When will CX restart hiring DESO?
 

Does anyone have any idea whether Cathay will be recruiting DESO anytime soon, especially for expats?
I would like to hear the opinion from the inside.

No idea. I heard there's a big training backlog with SO's currently. And company biasing upgrades towards locals hoping they will hang around longer. Fairness not really a thing here. You won't win a raffle if you don't buy a ticket. We used to think of it as winning Lotto, now more like winning a meat tray.

more like a turd full of maggots

Rumour has it SO positions now are exclusively for locals, apparently it’s govt policy? Dunno how true?

They still haven’t rehired the SO expats they tossed away in 2020, so I doubt they’ll be looking for DESO’s anytime soon.

Can you tell me where you got that rumor from bro?

When Swire annihilated Dragonair, all of the pilots there lost their jobs. In response, HK Gov stopped issuing visas to expats as there were now qualified and very experienced people in HK who were unemployed. This extended to work visas not being renewed for some expat SOs who had been with CX for several years. There was mediation between gov and CX and the end result at this point in time is, SOs are hired locally as cadets and expats can only apply as DEFOs as that is where the airline has the skills shortage.

Unfortunately CX lost lots of its experienced FOs to the USA when McDonalds reopened its Trainee Manager program which offers better pay and conditions. Because they had experience working for clowns they were fast-tracked.

You forget our brothers and sisters in the North.
Apparently CX is now taking on Chinese Nationals for the icadet scheme.
Some thing that would have never happened back in the days.
Check out the new requirement.
Boom.

What could possibly go wrong with putting a local and a mainland Chinese in the same cockpit.

How stupid can you be.

No. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that. They can hire whoever they want however they want. It just tells you where the company is headed to, since we are touching on the topic of DESO.

Strange that when people come looking for work in our countries they are ‘immigrants’, but when we do the same we’re ‘expats’…

Won't be surprised if the mainland cadets start bribing their way through the ICAO english tests.. those guys can get creative when it comes to cheating

When will CX restart hiring DESO?

Sometime after they finish hiring as many former CX DEC as they can from the last job ad.

Based on the package offered, that might not be too long!

Rumor also has it that CX is pushing for single pilot operation. With ChatGPT/AI on trend, I think it's possible in not so near future.

you obv haven’t come face to face with the number of CAD approved ICAO English raters here whose numbers can be counted on one hand not including the thumb and fvvk you finger… one Rottweiler, one v sharp seen it all, and one company staffed by ex KA.
lotsa luck with the bribes

The now ex KA FO's company used to run a pretty good racket, had many of the HKA and UO guys going through there getting English levels well beyond their unintelligible speech.

ARHAHAHAHHA... Lovely... Lovely....

Was that the same company that gave several native English speakers level 5 becasue the non-native speaking person doing the test couldn't understand them properly?

Possibly the same outfit. I re-tested a New Zealand guy in HKG who had been given a 5 by some outfit there and he was obviously a 6 within ten seconds of talking to him.

I'm still not sure how old sexty sex is however :}

Heard the rumours of the FO trying this on people. I’m under the impression it was more of a threat though. He would lose his accreditation pretty quickly if it was real.

I remember the Ex-English competency facilitator, he gave me a four when joining, although my overseas licence (from an English speaking country was level 6).

He would tell cabin crew they failed and give them a card for an English course, which he got commission for every person that enrolled.

So it is really about extracting more money from candidates who want a level 4 and above. Disgusting.

that was many years ago
that dude was given the boot pronto when his scam was uncovered

If you are talking about FO upgrades then this has zero truth.

Agree. Total nonsense.

Are there any updates on potential DESO hiring? Have any of the laid off guys been recalled or does Cathay intend for SO positions to be filled solely by cadets going forward? I was reading this article and it wrote that: Sounds a lot like the DESO transition training course that I was supposed to start in Adelaide before Covid came in and upended everyone's lives, but maybe it's only for locals/mainlanders who did their training elsewhere? Feel free to PM me instead.

Unlikely it will start anytime soon. A few advanced entry cadets taken on recently and currently doing their ATPLs (all permanent HK residents) but massive backlog of cadets waiting to start type ratings (those who finished in Adelaide over covid).

Priority is being given to rated DEFOs as they require less sim time and sectors to get on the line. DESO training footprint is fairly large so hiring unlikely to start until the backlog is cleared.

In the 2-3 years you'd wait to get a call you could easily get a job in the States/Canada, gain hours, realise the SO life isn't exactly great and find yourself as a FO at Atlas, Delta, Spirit or anyone else. All on better money and Union protected positions... I know what I would be doing.

Good to know, thanks. Makes sense that DEFOs would be the priority. How massive of a cadet backlog are we talking here? Is hiring unlikely within the next year then?

You'll need one of those magic green cards or work permits, can't just click on "work in America" not as easy as that.

Not sure of exact numbers but would guess 100+

Unless training capacity increases significantly then I would say DESO hiring is pretty unlikely before 2024.

Cadets finishing Adelaide 2+ yrs ago’ haven’t started yet, they prefer locals as they don’t leave. If you are young, single and have no other options by all means apply; get you right seat, 500 hrs and off you go that could take some time though. I am a FO2 one kid and this month we didn’t go negative on our balance as I flew a lot and my wife worked hard as well, no special expenses. Do your research .

AFAIK a DESO friend of mine received an email expecting to be back after June.

Sorry how on earth are you going negative each month on an FO2 salary + wife working?
I hate to say this, but you must be living well beyond your means..

If you could break down your expenses each month it would more fair to others thinking about Cathay on this forum, then they could see what others are spending each month. :8

Magenta. There has been more than enough monthly expense breakdowns described on this website to clearly show you and anyone else interested that you will barely live a subsistence lifestyle working for CX. HK is effectively the worlds most expensive city. You can come to terms with the facts, or pretend you can defy gravity. Good luck.

E3 is available for Australians, O1 is available for everyone else. Can also get an immigration lawyer to get the EB-2 process going or throw the hat in the DV lottery. Not as hard as you make it sound :-)

Question answered thanks, "living well beyond your means"

We all want to earn a million dollars a month, fly 3 hours and live in a penthouse with a holiday yacht in the Bahamas... unfortunately Instagram isn't reality.
Almost every person, aviation or not just gets by right up until they retire, that is life. Yes it sucks but unless you start a successful company or live single as a neurosurgeon it is what it is.
Everybody wants to earn the big bucks but doesn't want to put in 20 years of hard work to get there to "start" earning good money.
We've all made mistakes with money, bought stupid things, invested in stupid ideas and p155ed it up way too many times.
Imagine if from 18 years old you invested diligently a few grand until you were 40-50, you'd be well off (but we never do it)

This family in question is living well beyond their means.

What point are you trying to make? You're just reinforcing that living within your means on the current COS leads to a lifestyle that many don't want. Sure you can live in 500 square feet with 2 kids, eat at the local hole in the wall and send your kids to the local Cantonese speaking school. No doubt for the local guys and gals it's still a reasonable gig but to bring the family from elsewhere it's a pretty big call. No doubt it will still work for some but at this point as an expat other options become preferable to many people. If you're willing to live in Hong Kong like that, more power to you, but don't get all judgy with people that would prefer not to nor with those that seek to outline the new reality for those considering the move.

Quick look at your posts and the threads you wrote in and it is quite clear you are some kind of management troll.

I said almost went negative, you will have basic salary only months due lack of flying, there will be a cancelled pattern or the occasional flu or the exceptional expense and then it will happen.
Covid costed me 85000 hkd in lost flying pay.
Can you plan your life ? Not easy to say the least.
It can be done, of course but leaving in a small flat you don’t like in an are you don’t like either, not going out much, eating local and so on and don’t have that second kid.
Western SOs ? Ideally young and single, come here and like I said get your rating, the hours you need and get out.
How long will that take ? I guess nobody knows at the moment.

I have nothing to do with management. I am making a simple observation that you are living well beyond your means. My wife and I have one child & live perfectly fine, sure we don't have a fleet of private cars and rolex watches but we don't live in the Instagram world. My child goes to a "foreign private school" and no not Harrow. We both live in a nice large-ish apartment and don't eat out of the dustbin. You cannot expect to live in a 5000 sqft2 apartment with a rooftop garden, a helper, with a stay at home wife who photographs herself 24/7 and lives her life on botox and crossfit. Maybe wait till you become a captain then she can venture down that path. This is HK, one of the most expensive cities in the world, but you choose where you want to live and how you want to live.

My wife and I both save "enough" each month, sure we don't have fancy overseas holidays in Bora Bora every single year and go to SKYE every weekend, but come on get real!

If you live modestly, save diligently and wait your turn until you climb the ladder to become a captain then you will have more than enough for retirement. If you try keep up with the Joneses you will fail and be broke.