Job satisfaction in Qatar Airways
 

It seems that Qatar airways Pilots don’t complain as much as the colleagues south. As I have a proposal for captain 330, I would be most thankful if people can give me their impressions. Thank you in advance

Recently a friend of mine, Captain on the wide body fleet resigned because the Airline and the salary was not up to his expectations. So much stress to operate with them and a salary barely acceptable in a very expensive country.

Any negative impressions of Qatar seem to disappear pretty quickly on this forum. Good to keep that in mind I think.

Agreed, dissatisfaction is relative, no job is perfect but you go into a company with your eyes open. Qatar made it abundantly clear at the job road shows that they do not offer commute contracts, it has just worked out that way on certain fleets. As pressure increases and days off are reduced in blocks to 3 and 4 this is not "changing conditions of employment" and working more hours is not a "reduction in salary" . But long term in the ME for most is 6 years, after which look to cut your own grass in your own country.

I just don’t understand the salary bit! The salary is exactly as presented during the interview process, no surprises there. It’s also quite easy to find out cost of living before coming to Qatar.
In regards to stress...no more no less than any other ME airline.
I think people working for QR complain less, only because they come here with more realistic expectations. They are not caught up in hype of UAE lifestyle and they are more aware that this is only temporary. Most of the guys I’ve flown with, came here with very clear goals in regards to money, career progress, what they wanna achieve and when that is done, they are out.
Money is actually good, lots of opportunities for career progress and most of the guys are awesome to fly with.
Of course, we could complain about some things (accommodation being one of them), Doha lifestyle is not for everyone, but those are the facts that are available before coming here.

[QUOTE= But long term in the ME for most is 6 years, after which look to cut your own grass in your own country.[/QUOTE]
Whenever one gets too optimistic, or you have a great payday.
One should think of the quote above.

I’m the wife of a former Qatar Airways pilot. Hopefully you’ll find my experience helpful.

We were in Qatar for five years. My husband was on the 777 - a fleet which started out with fairly quiet rosters but gradually became hellish. He was home for just 8 days some months, and the rostering was brutal - flying east then west with less than 24 hours between. There were also cargo trips of up to 2 weeks, with very little flying (so v little flight pay) and lots of positioning (which they didn’t use to pay for, incredibly!)

Talking of pay - it’s pretty good, and allowances have gone up in recent years. I believe you can find a decent place to rent for the allowance, but food prices have gone up, and so have school fees. If you’re going to try to commute home, bear in mind that you’ll have to pay for business or first id90s (the crew cannot upgrade you from economy) and taxes for premium class in the UK and elsewhere are high. It’s not cheap.

Many people also get sucked into the expat lifestyle - expensive boozy brunches, large car loans, etc - and I do know people who have hardly saved in Qatar. It is very possible, but you have to be careful, particularly when choosing accommodation and schools.

It’s also worth noting that Qatar has some of the most polluted air in the world. The government never admits it, but the data is there for all to see. It’s not a great place for kids to grow up for this reason.

In the end, it wasn’t life in Doha which sent us home though - it was the stick not carrot management who seek to divide and conquer. You have no rights, really - the company can do what it likes to you and the QCAA will not object. Staff are so scared to speak out about the way they are treated they will rarely post on here, even anonymously. The cyber crime laws in Qatar also have caused many to fear speaking out (with good reason.)

We left because my husband was exhausted and demoralised. The company took all it could from him. You are not a valued employee - you are a number on a roster.

Money is not everything - we left for a country with decent employment rights, trustworthy healthcare, cleaner air, culture and beauty. There are some things you simply can’t put a price on.

can I ask where did you guys move to?

Maybe a stupid question.. but when you get hired as a pilot at Qatar Airways when do you receive their wing badge?

We moved back to the UK.

Ok, I have to ask...why is that even important to you?

I'm sure they would love to complain! I imagine Qatar is very restrictive and really doesn't like bad press...

[QUOTE=Flybartfcp;10018493]It seems that Qatar airways Pilots don’t complain as much as the colleagues south.

Fear Fear FEAR

Well said Mrs London Legend

I like the comment stick not carrot.

Its the same down south here and it's not going to work much longer, there are lots of jobs out there now and they pay more and allow you to return to your home country other than on leave, it could be an interesting year trying to recruit pilots in this part of the world, especially as the disconnect between upper management and the work force continues to grow.

As in Dubai, where the delusion has reached the stage where management believe that Dubai is a good place to live, and people come for the city rather than to work for the airline. It is a mistake that is (if they were smart enough to realise!) haunting them, as people TOLERATED Dubai, because EK were good to work for, but they're not even close now, hence why they can't keep pilots or recruit them.

The ME is not a healthy place to live. My children seemed to have permanent (minor) coughs, and were forever nasally congested. After a mere 4 weeks back in a country without air pollution problems, their coughs and congestion disappeared. As you stated Enos, the air quality in the Middle East is HORRENDOUS. Search any independent report on it - it is the equal, and worse than, China, which is commonly referenced for poor air quality.

A recent post from the cabin crew side:

https://www.pprune.org/cabin-crew/60...r-airways.html

It is true that attitudes have changed over the past 5 years or so and "living the dream" has partly become a matter of exit planning after accumulating enough wealth. Yes, its also true that several cabin crew were terminated for dating pilots, but they knew the rules regarding cohabitation on joining.. one could argue in the "normal world" this is harsh, but it's their world and they set the rules. Salaries are good, however costs are high, and getting much higher, hence the ability to save is reduced if you want a normal european style life. The blockade is still having a very negative effect,both on commuting and operations. Lack of training capacity means rosters are getting worse and if you are a trainer they expect machine like capacity. Once the kids get above about 4 its worth thinking of their futures and growing up in the ME may hinder their progress when they repatriate, ok schools are good, but expensive and not the "real McCoy" If you are a new joiner coming from a country that is worse, and there are many, then this is a good option, in a way Qatar is becoming like the foreign legion, a place to escape to for a limited time, and Compared to EK, Qatar are saints!

:rolleyes:

Because i'm dating a guy who has a normal job but I found a picture of an uniform and a wing badge in his closet. When I confronted him he told me he was an intern years ago and thats why he has a wing badge. So when do pilots receive a wingbadge at QA cause I think he is deceiving me..

Ok, I'll take the bait: what do you mean by "intern"?

And why you think a pilot job is not a normal job?

Kkkkkkkkkkk

Are you guys going to tell her the truth about the badge?

I can’t believe you are willing to screw a fellow aviator.

Sorry, no words about badges and intern stuff...

:D