Flydubai: Need to know BEFORE applying
Join Date: Nov 2001
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Nice to see posts from both ends of the spectrum. TC is an example that you can live large and still save money.
Just depends on what your aims are. I cannot for one accept to live large in Dubai and eventually go home to live at a sub-standard level. savings of 5,000 AED a month is not considered savings to me. Especially as adhoc expenses in Dubai are such that 5,000 AED can (and will) get sniffed up in an instance. 5,000AED/900 GBP/$1300 a month saving is not worth the hassle of dragging the whole family out here. But then again, that's just my point of view. Especially with a family, those funds will get used pretty easily.
For a single person it makes total sense. And so too if your spouse is working.
Depends on where you're coming from. 900 GBP in London won't get you much (if anything at all). $1300 in NYC won't go far either. Comes down to the Savings vs Lifestyle debate and whats more important to you.
Just depends on what your aims are. I cannot for one accept to live large in Dubai and eventually go home to live at a sub-standard level. savings of 5,000 AED a month is not considered savings to me. Especially as adhoc expenses in Dubai are such that 5,000 AED can (and will) get sniffed up in an instance. 5,000AED/900 GBP/$1300 a month saving is not worth the hassle of dragging the whole family out here. But then again, that's just my point of view. Especially with a family, those funds will get used pretty easily.
For a single person it makes total sense. And so too if your spouse is working.
Depends on where you're coming from. 900 GBP in London won't get you much (if anything at all). $1300 in NYC won't go far either. Comes down to the Savings vs Lifestyle debate and whats more important to you.
Join Date: Nov 2011
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Depends on how you choose to live
The job is a very good job depending on where you are coming from and what you were flying. As stated before, if you were flying props, like myself, or working anywhere other than China, then you come to FZ for the Plane upgrade or Pay upgrade or both. Nobody comes here for the scenery or the weather. Don't expect to get paid FO wage and live like a Sheikh. You can still live comfortably though.
As for the destinations, no they are not Milan or Paris but you know that in advance and they make you sign a paper during the interview to confirm you are aware and don't object to flying to "war zones". I don't like to get shot at but I knew they fly to these destinations and I accepted, and in doing so, I forfeit the right to complain about it.
The roster is something we all have to live with. We can either accept the fact that it's not the best and live with it, or just be bitter all the time about it. Sometimes it's knowing how to bid that is the issue. For April I bid for Doha and Dammam, knowing I can't hold Prague, and I got what I asked for including the days off. From what I hear, if you are in the top 20%, you get whatever you want. The rest of us just need to bid smart.
As for the nothing but negative posts above; If the country is crap, pay is crap, roster is crap, destinations are crap, it begs the question: WHY ARE YOU STILL HERE
? If you left already then let the ones that are here and happy or content give the positive since the bitter has been beaten to death.
As for the destinations, no they are not Milan or Paris but you know that in advance and they make you sign a paper during the interview to confirm you are aware and don't object to flying to "war zones". I don't like to get shot at but I knew they fly to these destinations and I accepted, and in doing so, I forfeit the right to complain about it.
The roster is something we all have to live with. We can either accept the fact that it's not the best and live with it, or just be bitter all the time about it. Sometimes it's knowing how to bid that is the issue. For April I bid for Doha and Dammam, knowing I can't hold Prague, and I got what I asked for including the days off. From what I hear, if you are in the top 20%, you get whatever you want. The rest of us just need to bid smart.
As for the nothing but negative posts above; If the country is crap, pay is crap, roster is crap, destinations are crap, it begs the question: WHY ARE YOU STILL HERE
? If you left already then let the ones that are here and happy or content give the positive since the bitter has been beaten to death.
Join Date: Apr 2008
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Guys thanks for all your comments
It really helps a lot getting this kind of factual information. Specially the one given by TJ who is in a similar situation.
As I mentioned before I lived in Doha for 5 years and is very similar but always heard Dubai was more expensive, therefore wanted to make sure I can make it there.
As well I was living in a 5 BR Villa and 2 new cars... Perhaps now will be a bit more conservative.
Regards and fly safe.
By the way the command upgrade time is 18 months from release on line or 18 months from now in your case? Does it make a difference if you have previous experience? Such as A320 hours and around 3300 on B737.
It really helps a lot getting this kind of factual information. Specially the one given by TJ who is in a similar situation.
As I mentioned before I lived in Doha for 5 years and is very similar but always heard Dubai was more expensive, therefore wanted to make sure I can make it there.
As well I was living in a 5 BR Villa and 2 new cars... Perhaps now will be a bit more conservative.
Regards and fly safe.
By the way the command upgrade time is 18 months from release on line or 18 months from now in your case? Does it make a difference if you have previous experience? Such as A320 hours and around 3300 on B737.
Join Date: Aug 2012
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Scud Run
As for the nothing but negative posts above; If the country is crap, pay is crap, roster is crap, destinations are crap, it begs the question: WHY ARE YOU STILL HERE ? If you left already then let the ones that are here and happy or content give the positive since the bitter has been beaten to death.
Unfortunately, that usually means both positive and negative comments will be posted. Why not appreciate that some people have been here since 2009 and have a great deal of experience concerning both Dubai and specifically, Flydubai.
You may not share the same opinion as some, but there again, you haven't been here as long as some either. The title of this thread is "need to know BEFORE applying". Knowing what is good and what is bad, allows people to make an informed choice about where they want to work.
Some of the posts are just reflecting facts, whether you like it or not.
Join Date: Nov 2011
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And the answer to the question is?
So you still haven't answered the question. I'm not disputing some don't find it as attractive as others. So if you have been here since 2009 then you are not Bonded. If it is so crappy, why hang around? Or maybe there isn't really much better? I just want to be enlightened as to why people stick around if they claim it to be so bad!
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: Dubai
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Scud Run,
I'm no mathematician, but by my reckoning we have just over 600 pilots. Since 2009 we have probably lost in excess of 120 pilots. That appears to be an attrition rate of 20%. The industry standard/ target is reported to be 3%. So to answer your question, those that don't like it appear to vote with their feet and leave. I'm flying with people, many people, who are quite happy to be paying off their bond in order to escape. That says quite a lot to me.
It's generally accepted that you bring two buckets with you to Dubai, one for the cash and one for the crap. When either one is full, it's time to leave. Having said that, the size of the bucket is dependent on the individual and his/ her circumstances. However, with the ever increasing cost of living (including rent), the amount of disposable income has been eroded year by year. Thus, the filling of the cash bucket is highly unlikely anymore.
The point I was making was that not everyone is happy at FZ, hence the attrition rate. As such, it's a bit unfair to dismiss their opinions or simply say " if you don't like it, leave", especially as you haven't been exposed to life in Dubai and FZ that long.
I'm no mathematician, but by my reckoning we have just over 600 pilots. Since 2009 we have probably lost in excess of 120 pilots. That appears to be an attrition rate of 20%. The industry standard/ target is reported to be 3%. So to answer your question, those that don't like it appear to vote with their feet and leave. I'm flying with people, many people, who are quite happy to be paying off their bond in order to escape. That says quite a lot to me.
It's generally accepted that you bring two buckets with you to Dubai, one for the cash and one for the crap. When either one is full, it's time to leave. Having said that, the size of the bucket is dependent on the individual and his/ her circumstances. However, with the ever increasing cost of living (including rent), the amount of disposable income has been eroded year by year. Thus, the filling of the cash bucket is highly unlikely anymore.
The point I was making was that not everyone is happy at FZ, hence the attrition rate. As such, it's a bit unfair to dismiss their opinions or simply say " if you don't like it, leave", especially as you haven't been exposed to life in Dubai and FZ that long.
Join Date: Apr 2011
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Scud Run I will help What-to-do in answering your question.
You must obviously be quite young and "green" in the aviation business if not you would know that we don't always do what we want to do.
It is not because you want to work for a specific airline that you will be able to...
They must be recruiting , you must match their requirement , pass all the recuitment phases etc...
If you are married and have children the problem is even bigger , you are not the only one anymore to be involved and maybe for many other reasons some member of your family are not willing to move right away ( children's studies , wife's career , house's rent etc... )
Moving the all family from a country to another is not an easy thing to do if what you are looking for is the well being of everybody.
So , as What-to-do is saying , there are plenty of pilots not very happy here BUT unfortunately for them and luckily for Flydubai they are not able to leave NOW.
I hope this will help to open your horizon farther than your belly button and understand why it is not always possible to leave even if not happy.
You must obviously be quite young and "green" in the aviation business if not you would know that we don't always do what we want to do.
It is not because you want to work for a specific airline that you will be able to...
They must be recruiting , you must match their requirement , pass all the recuitment phases etc...
If you are married and have children the problem is even bigger , you are not the only one anymore to be involved and maybe for many other reasons some member of your family are not willing to move right away ( children's studies , wife's career , house's rent etc... )
Moving the all family from a country to another is not an easy thing to do if what you are looking for is the well being of everybody.
So , as What-to-do is saying , there are plenty of pilots not very happy here BUT unfortunately for them and luckily for Flydubai they are not able to leave NOW.
I hope this will help to open your horizon farther than your belly button and understand why it is not always possible to leave even if not happy.
Join Date: Dec 2012
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Very true. Like what was said before, it all depends where you are coming from and what you want out of it. Do you have a family, desire a lavish expat lifestyle or you want to see the world of your days off?
The bottom line is that it is all about managing your expectations and stress levels.
Be aware the inflation is high but the basic pay does not get adjusted, ever. Even is they raise the flight pay by AED 5 again you are still taking a pay cut every year. Rent, groceries, phones/internet, schooling, kids activities etc are all very expensive. Dubai is busy/hectic, massive and stressfull. Many times common sense and logic are non existant.
The company is not a career airline. I've got a feeling the management does not want it to be one. Why, no one knows. No payrise, provident fund/pension, IT /bureaucracy is a nightmare, don't start about the companies car park nightmare and stafftravel is far from perfect. Rostering can be hellish depending on your preferences. Understand that pilots/cabin crew and engineers too are a commodity that are less important than office staff. At least that what we think in respons to forcing us out of the HQ staff carpark. Expect to add 1 hour journey time to your day to park your car, or pay yourself for RTA parking across the street.
BUT, the collegues are great, new aircraft, big expansion, job security and safety in Dubai/UAE for you and/or your family. Upgrades generally take 2 years and in those 2 years expect very little of your roster requests to be honoured and fly many nights and body clock changes. The same will propably be true when you initially upgrade but it will get better over time as we expand. With kids you can safe a little bit but not much. Personally I find the job stress free and enjoyable. There is no worry about being made redundant due to economic downturns etc. The spread of destinations are really nice too. Yes we've been over the warzones here already. Again, personally I don't care. I knew it when I signed on the dotted line. Staff travel with flydubai has vastly improved. With EK it's still over complicated, the procedures don't work and you are low priority. But at least you have it.
Are you able to just focus on yourself/your family, have a great time with your colleaugues whilst at work and keep your head down. Then you'll fit right in. If you want to change the set ways here then go look elsewhere...
I personally like it here and would recommend it if you are looking for a career step up. But it's pointless as a sideways move IMHO.
The bottom line is that it is all about managing your expectations and stress levels.
Be aware the inflation is high but the basic pay does not get adjusted, ever. Even is they raise the flight pay by AED 5 again you are still taking a pay cut every year. Rent, groceries, phones/internet, schooling, kids activities etc are all very expensive. Dubai is busy/hectic, massive and stressfull. Many times common sense and logic are non existant.
The company is not a career airline. I've got a feeling the management does not want it to be one. Why, no one knows. No payrise, provident fund/pension, IT /bureaucracy is a nightmare, don't start about the companies car park nightmare and stafftravel is far from perfect. Rostering can be hellish depending on your preferences. Understand that pilots/cabin crew and engineers too are a commodity that are less important than office staff. At least that what we think in respons to forcing us out of the HQ staff carpark. Expect to add 1 hour journey time to your day to park your car, or pay yourself for RTA parking across the street.
BUT, the collegues are great, new aircraft, big expansion, job security and safety in Dubai/UAE for you and/or your family. Upgrades generally take 2 years and in those 2 years expect very little of your roster requests to be honoured and fly many nights and body clock changes. The same will propably be true when you initially upgrade but it will get better over time as we expand. With kids you can safe a little bit but not much. Personally I find the job stress free and enjoyable. There is no worry about being made redundant due to economic downturns etc. The spread of destinations are really nice too. Yes we've been over the warzones here already. Again, personally I don't care. I knew it when I signed on the dotted line. Staff travel with flydubai has vastly improved. With EK it's still over complicated, the procedures don't work and you are low priority. But at least you have it.
Are you able to just focus on yourself/your family, have a great time with your colleaugues whilst at work and keep your head down. Then you'll fit right in. If you want to change the set ways here then go look elsewhere...
I personally like it here and would recommend it if you are looking for a career step up. But it's pointless as a sideways move IMHO.
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It's a better deal for those who come here and are either single or as a couple. When you add kids in, it changes the equation completely and if you have more than 2 kids it can be a toss up. Good schools have waiting lists that can be 2 years and school costs are quite high. So you may wind up sending your kids to a second or third choice school while paying large amounts. The average expat school will run you AED 50,000 per child/year and it increases every year. Plus there are extras to pay for (transport, uniforms, trips etc). Rents are also increasing. A decent 4 bedroom villa can run anywhere from 160,000 AED-250,000 depending on area. If your allowances don't cover housing and schooling adequately, you will have considerable out of pocket expenses. Eating out in DXB can also get expensive. Saving money may not meet planned expectations.
Join Date: Apr 2008
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Thanks for your comments guys. BOTH sides!
I guess in my particular case I should stay here in Panama flying my Lear60 as a Captain and getting decent money with a relax job.
I was looking to go back to the airline for the job SECURITY and in FZ for the quick command but having 4 kids make that option complicated. Been there alone doesn't seem to be an option since my family will be very far and TEMPTATION is just waiting...
Once again thanks for your input
I guess in my particular case I should stay here in Panama flying my Lear60 as a Captain and getting decent money with a relax job.
I was looking to go back to the airline for the job SECURITY and in FZ for the quick command but having 4 kids make that option complicated. Been there alone doesn't seem to be an option since my family will be very far and TEMPTATION is just waiting...
Once again thanks for your input
