Working at EK in a non-flying role
 

Well, for sure make sure you get your accomodation sorted out, a BIG expense if not (and rising). Inflation is HUGE here, 50% rises on anything is the norm, rumours that petrol will soon go up to 9.8dhs a gallon, yup close to 50% rise in Jan 08.

Its great if you get a pay deal in £££ but forget the Dirham, its at a fixed rate against the plunging dollar.

Sheikh Your Bootie (The Real Deal) :zzz:

Its all about what grade you are offered, less than a 9 is poor, 10 is livable. Everything depends on that, staff travel accommodation etc. They are mostly honest about the package, but get it in writing if you are offered anything 'special' at interview. There is a bit of flexibility in the pay scale for a given grade, they will try and get you as cheap as possible, if they want you badly you can negotiate.

Thanks

I would expect to be taking a salary cut to be honest. I earn pretty well now, but am interested in this for the experience.
I could always walk back to where I am now afterwards.
If the pay they offer is a complete joke, then I won't consider it.

Excuse my ignorance (i have only just started to look into this) but what sort of pay range is covered by grade 9 and grade 10 ? Market rate(ish) for what I do out here is in the 65-85k (sterling) bracket.

I found working in the ME before at times infuriating, but generally manageable. Does that sound like the situation at EK ?
The job itself sounds interesting.

Thanks again for your replies

Wellllll....more like infuriating on a good day, manageability would depend. Do you drink heavily?

:ugh:

Seriously though, for the figures you are mentioning you'll have to make a ton here to make it worthwhile when you factor in the aggro factors...what sort of experience do you hope to gain that you could not in the UK?

i may as well explain what the job is. I assume I am anonymous on here.

I am a lawyer. Before you all start - I am an aviation finance lawyer, not a nasty ambulance chaser.

I work at a law firm. A very good one.

The job in question is for a commerical lawyer with a focus on aviation finance - no doubt to deal with all the new aircraft mentioned in the threads here.

For various reasons, most of which would be of no interest to anyone here, I'd like to do a stint in-house at an airline.
EK looks like an interesting prospect - I'd certainly be kept busy with the orders they have and the work on offer is good quality. It'd be an interesting change and like I said would do my career no harm - I could always walk back into private practice from there and the experience could only stand me in good stead. Of course I may want to stay.

I am familiar with the UAE, so I know the pluses and minuses of living there in general terms.

But working at EK - I've not got a clue what it would be like.
If my last tour of the middle east is anything to go by, I imagine that I would report to an incompetent idiot who takes credit for my successes and blames me for his failures.

But that might not be the case.
Hence the questions...

Well counsellor... you're in an interestin' position. You should interview of course - that's always a good experience. Come out a coupla days early, check the place out on your own a little. Do you have any friends or colleagues here who can help you with some of your questions? If you've been in the area before, (it sounds like it, esp. from your second to last para on previous post...) you have a pretty good picture of what your line of work might be like.

You may find it lucrative, and you may network yourself in to another type of position whilst here - there are plenty of solicitors handling aquisitions, mergers and IPOs here - some very high priced help and outstandin' talent. Come on out and have a look around. Several world class firms are represented here.

Consider some of the other pilot posts on this site regardin' lifestyle, cost, services, accomadation, education for your kids. I am gonna provoke a !!!! storm with this next observation but DXB expats, in general, don't care a whole lot about their kids education... the schools here are 'private' in that they charge tuition, but they really aren't outstandin', just ordinary. One UK curriculum school - Very very good, but not outstandin'... I don' know if that means anythin' to you, but it might.

Good luck!
k-o-t-s

KOTS is pretty well spot on. I would guess (and I am only guessing) that you would be looking at a Grade 10 position probably around 25k Dhs per month basic, plus accommodation, First Class (subload) travel and the woeful provident fund.
If you do well, promotion is always possible, worse case scenario you learn a lot about how EK does business.