Conditions for cadets
 

Looking to find some information on the existing conditions for new SOs who have come from the cadet program. I understand the pilot allowance plus some of the salary is deducted for a number of years to repay training costs? Can anyone clarify the details?

I also assume the $546,000 paid to cadets is deducted for training in the time at Polyu and FTA or AG?

apologies for coming to this forum rather than wannabes, felt the knowledge might be slightly superior here.

Whatever the deal is that they tell you will be valid for about 5 minutes. It will then get changed in a way that costs you more money or time.

The “handbook” (formally known as a contract) has been getting amended almost weekly. You find out in a footnote on the weekly newsletter.

It’s so ridiculous that it’s actually funny.

I also read somewhere that there is a reduction to MPF contributions or something? Not sure of the veracity or details of that either.

All information and contacts needed to answer your questions are on the website - be pro active and ask those at the airline who have the information that you need.
You are much more likely to accurate information from that as most on here have an axe to grind although you may find someone who will assist.
I regret that my information is too out of date to assist.

no axe to grind, simply an understanding that living on cos18 which is constantly changeable in HK is untenable, even for a cadet pilot. There is a reason close to 1300 crew have disappeared off the seniority list in the past 2 years. I would suggest speaking to some of these people about what the conditions are like and why they left ( which by the way extend long beyond covid measures) not the ones who have stayed who have done 5-10 closed loops, are happy to sit for hours doing covid tests or didn’t see their families for months if not years all to help a company which refused to help and remunerate them appropriately.

Haha that’s a good one! Most of the information being given here is very much more accurate than what you’d get from someone in the company whose position requires them to drink and spread the cool aid.

The people defending CX on here must either be in management or they are former A or B scalers who are minted and don’t really need the money anymore. That’s a fact!

COS18 for a SO is possible only as Cup Noodle Crew. You'll be shaked up in a tiny shoebox and just waiting that long 5-6 years for your FO upgrade just so you can get 1000hrs on the seat and leave to EY/EK/QR/whatever other expat job that will be better even with deteriorating conditions.

Just remember, SO time at CX is worthless to most other airlines. If Taiwan/China decide to "integrate" the HK game is over for good.

A cadet by definition surely is 0 hours... So imagine being 20 years old and have completed your training, first job (and maybe your entire career) is with CX. Yes the salary isn't great at starting (actually whom I kidding, its very good! you're a cadet!) but blow my nuts I earned less than a store worker in my first job, and it wasn't flying 777's etc. If I could wind back to when I finished my training almost 30 years ago I should have applied.

If you're a cadet and thinking of applying, do it! There are almost no airlines in the world that will hire someone with 0 hours. You will learn so much and in 5-6 years when you're a first officer then that's great, and you can now start putting those real hours in the logbook and earning good cash.

Most cadets live at home with their parents anyway, so you'll be saving everything. And $500k isn't anything to turn your nose up at.

The monthly allowance is deducted for the first 3 years to cover approx. half of the training cost. No reduction to basic salary so take home is about $32,000 p/m. Productivity pay depends on fleet but not sure any recent cadets are reaching their minimum hours anyway. Assuming a full schedule the productivity pay would add another ~$20,000 p/m onto the basic

Hello, I’m wondering what living conditions on the RMS Titanic are like? Are the rooms comfortable? There seems to be a lot of vacancies with so many people boarding the lifeboats, so I’m thinking of packing up all my belongings and hopping aboard now that the bow is at the same level as my dinghy. They’ve even rolled out a band to welcome me aboard 😬

Side question: What do you do with the flag carrier of a country when that country ceases to exists??

De facto flag carrier at that.

Exactly this^

Thank you for the info! Could I also ask you, if a cadet failed ground school or flight training, will CX require the individual to pay back half of the training cost?

That will be up to the company to decide but most cadets who failed training werent required to do so

Thank you! It is so funny, the Talent Acquisition Team is supposed to respond enquires from prospective applicants, instead, we have to come here and ask for help, it almost feels like they do not want to be bothered with any questions from anyone. It is such as turn off.

THAT's the turnoff?

Wow. I could think of about a thousand other reasons to look elsewhere.

Talent Acquisition Team. Only someone ensconced in an Orwellian bubble could come up with this.

That should be the Talent and Wannabe Acquisition Team…

1300 and rapidly expanding at 1-2 pilots a day!

It’s a worry when you can’t even re activate 10-20% of your pilots who haven’t flown in 3 years.

Forgive me for asking but what’s the issue here? Many companies now have it’s own Talent Acquisition Department such as PwC, KPMG, Bloomberg etc..So I don’t really have a problem with it. Rather, I have problems with them being unresponsive.