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HES1998 20th Mar 2023 07:37

DEFO Interview
 
Hi,

Anyone able to share some recent interview feedback with Cathay ?

SabrinaSenior 20th Mar 2023 18:17


Originally Posted by HES1998 (Post 11405246)
Hi,

Anyone able to share some recent interview feedback with Cathay ?

q1: do you have a pulse?
q2: can you warm a seat?
q3: welcome to Cathay Pacific.

Babyjet_dododo 21st Mar 2023 04:52


Originally Posted by HES1998 (Post 11405246)
Hi,

Anyone able to share some recent interview feedback with Cathay ?

I don’t want to discourage you from taking the job, but I think you might need a bit of a reality check.

Yes, CX is an excellent gateway to get experience in wide body jets but is it really worth the crap they throw at you? If you have been following this forum, I’ll summarise what you should expect for you and your family:

Pay - Enough to Survive but not enough to enjoy life and take holidays. After paying taxes, school fees, groceries, utilities etc…. You will not be saving any money

Taxes - You’ll have to save to pay the IRD approximately 15% of your total income, this includes approx 15% of the school allowance and pilot allowance.

Schooling - Apart from the initial $5,000 per month, per child. If the schooling is more (which is guaranteed) they’ll happily give you another $3300 per month, provided you furnish a receipt and be paid in arrears. Oh, and that is taxed as well. Expect school fees to run you about $12,000 per month.

Accommodation - Welcome to Lantau Island! For what an FO1 can afford, You can live in a cockroach infested 700 sqft apartment (rooms no bigger that a jail cell) with a ****ty landlord that doesn’t fix anything and wants you, at the end of your lease to return the apartment in better condition than when you took possession. The silver lining is, you can choose one of 3 location, Discovery Bay, Tung Chung or South Lantau.

Medical - Apart from the abysmal private coverage (very low limits) and the conditions that come with it (I.e no private hospital coverage between 6am-6pm), you will have no option but to attend a public hospital, which, have a habit of mis-diagnosis.

Did you fall and fracture a finger while at an outport on duty? The company will cover your medical costs. But they will deduct the “hypothetical” cost from your already low private medical coverage in HK. Yes they will use your medical in HK to recoup some of their expenses.


Gaisha 21st Mar 2023 06:32


Originally Posted by Babyjet_dododo (Post 11405781)
I don’t want to discourage you from taking the job, but I think you might need a bit of a reality check.

Yes, CX is an excellent gateway to get experience in wide body jets but is it really worth the crap they throw at you? If you have been following this forum, I’ll summarise what you should expect for you and your family:

Pay - Enough to Survive but not enough to enjoy life and take holidays. After paying taxes, school fees, groceries, utilities etc…. You will not be saving any money

Taxes - You’ll have to save to pay the IRD approximately 15% of your total income, this includes approx 15% of the school allowance and pilot allowance.

Schooling - Apart from the initial $5,000 per month, per child. If the schooling is more (which is guaranteed) they’ll happily give you another $3300 per month, provided you furnish a receipt and be paid in arrears. Oh, and that is taxed as well. Expect school fees to run you about $12,000 per month.

Accommodation - Welcome to Lantau Island! For what an FO1 can afford, You can live in a cockroach infested 700 sqft apartment (rooms no bigger that a jail cell) with a ****ty landlord that doesn’t fix anything and wants you, at the end of your lease to return the apartment in better condition than when you took possession. The silver lining is, you can choose one of 3 location, Discovery Bay, Tung Chung or South Lantau.

Medical - Apart from the abysmal private coverage (very low limits) and the conditions that come with it (I.e no private hospital coverage between 6am-6pm), you will have no option but to attend a public hospital, which, have a habit of mis-diagnosis.

Did you fall and fracture a finger while at an outport on duty? The company will cover your medical costs. But they will deduct the “hypothetical” cost from your already low private medical coverage in HK. Yes they will use your medical in HK to recoup some of their expenses.


this is accurate. The terms have eroded so far from what they were that you have to be desperate to take this job. Once the novelty wears off of working for what once was an amazing legacy airline … reality sets in and bites hard. COS18 is a single persons contract … if you plan coming with a family ( or a wife that doesn’t work) , you’ll find it very hard to manage. The SO’s are the worst off … been sitting around 6 years with nowhere else to go.. and pushed back further with desperate DEFO’s joining.

nicoli 21st Mar 2023 08:28

I get the frustration and annoyance that the salary got drastically reduced,

but :

- where are you guys coming from complaining about paying taxes ? And 15% is relatively low worldwide

- Where are you going on holidays ? 5 stars palace in Bali ?

- How old are you to have your partner idling at home ? In 2023 it’s kinda normal that both have steady job

- You can’t complain about paying tax and getting a limited medical coverage otherwise France is the exemple to follow with 40% tax rate

BuzzBox 21st Mar 2023 08:29


Originally Posted by Babyjet_dododo (Post 11405781)
Taxes - You’ll have to save to pay the IRD approximately 15% of your total income, this includes approx 15% of the school allowance and pilot allowance.

Bear in mind that you'll have to pay double that for the first year, because you will be charged tax on the amount you have earned, plus the same again in provisional tax for the following year. And there's no PAYG tax, so you need to put some aside each month to pay for the tax bill when it eventually arrives. If you don't have enough to pay the bill, you'll need to arrange a tax loan from one of the banks.

RAT Management 21st Mar 2023 09:43


Originally Posted by BuzzBox (Post 11405854)
Bear in mind that you'll have to pay double that for the first year, because you will be charged tax on the amount you have earned, plus the same again in provisional tax for the following year. And there's no PAYG tax, so you need to put some aside each month to pay for the tax bill when it eventually arrives. If you don't have enough to pay the bill, you'll need to arrange a tax loan from one of the banks.

Public finance bank calls me all the time if I need money? So getting a loan is really easy. Come on over. The more the merrier!

Babyjet_dododo 21st Mar 2023 09:44


Originally Posted by nicoli (Post 11405852)
I get the frustration and annoyance that the salary got drastically reduced,

but :

- where are you guys coming from complaining about paying taxes ? And 15% is relatively low worldwide

- Where are you going on holidays ? 5 stars palace in Bali ?

- How old are you to have your partner idling at home ? In 2023 it’s kinda normal that both have steady job

- You can’t complain about paying tax and getting a limited medical coverage otherwise France is the exemple to follow with 40% tax rate

15% is low comparatively to other states, but that is usually offset by the cost of living in HK. For example a 3 bedroom 700sq ft apartment will set you back about $3000USD, the short fall in education as well is about $500 USD per month per child. And this is for an average international school. Also, you’ll need to cover extra curricular activities for the kids.

Partners - Unless they are specialised in a certain skill set (teacher, the medical field, CPA, finance etc) they will struggle to find employment in HK, as most jobs now require you to fluent in Mandarin/Canto.

Company provided medical coverage is very low with multiple caveats and Medical costs in HK are astronomical. The public system, as I said, often mis-diagnose symptoms so chances are a person is not getting proper treatment, you will NEED extra coverage for a family of four, that’ll run you about $250 USD a month to get adequate cover.

The take home pay is $9000 USD gross for a FO1, so let’s do the maths for a family of four.

Tax* - $1350 USD per month
*Company currently paying a crew’s US tax if you operate in US airspace but they can change this policy at anytime, and they will require you to pay your own US taxes

Accommodation - $3000 USD per month

Utilities- $300 USD per month

Groceries- $1500 USD a month (and that is on the low end)

Transport - $100 USD a month

Medical coverage - $250 USD a month

Schooling - $1000 USD a month

School Bus - $160 per child per month

Extra Curricular - $700 per month (2 activities per child).

Total: $8520 USD

Total savings is: $480 USD per month

This is not an exaggeration of the costs. It’s the reality of living in HK

Maybe if you save for a year without any unexpected expenses, you might have enough money to holiday somewhere like Japan for 5 nights.

There is a website that compares the cost of living in France to HK.

Here is a summary from a website that compares living expenses:

”Consumer Prices in Hong Kong are 1.3% lower than in Paris(without rent)
Consumer Prices Including Rent in Hong Kong are 16.5%higher than in Paris
Rent Prices in Hong Kong are 50.7% higher than in Paris
Restaurant Prices in Hong Kong are 24.3% lower than in Paris
Groceries Prices in Hong Kong are 7.2% higher than in Paris”





Dingleberry Handpump 21st Mar 2023 10:45

Assuming you meet both airlines’ criteria; anyone who chooses CX over EK, frankly, needs to have their medical revoked.

Backupnav 21st Mar 2023 11:11

HES1998
Do not listen too much what people are saying on here. I mean, yes, do read, but also do your homework and own research.
I loved my time in HK and with CX. I moved on a while ago now, but gosh, had I read what people were saying 12 years ago, I would have never joined, and made a big mistake. Granted, the flying is not the most exciting (I hope you do not mind losing a few nights sleep every month starring at a dark windscreen). Taxes are low. Full stop. Yes, it is high compared to... the sand box. wow, great comparison! :rolleyes: Some people really need a reality check and see what happens elsewhere. Education is expensive, but the company will help you out. You will be making a lot of money with CX, and if you are not the biggest spender in town and you have a tad of wisdom (which I would expect since you are in this field of work), you will be saving quite a bit too. HK is a vibrant city. True, it has changed, but what has not? Live your life, enjoy the ride.

Babyjet_dododo 21st Mar 2023 12:47


Originally Posted by Backupnav (Post 11405938)
HES1998
Do not listen too much what people are saying on here. I mean, yes, do read, but also do your homework and own research.
I loved my time in HK and with CX. I moved on a while ago now, but gosh, had I read what people were saying 12 years ago, I would have never joined, and made a big mistake. Granted, the flying is not the most exciting (I hope you do not mind losing a few nights sleep every month starring at a dark windscreen). Taxes are low. Full stop. Yes, it is high compared to... the sand box. wow, great comparison! :rolleyes: Some people really need a reality check and see what happens elsewhere. Education is expensive, but the company will help you out. You will be making a lot of money with CX, and if you are not the biggest spender in town and you have a tad of wisdom (which I would expect since you are in this field of work), you will be saving quite a bit too. HK is a vibrant city. True, it has changed, but what has not? Live your life, enjoy the ride.

Hmmmmm… If working under cos18 was as good as you like to put it, we would not have lost 000’s of pilots. Go speak to the most frugal of spenders, they couldn’t save as well and moved on.

magenta magnet 21st Mar 2023 13:13

Total savings is: $480 USD per month

Family of 4 surely has to have the wife working, in any country she would be working to supplement the husbands income.
On the low ball scale lets say she brings in $2,000pm.

1) With wife working a low income job, family now saving $2,480pm (that's excellent and well above most people)

2) Single chap would also save more than +$2,500pm (again excellent and well above most)

Of course we all want more money and would love to jump ship because we see other peoples Instagram posts on how wonderful their life is, but it's really never greener on the other side, it's all a lie. And with regards to Emiratres, my gosh I would rather pull my toe nails out than live in a hot dusty desert with an axe over your head if you make a mistake (HK is no where near as bad as the Arabian peninsular is) HK is seriously fun, yes times change and it was always better in the old n days. The 80's and 90's were great, it's different now but still amazing and fun.

PS: Don't ever get involved with company politics, all companies are run by cesspool management, EK is no different.

pill 22nd Mar 2023 00:04

Yes, but do you move to another mans country to just keep your head above water? We used to join cx to get ahead.

Sea Eggs 22nd Mar 2023 00:34

Can someone please post the salary of a Delta wide-body captain?

cxflog 22nd Mar 2023 03:28


Originally Posted by Sea Eggs (Post 11406288)
Can someone please post the salary of a Delta wide-body captain?

No point as anyone joining CX right now wouldn’t have the right to employment in the US, otherwise that’s where they’d be.

Air Profit 22nd Mar 2023 13:09

About $450 k. Upwards of $750 k possible

Zi Peng 22nd Mar 2023 13:25

Not worth it but then depends on the options available. Defo not a career airline anymore. I made a bit of money on cos 08 as an FO, not anymore and it is a fact. Your wife must work and must have a decent job in a western environment or she will be working like a slave 7 days leave per year. For minimum pay. HK is one of the most expensive city in the world so that 9000 US are not the same 9000 US as in Texas.

HoldenCaufield 23rd Mar 2023 08:29


Originally Posted by Backupnav (Post 11405938)
HES1998
Do not listen too much what people are saying on here. I mean, yes, do read, but also do your homework and own research.
I loved my time in HK and with CX. I moved on a while ago now, but gosh, had I read what people were saying 12 years ago, I would have never joined, and made a big mistake. Granted, the flying is not the most exciting (I hope you do not mind losing a few nights sleep every month starring at a dark windscreen). Taxes are low. Full stop. Yes, it is high compared to... the sand box. wow, great comparison! :rolleyes: Some people really need a reality check and see what happens elsewhere. Education is expensive, but the company will help you out. You will be making a lot of money with CX, and if you are not the biggest spender in town and you have a tad of wisdom (which I would expect since you are in this field of work), you will be saving quite a bit too. HK is a vibrant city. True, it has changed, but what has not? Live your life, enjoy the ride.

When was ‘a while ago now’? Is it the 80’s or the 90’s you are waxing lyrical about.

ZootBoot 23rd Mar 2023 08:45


Originally Posted by magenta magnet (Post 11406010)
Family of 4 surely has to have the wife working, in any country she would be working to supplement the husbands income.
On the low ball scale lets say she brings in $2,000pm.
nt.

Lowball? Cabin crew earn half of this per month.

Your wife could potentially earn this much per month, but her Onlyfans would need a steady and established following prior to coming to HK. I wouldn't rely on trying to 'build her subscription base' after you get here or you will just go backwards.

Rie 23rd Mar 2023 17:05


Originally Posted by ZootBoot (Post 11407105)
Lowball? Cabin crew earn half of this per month.

Your wife could potentially earn this much per month, but her Onlyfans would need a steady and established following prior to coming to HK. I wouldn't rely on trying to 'build her subscription base' after you get here or you will just go backwards.

I believe we used to have an SO that was well versed in the adult industry. Too bad he isn’t around anymore as he would have been able to give out some pointers.


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