Happy at Emirates?
Join Date: Apr 2008
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747-8 crewing
If Atlas ends up crewing B747-8s they are going to be required to go through Emirates "Advanced Intelligence Required" training program as the aircraft are going to have UAE registry thus requiring UAE licensing. Don't think there too many Atlas pilots that are going to put with the "teach yourself" training program at Emirates.
Join Date: Jul 2002
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Yup, good and bad points about living here. I won't repeat what most have already listed but as a Canadian who's been here for 4+ years now, I sure wish I had a decent option to go home to. Job is not too bad (no flying job is perfect right?) but Dubai sucks the life out of you. I have nothing good to say about this city except for the fact that there's no snow here.
I find it odd that people are still leaving stable jobs in Europe to come here. Flying shiny new widebodies around the world ain't all it's cracked up to be. I promise you, if I could go back to Canada to a decent paying and STABLE job, I would be out of here like greased lightning. Due to the pathetic state of affairs in Canadian aviation I doubt that's going to happen in my lifetime.
Bottom line is: if you are living at home and already have a decent paying, stable job, stay put. The grass is NOT greener on the other side. You will regret leaving home eventually, I promise you.
'Nuff said.
I find it odd that people are still leaving stable jobs in Europe to come here. Flying shiny new widebodies around the world ain't all it's cracked up to be. I promise you, if I could go back to Canada to a decent paying and STABLE job, I would be out of here like greased lightning. Due to the pathetic state of affairs in Canadian aviation I doubt that's going to happen in my lifetime.
Bottom line is: if you are living at home and already have a decent paying, stable job, stay put. The grass is NOT greener on the other side. You will regret leaving home eventually, I promise you.
'Nuff said.
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Post-Pit and Lovin' It.
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Best job I ever had.
People forget where they come from.
People forget where they come from.
Is this what we're reduced to? "As shi$$y as it is, it could always be worse?!"
The new recruiting motto!
Join Date: Nov 2003
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I used to....things have changed....I mean deteriorated....
Everybody will leave this place one day, some sooner, some later.
I find happiness with my family, friends...Not in the job or the city...
EK/Dubai, for most people I talk to, becomes the negative of your life....Give it time.
Sooner or later...
Everybody will leave this place one day, some sooner, some later.
I find happiness with my family, friends...Not in the job or the city...
EK/Dubai, for most people I talk to, becomes the negative of your life....Give it time.
Sooner or later...
Join Date: May 2007
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Well 7x7 - i'm sorry to admit, but it's me too - as my wife left me with kids behind and was headin' back to scandinavia after 3 years down here at the sandy &crappy place - well, luckily not totally, but she prefers livin´at a civilized place w/o outreageous racism & reckless drivers - fearin' for the worst!
Moreover, pilots don't like the country, the company, or.... both???
Join Date: Nov 2007
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We were told at the interview that 747-800 freighters were going to be crewed by Emirates pilots. And also that the 777 freighters maybe combined into to the 777 pax rosters.
Join Date: May 2005
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I had a chat with an acquaintance today who has been here for 12 years. I was commenting that I was thinking about leaving sometime in the future and he summed up things in one sentence. He said he would leave in a heartbeat except he did not want to go through the whole process and BS of joining a new company.
I thought about that for some time and came to the conclusion that in spite of my enjoyment of SOME of the attributes of Dubai and my annoyment with MOST of the attributes of Dubai......... and foremost being the continual decline of our T&C's , I too have that same obstacle deterring me from leaving. I just don't want to go through another change in my life.
This is dissapointing for me especially considering I have been a big supporter of EK in the past. If the company treated us well as professional pilots, I truly believe we could all overlook some of the huge negatives about Dubai. But in the past 3-5 years, it has been a two-pronged approach against us.
>>>>>>>>>>The city is clearly less desirable in which to live and the company is clearly less desirable for which to work>>>>>>>>
I am leaning towards a job with less money, hopefully better schedules but definitely in a better location. Avoiding the BS of Dubai by kite-surfing, golfing, scuba diving, dining out or whatever....... works for a while, but this place is sucking the life out of me.
I have no pride in my company. I only have pride in how well I can do my job. I save as much money as I can for this greedy company, I rarely call in sick, I do my best in other words ! And now I am questioning why.
Man, I hate feeling this way. There must be something better out there. Perhaps not, but if that is the case, then obviously this profession is a mess.
Ooops, time for the local brainwashing rant. Time to get off line and blast some AC/DC ! Glad my speakers are more powerful and my neighbours get a chuckle when they hear my music instead of the local rants.
I thought about that for some time and came to the conclusion that in spite of my enjoyment of SOME of the attributes of Dubai and my annoyment with MOST of the attributes of Dubai......... and foremost being the continual decline of our T&C's , I too have that same obstacle deterring me from leaving. I just don't want to go through another change in my life.
This is dissapointing for me especially considering I have been a big supporter of EK in the past. If the company treated us well as professional pilots, I truly believe we could all overlook some of the huge negatives about Dubai. But in the past 3-5 years, it has been a two-pronged approach against us.
>>>>>>>>>>The city is clearly less desirable in which to live and the company is clearly less desirable for which to work>>>>>>>>
I am leaning towards a job with less money, hopefully better schedules but definitely in a better location. Avoiding the BS of Dubai by kite-surfing, golfing, scuba diving, dining out or whatever....... works for a while, but this place is sucking the life out of me.
I have no pride in my company. I only have pride in how well I can do my job. I save as much money as I can for this greedy company, I rarely call in sick, I do my best in other words ! And now I am questioning why.
Man, I hate feeling this way. There must be something better out there. Perhaps not, but if that is the case, then obviously this profession is a mess.
Ooops, time for the local brainwashing rant. Time to get off line and blast some AC/DC ! Glad my speakers are more powerful and my neighbours get a chuckle when they hear my music instead of the local rants.
Join Date: Mar 2004
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"Dubai sucks the life out of you"
How many times I've heard this. And so true. I've seen once cheerful people reduced to physical violence by the environment. Relationships flounder, kids go astray, values are lost, financial objectives crumble in this dog eat dog environment.
The financial benefits are highly debateable but the emotional degradation is guaranteed!
How many times I've heard this. And so true. I've seen once cheerful people reduced to physical violence by the environment. Relationships flounder, kids go astray, values are lost, financial objectives crumble in this dog eat dog environment.
The financial benefits are highly debateable but the emotional degradation is guaranteed!
Join Date: Aug 2001
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As a current an RJ captain in the states making about 70,000 USD per year, do you gentlemen think I would be misguided to consider employment at Emirates? I am generally happy with my job here (based in my hometown) but am gravely concerned about the future.
I am nervous because my regional airline is being threatened by its mainline partner with being "phased out" in favor of cheaper operators. Mergers and buyouts are on the horizon, and the economic of RJ's are looking less and less appealing with the current cost of fuel. My company has already put out a bid for voluntary leaves of abscences, no aircraft orders on horizon, and things are generally looking very bleak.
There are very few job opportunites for pilots in the states right now, and if my airline does close its doors, I will likely be hard pressed to find work. I have about 3700 total flight hours and 950 jet command time. Would EK even consider me with such little experience? I have filled out the online application and am on the verge of hitting 'submit'.
I am 25, single, and even if it turns out after 5 years or so that EK is not for me at the least the widebody experience will look good on the resume. The compensation as an EK FO would be about the same as my RJ Captain pay in the states maybe a slight increase when you consider the lack of taxes in dubai. Thoughts?
I am nervous because my regional airline is being threatened by its mainline partner with being "phased out" in favor of cheaper operators. Mergers and buyouts are on the horizon, and the economic of RJ's are looking less and less appealing with the current cost of fuel. My company has already put out a bid for voluntary leaves of abscences, no aircraft orders on horizon, and things are generally looking very bleak.
There are very few job opportunites for pilots in the states right now, and if my airline does close its doors, I will likely be hard pressed to find work. I have about 3700 total flight hours and 950 jet command time. Would EK even consider me with such little experience? I have filled out the online application and am on the verge of hitting 'submit'.
I am 25, single, and even if it turns out after 5 years or so that EK is not for me at the least the widebody experience will look good on the resume. The compensation as an EK FO would be about the same as my RJ Captain pay in the states maybe a slight increase when you consider the lack of taxes in dubai. Thoughts?
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: Ethiopia for 20 & Orlando for 10
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I am happy..
As mentioned before in many post, this is where the whinners go. If they aren't happy here they probably want be happy anywhere. Instead of coming on here and complaining, go work on your CV and leave, it would make everyone else here happy. There are alot of happy people here, so the best advice I have is to come see for yourself. Good luck on the interview.
Join Date: Sep 2005
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What a load of dog's balls to say that here is where the "whinners" (whiners? whingers? winners?) post. Believe it or not, most people would just like those considering joining to have access to something they did not when they joined....the truth.
"A lot of happy people" in Dubai and Emirates? In my experience, totally untrue. There are many, many people who have accepted their lot for the short-term - the shortest they can manage - but that's hardly "happiness". What you call happy is usually people rationalizing their decision to themselves and those around them. We all do what we have to survive, and telling ourselves and those around us that things are great, the emperor really has clothes, Dubai is actually a real city, and on and on...it may help with coping, but it doesn't make it true.
But then what about Dubai and Emirates bears any resemblance to the truth? It's like a movie set, a cardboard cutout false-front name-brand paradise. Glitzy PR machine, no substance.
Two colleagues of mine are leaving soon. One of them, I always took to be quite happy here, always positive on the surface and cheerful. But he confided in me privately that in truth, he has hated being here for quite some time and desperate to leave. Being a normally positive person and for the sake of his family, he suppressed his true opinions. Thankfully for him, he made a plan for his exit strategy and executed it. Makes me wonder how many others are in a similar state, that "quiet desperation"? Perhaps sometimes we don't even know how much our current situation is affecting us until leaving is a real plan, not just an abstract concept.
Interesting times!
"A lot of happy people" in Dubai and Emirates? In my experience, totally untrue. There are many, many people who have accepted their lot for the short-term - the shortest they can manage - but that's hardly "happiness". What you call happy is usually people rationalizing their decision to themselves and those around them. We all do what we have to survive, and telling ourselves and those around us that things are great, the emperor really has clothes, Dubai is actually a real city, and on and on...it may help with coping, but it doesn't make it true.
But then what about Dubai and Emirates bears any resemblance to the truth? It's like a movie set, a cardboard cutout false-front name-brand paradise. Glitzy PR machine, no substance.
Two colleagues of mine are leaving soon. One of them, I always took to be quite happy here, always positive on the surface and cheerful. But he confided in me privately that in truth, he has hated being here for quite some time and desperate to leave. Being a normally positive person and for the sake of his family, he suppressed his true opinions. Thankfully for him, he made a plan for his exit strategy and executed it. Makes me wonder how many others are in a similar state, that "quiet desperation"? Perhaps sometimes we don't even know how much our current situation is affecting us until leaving is a real plan, not just an abstract concept.
Interesting times!
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Singapore
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I love it here!!! Emirates and Dubai
It all depends on what you are used to. It is getting very expensive here, but we can still do everything we want. In my opinion the schedules are not bad, I used to work much harder. If your family is happy here you will be happy that is the most important thing. I once flew with a captain, he did not complain at all. I thought he was happy at EK so I asked him. He said “I hate Emirates, but my family loves Dubai and that makes me happy at work.”
So if you are married, make sure she is the one to make the move, and you can deal with any crap the company sends you.
It all depends on what you are used to. It is getting very expensive here, but we can still do everything we want. In my opinion the schedules are not bad, I used to work much harder. If your family is happy here you will be happy that is the most important thing. I once flew with a captain, he did not complain at all. I thought he was happy at EK so I asked him. He said “I hate Emirates, but my family loves Dubai and that makes me happy at work.”
So if you are married, make sure she is the one to make the move, and you can deal with any crap the company sends you.
Join Date: Aug 2001
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Would my age be hed against me if I had the opportunity to upgrade at EK before I turned 30? Since it's done out of seniority order with an "interview" type of procedure, Is it possible that I would be held in the right seat indefinitely due to an arbitrary thing like "not being old enough".
I don't mean to get ahead of myself, I don't even have an interview much less an offer of employment, but I've heard the good about EK now I'm trying to educate myself on the bad.
I don't mean to get ahead of myself, I don't even have an interview much less an offer of employment, but I've heard the good about EK now I'm trying to educate myself on the bad.
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: UAE
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Alchemy,
No your age wouldn't be a problem whatsoever. Given where you are professionally, EK represents a significant step up and a great opportunity to get some good international exposure. Given your age, you really have very little to lose by coming over for a few years and getting to the left seat of a 330 or 777. That's pretty much impossible in the US given the state of the industry there now. Once you do that it should be pretty easy to move on if you decide that EK isn't for you.
No your age wouldn't be a problem whatsoever. Given where you are professionally, EK represents a significant step up and a great opportunity to get some good international exposure. Given your age, you really have very little to lose by coming over for a few years and getting to the left seat of a 330 or 777. That's pretty much impossible in the US given the state of the industry there now. Once you do that it should be pretty easy to move on if you decide that EK isn't for you.
Join Date: Dec 2006
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Hello Coldwing, in Dubai, there is no racism in the sense of the regular definition of the word (you know, whites hating blacks or browns and vice-versa).
There is, in my view, some discrimination based on country of origin, religion, and social status. Usually, but not always, Arabs in general have a better treatment in everything. Obviously, the government tries to show otherwise. Also, generally, Brits and rich Indians have a bigger size of the pie as well.
Again, this the view I have formed after being here for seventeen years.
Most of the pilots coming from more "civilized" parts of the world, dislike the city, the driving standards, the culture, and the unbearable heat.
Most dislike the company as a whole. The harsh flight scheduling, the lack of representation from the pilot's group before the management, and of course, the dictatorial management style.
If you need the job, you have to find psychological means to tolerate the whole crap
There is, in my view, some discrimination based on country of origin, religion, and social status. Usually, but not always, Arabs in general have a better treatment in everything. Obviously, the government tries to show otherwise. Also, generally, Brits and rich Indians have a bigger size of the pie as well.
Again, this the view I have formed after being here for seventeen years.
Most of the pilots coming from more "civilized" parts of the world, dislike the city, the driving standards, the culture, and the unbearable heat.
Most dislike the company as a whole. The harsh flight scheduling, the lack of representation from the pilot's group before the management, and of course, the dictatorial management style.
If you need the job, you have to find psychological means to tolerate the whole crap
