn French, chemistry and algebra - even though the school fees always include a report with straight A's to keep you happy!
Competitive salary - Okay, if I compare my net income in DXB and elsewhere, it's an impressive number. But it's just being taken back out of your pocket the same way, e.g. by having your rent increased by 15%. Prices of food in Carrefour are about double of what I pay at home. If you supply for a family of four, you're gonna walk out with zero at the end of the month. So you often have vouchers for a free glass of wine in a restaurant or "second kid eats free" at the brunch in the polo club, and your crew-id will entitle you for a 8% discount at the Bentley dealer? Amazing! The whole point of the UAE is to attract expats with an interesting salary, and making sure you spend it all here. Once they don't need you anymore, or you make just one wrong move, you're gonna see how much you are really worth.
Lifestyle is probably just as awesome in the UAE as it is in HK. You have shopping malls, shopping malls... oh, and did I mention shopping malls? That's where you sit in Starbucks, and engage in interesting conversations about weekend-getaways in the Atlantis, wellness trips to the Maldives, wonderful sundowners at the Rotana, and other must-dos, with all the other new-rich, bored people you live and work with. Or you go for a BBQ, have a few drinks, and share your expertise about the airline. Or do something else, swipe your credit card on the way out, and don't worry, the bank will offer you 36 easy installments at the end of the month.
There are no taxes? I remember paying 5% "communality fees", bills for aircon/elec./water/internet that were heavy and going up all the time, maintenance fees (whether I needed them or not; generally I rather fixed stuff by myself than having to rely on the maintenance team), and so on. Yeah, they don't call it taxes, of course, just mandatory fees.
Speaking about fees. Schooling fees are high and going up year by year, and you still pay extra for each activity for your child (we're talking of DHS 2.500 per semester just for swimming or for football in the afternoon). That wasn't a high-end school, but one which is at least not full of extremists who ask my kids to "convert" in the changing room. Still very bad with bullying, rude behavior, and an arrogant principal. I understand this might be normal for some cultures - and on a large scale it's how the whole UAE works, but we didn't particularly enjoy that. The standard of the school is "superior" and "outstanding" on their brochures, but you will need to really study and practice hard at home with your kids, if you want them to be able to keep up with the level of education required in your home country. Just because the school has an amphitheatre, computer rooms equipped with imacs, marble floors and an indoors swimming pool, doesn't mean your kid will learn French, chemistry and algebra - even though the school fees always include a report with straight A's to keep you happy!
Competitive salary - Okay, if I compare my net income in DXB and elsewhere, it's an impressive number. But it's just being taken back out of your pocket the same way, e.g. by having your rent increased by 15%. Prices of food in Carrefour are about double of what I pay at home. If you supply for a family of four, you're gonna walk out with zero at the end of the month. So you often have vouchers for a free glass of wine in a restaurant or "second kid eats free" at the brunch in the polo club, and your crew-id will entitle you for a 8% discount at the Bentley dealer? Amazing! The whole point of the UAE is to attract expats with an interesting salary, and making sure you spend it all here. Once they don't need you anymore, or you make just one wrong move, you're gonna see how much you are really worth.
Lifestyle is probably just as awesome in the UAE as it is in HK. You have shopping malls, shopping malls... oh, and did I mention shopping malls? That's where you sit in Starbucks, and engage in interesting conversations about weekend-getaways in the Atlantis, wellness trips to the Maldives, wonderful sundowners at the Rotana, and other must-dos, with all the other new-rich, bored people you live and work with. Or you go for a BBQ, have a few drinks, and share your expertise about the airline. Or do something else, swipe your credit card on the way out, and don't worry, the bank will offer you 36 easy installments at the end of the month.
Join Date: Mar 2021
Location: Hk
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Join Date: Mar 2021
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You needn’t bother. My lifestyle and financial position here is beyond what I could’ve dreamed of in HK.
Comparing the two, it’s plainly obvious that one is one the ascendency and one is in a steep descent.
Comparing the two, it’s plainly obvious that one is one the ascendency and one is in a steep descent.
Join Date: Jun 2022
Location: Cern
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I love living in HK! The narrow footpaths, the tiny apartments, no seating in shopping centres, The smells coming from the sewerage as you pass a grate, the fact kids are not allowed to ride scooters in parks, or generally be allowed to be kids tells you all you need to know about HK
Last edited by Babyjet_dododo; 25th Jun 2023 at 12:21.
Join Date: Apr 2004
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Yes, nothing beats waiting for public transport while sweating from the humidity, travelling 1.5 hours from your residence only to get to Disneyland with the young ones to find out everyone needs to change clothes, and it’s starting to pour down with rain. And there is no shelter available to ride out the passing weather.
I love living in HK! The narrow footpaths, the tiny apartments, no seating in shopping centres, The smells coming from the sewerage as you pass a grate, the fact kids are not allowed to ride scooters in parks, or generally be allowed to be kids tells you all you need to know about HK
I love living in HK! The narrow footpaths, the tiny apartments, no seating in shopping centres, The smells coming from the sewerage as you pass a grate, the fact kids are not allowed to ride scooters in parks, or generally be allowed to be kids tells you all you need to know about HK
Join Date: Jun 2022
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it’s common, and a sign of courtesy to have seats in shopping centres, is it not common in your home country? Or do you like following your partner from store to store like a little lost puppy?
Join Date: Mar 2000
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Yes, nothing beats waiting for public transport while sweating from the humidity, travelling 1.5 hours from your residence only to get to Disneyland with the young ones to find out everyone needs to change clothes, and it’s starting to pour down with rain. And there is no shelter available to ride out the passing weather.
I love living in HK! The narrow footpaths, the tiny apartments, no seating in shopping centres, The smells coming from the sewerage as you pass a grate, the fact kids are not allowed to ride scooters in parks, or generally be allowed to be kids tells you all you need to know about HK
I love living in HK! The narrow footpaths, the tiny apartments, no seating in shopping centres, The smells coming from the sewerage as you pass a grate, the fact kids are not allowed to ride scooters in parks, or generally be allowed to be kids tells you all you need to know about HK
you take an umbrella if it rains, and it could, unlike in Dubai, where nothing grows.
I agree about the small apartments in Hong Kong, valid point.
the smells are… exotic
natrow alleyways? It’s called character.. not all planned out by an overpaid architect, organic.
Join Date: Apr 2004
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Instead of telling us how bad equipped HK shopping malls are, why not give some useful information, some genuine background on Dubai and EK? Days off, how many consecutive, ID flights on days off, when you have to be back, total hours etc. And again, what do you do on a day off during half of the year when you basically can't go outside?
PS my flat is not small, my son drives his scooter to school and when my kids want to go to Disney I send them with my helper. They love it, I hate it, perfect. Public transport in HK is excellent. And I think I can make a comparison, I was gridlocked on Sheik Zahed in a taxi many times and I also have had the pleasure to use the MTR in Dubai, so maybe be a bit careful starting a discussion about smell.Plus the stations are not well connected, you still walk for miles, often in the heat.
PS my flat is not small, my son drives his scooter to school and when my kids want to go to Disney I send them with my helper. They love it, I hate it, perfect. Public transport in HK is excellent. And I think I can make a comparison, I was gridlocked on Sheik Zahed in a taxi many times and I also have had the pleasure to use the MTR in Dubai, so maybe be a bit careful starting a discussion about smell.Plus the stations are not well connected, you still walk for miles, often in the heat.
Last edited by corporal klinger; 25th Jun 2023 at 23:40.
Join Date: May 2014
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This lad is definitely new to EX and Dubai. I’d say start date 6-12 months ago. Still in the honeymoon phase, when the sex is still good. Although…he seems to be spending lots of time sitting around shopping malls. Happy wife, happy life, perhaps?
Call us back in 5 years time and let us know how amazing it still is.
Call us back in 5 years time and let us know how amazing it still is.
Join Date: Jul 2022
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You can compare EK and CX, I know it is part of the package but you can’t really compare the two city if anything it is personal. I would take HK any day for example. Having said that the impression is that EK is the same **** but better paid so fair enough to the boys and girls who joined from cx.
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Better paid? EK would be a paycut for me ( CN 3). Plus a fair comparison needs to include block hours and days off..
Cos 18 sucks, but at least for me the answer is going home rather than to a different plantation.
Cos 18 sucks, but at least for me the answer is going home rather than to a different plantation.
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I am sure it is true, everybody has his own circumstances. Imagine being a FO with 3 young kids, different story.
Join Date: Apr 2006
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Precisely. Horses for courses.
Neither is or ever will be home for an expat, so it depends on individual circumstances. T&Cs used to be immeasurably better in HK (B scale with housing and schooling), now that they’ve taken a blowtorch to those, probably a better package in EK, although you will work harder.
Do your due diligence, work out what’s best for you and your family (possibly neither place) and… “live and let live”.
Neither is or ever will be home for an expat, so it depends on individual circumstances. T&Cs used to be immeasurably better in HK (B scale with housing and schooling), now that they’ve taken a blowtorch to those, probably a better package in EK, although you will work harder.
Do your due diligence, work out what’s best for you and your family (possibly neither place) and… “live and let live”.
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I average 70-75 hours a month. Mostly Europe trips which are 7ish hours on average, 24 hours off and back. If it’s a morning start then it’s a 2 day trip of daytime flights, otherwise day out, night return which touches on 3 days. Easy stuff. One long haul a month crediting 28-32 hours. 42 days leave.
Working harder is the reputation, but not my experience. Far from it. Perhaps compared to a legacy home carrier, but not compared to CX. We must recognise that expat jobs are more productive. I am far better rested and less fatigued than I was at CX. Of course it is tiring to a degree, you’d be naive to expect otherwise.
Days off is 3-6 between trips. Only ID restriction is 2 local nights before a long haul if unacclimatised. ID travel is a different level in terms of the system and experience, and much much easier to get on. Live leave has allowed me to drop trips frequently.
I make slightly less than what I made as a COS08 SFO, very slightly more after HK tax. I have much more left at the end of the month. 12.5% pfund. Health insurance on a different planet to the CX ‘offering’. As is schooling.
As for Dubai, personal opinion but there is literally nothing I miss about HK other than friends, although all but a couple have left. If you think there’s nothing to do then that says more about you. The summer bears the same outcome as the dreadful, humid and thundery one. You stay under covers, which is a lot easier and more pleasant in Dubai. Restaurants, bars, services and recreational facilities are leaps ahead. Facilities are generally new and shiny and nice. The standard of consumer offering is significantly higher in terms of grocery shopping, deliveries, dining out. No risk of being sold rat in a package saying pork. People don’t spit everywhere and slash on the pavement. I’m not hated by the general populace. I don’t have to use public transport, which is certainly very good in HK. I get chauffeured to and from work and I have a car.
I and many others have purchased property. Nice apartments or houses for which the company provide a fair allowance for. Whether you want a big villa for your family or an apartment in a prime area, you have many options. This is absolute pipe dream stuff in HK. It’s ARAPA-esque paying down properties in half the mortgage term if you’re wise about it. Or just allowing you and your family to live somewhere you’re happy to call home.
Work environment is far better. None of the toxicity of CX. Great rapport with the CC, and it all makes for a far more pleasant flight deck environment.
As I said, there’s no comparison. Perfect? No. Far better? Yes.
Working harder is the reputation, but not my experience. Far from it. Perhaps compared to a legacy home carrier, but not compared to CX. We must recognise that expat jobs are more productive. I am far better rested and less fatigued than I was at CX. Of course it is tiring to a degree, you’d be naive to expect otherwise.
Days off is 3-6 between trips. Only ID restriction is 2 local nights before a long haul if unacclimatised. ID travel is a different level in terms of the system and experience, and much much easier to get on. Live leave has allowed me to drop trips frequently.
I make slightly less than what I made as a COS08 SFO, very slightly more after HK tax. I have much more left at the end of the month. 12.5% pfund. Health insurance on a different planet to the CX ‘offering’. As is schooling.
As for Dubai, personal opinion but there is literally nothing I miss about HK other than friends, although all but a couple have left. If you think there’s nothing to do then that says more about you. The summer bears the same outcome as the dreadful, humid and thundery one. You stay under covers, which is a lot easier and more pleasant in Dubai. Restaurants, bars, services and recreational facilities are leaps ahead. Facilities are generally new and shiny and nice. The standard of consumer offering is significantly higher in terms of grocery shopping, deliveries, dining out. No risk of being sold rat in a package saying pork. People don’t spit everywhere and slash on the pavement. I’m not hated by the general populace. I don’t have to use public transport, which is certainly very good in HK. I get chauffeured to and from work and I have a car.
I and many others have purchased property. Nice apartments or houses for which the company provide a fair allowance for. Whether you want a big villa for your family or an apartment in a prime area, you have many options. This is absolute pipe dream stuff in HK. It’s ARAPA-esque paying down properties in half the mortgage term if you’re wise about it. Or just allowing you and your family to live somewhere you’re happy to call home.
Work environment is far better. None of the toxicity of CX. Great rapport with the CC, and it all makes for a far more pleasant flight deck environment.
As I said, there’s no comparison. Perfect? No. Far better? Yes.
Last edited by Dingleberry Handpump; 26th Jun 2023 at 09:59.