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hey itsroxc ,
hey itsroxc ,
all the very best for your interview tomorrow . .. my best regards for the outcome,cheers ..
just one request , after you finish your interview can you summarize of briefly what was asked at the personal interview and how was the written component and what all it involved .. it will help many who have applied and waiting a call ..
thanks a lot
vaibhav
CX CPP wannabe ..
all the very best for your interview tomorrow . .. my best regards for the outcome,cheers ..
just one request , after you finish your interview can you summarize of briefly what was asked at the personal interview and how was the written component and what all it involved .. it will help many who have applied and waiting a call ..
thanks a lot
vaibhav
CX CPP wannabe ..
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rejected
well I went for the interview and was pretty nervous. I think I'm lacking experience and confidence, and something really unique that they will want me for. So for those who still have interviews, just be yourself and be confident and really research some more about why you want to do it, less idn's, be straightforward, don't make a lame joke haha, and be enthusiastic 
The competition is so high, I hope everyone that got to stage 2 or 3 or are/have done this programme are very happy. It would just be so amazing if I could start earlier since I've already spent 2 years in another field....
But considering my circumstances (costs etc), I'm going to continue uni and then get a private licence during the next few years and see how I go. Either way, I will still want to fly whenever I can!
Goodluck to everyone else, and this has been a great experience and I know that I have much more to work on....if only I could work on that while they take me on board. But some things just don't work out just yet, but I want it alot so in time, it will happen.
The competition is so high, I hope everyone that got to stage 2 or 3 or are/have done this programme are very happy. It would just be so amazing if I could start earlier since I've already spent 2 years in another field....
But considering my circumstances (costs etc), I'm going to continue uni and then get a private licence during the next few years and see how I go. Either way, I will still want to fly whenever I can!
Goodluck to everyone else, and this has been a great experience and I know that I have much more to work on....if only I could work on that while they take me on board. But some things just don't work out just yet, but I want it alot so in time, it will happen.
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Just read this whole thread
I just came across this thread and it seems to have fizzled out. This has been an informative read and I am sure others will come across this later too, so I just want to throw in my 2 cents.
As a local HKer and aspiring cadet, I have to agree with betpump5 and 404 Titan. Housing allowance WILL make a huge difference. 40k a month in Hong Kong is really not that bad, especially considering end of year bonuses normally take care of taxes. BUT, the cost of living here is a bit weird in that the fixed portion of cost of living (mainly rent) is by far larger than the marginal portion (food, entertainment). I say this with experience living and studying in Canada, the States and the UK. In those places, living it up as a student can exceed your rent. In Hong Kong, the reverse is definitely true. So why is housing allowance a big deal? Because, the marginal value to your standard of living from 20k can mean the difference between not starving and living very comfortably. To put this into perspective, a live in maid's salary is 3k, i.e. you can hire about 7 maids with your housing allowance. At the same time, 20k is what it costs to rent a decent pad in downtown Kowloon. Basically, housing allowance IS going to matter.
Some people have said it won't bother them that people of lower seniority will get paid more. It may not now, but it will when you get here. Hong Kong is an extremely competitive society. Status is everywhere, but no one talks about it. For example, Hong Kong ranks number 1 in wealth gap. Google 'Hong Kong cage home' if you want to know more. Comparing yourself to others will become second nature within a year or two of moving here.
As a local HKer, I would urge any international looking into the CPP to live in Hong Kong for a few months, or at least visit before deciding whether the CPP is 'worth it'. Hong Kong may seem really 'western', and parts of it is, but the culture and economics of Hong Kong is also very different from Europe, America or wherever you're from.
As a local HKer and aspiring cadet, I have to agree with betpump5 and 404 Titan. Housing allowance WILL make a huge difference. 40k a month in Hong Kong is really not that bad, especially considering end of year bonuses normally take care of taxes. BUT, the cost of living here is a bit weird in that the fixed portion of cost of living (mainly rent) is by far larger than the marginal portion (food, entertainment). I say this with experience living and studying in Canada, the States and the UK. In those places, living it up as a student can exceed your rent. In Hong Kong, the reverse is definitely true. So why is housing allowance a big deal? Because, the marginal value to your standard of living from 20k can mean the difference between not starving and living very comfortably. To put this into perspective, a live in maid's salary is 3k, i.e. you can hire about 7 maids with your housing allowance. At the same time, 20k is what it costs to rent a decent pad in downtown Kowloon. Basically, housing allowance IS going to matter.
Some people have said it won't bother them that people of lower seniority will get paid more. It may not now, but it will when you get here. Hong Kong is an extremely competitive society. Status is everywhere, but no one talks about it. For example, Hong Kong ranks number 1 in wealth gap. Google 'Hong Kong cage home' if you want to know more. Comparing yourself to others will become second nature within a year or two of moving here.
As a local HKer, I would urge any international looking into the CPP to live in Hong Kong for a few months, or at least visit before deciding whether the CPP is 'worth it'. Hong Kong may seem really 'western', and parts of it is, but the culture and economics of Hong Kong is also very different from Europe, America or wherever you're from.
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very well said etlien...
as somebody who has lived in HK for many years at some point in my life, I agree completely with the post...
this is not to say that it is IMPOSSIBLE for a foreigner to live in HK....but for international cadets thinking about applying, think very carefully about 1.)living in HK and 2.)having someone more junior in rank getting paid more...
I can see why, as an applicant, people would simply say "yes its fine, I can manage, I can cope..."...especially given the prospect of being a Cathay pilot...however, just remember that living in a foreign country away from your family and friends is not for everyone and that at some point in your career you WILL find it unreasonable that someone who does the same job as you get extra allowances...
Again, I am not discouraging international applicants - I just feel it is important for ppl to acknowledge this before making the decision to apply to CX.
All the best.
as somebody who has lived in HK for many years at some point in my life, I agree completely with the post...
this is not to say that it is IMPOSSIBLE for a foreigner to live in HK....but for international cadets thinking about applying, think very carefully about 1.)living in HK and 2.)having someone more junior in rank getting paid more...
I can see why, as an applicant, people would simply say "yes its fine, I can manage, I can cope..."...especially given the prospect of being a Cathay pilot...however, just remember that living in a foreign country away from your family and friends is not for everyone and that at some point in your career you WILL find it unreasonable that someone who does the same job as you get extra allowances...
Again, I am not discouraging international applicants - I just feel it is important for ppl to acknowledge this before making the decision to apply to CX.
All the best.
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This is just a RUMOUR but..
A lot has been made about how a cadet would feel if a DESO in the future was hired thus meaning that with an allowance, they could eventually be paid more money than a cadet who may be 1 or 2 ranks ahead of the DESO. This was a fair point and definately a concept that would form a strong basis for any talks for CPP cadets to get a form of allowance.
Now this is just a rumour that I have heard recently therefore I won't ask the likes of Titan to corroborate this as if it is true, goes much higher than the both of us.
The rumour is that DESO is finsihed and looking at the facts addressed in many current threads, does look like a rational argument. I will elaborate and say that the DESO "ex-pat package" is finshed. The CP batches first started of with 1 course a year made up of not more than 10 cadets.
By December, 6 CP groups will be at FTA and apart from the CP36, all future batches will be made up of 16 cadets.CP 35 reached this amount and CP37 onwards will have this figure. With a CP group every other month would mean that you have just shy of 100 cadets per year graduating in the future. This roughly equates to just over 6% of the workforce. This 6% turnover in pilots leaving/retiring etc is a pretty standard figure for an airline like CX.
It is this simple maths that has shown that a DESO is no longer needed - the pilots and the package we give them. CCP/FTA have a pretty efficient scheme going and the financial analysts for the company are pretty good at predicting future pilot demand. Barring some mircale where overnight there is a surge in air travel by some ridiculous percent, then CPP will cover our needs for a very long time and be an extremely cost effective solution for the company- even if some form of housing allowance is finally surrendered to CPP pilots.
Like I said, this is just a rumour. I have constructed the post as to why I believe the rumuor is true. Naturally I expect others to form counter arguments as to why the rumour is untrue but the simple truth is that why would you have a highly expensive DESO package when CPP meets the demands and can be flexed whenever needed.
Now this is just a rumour that I have heard recently therefore I won't ask the likes of Titan to corroborate this as if it is true, goes much higher than the both of us.
The rumour is that DESO is finsihed and looking at the facts addressed in many current threads, does look like a rational argument. I will elaborate and say that the DESO "ex-pat package" is finshed. The CP batches first started of with 1 course a year made up of not more than 10 cadets.
By December, 6 CP groups will be at FTA and apart from the CP36, all future batches will be made up of 16 cadets.CP 35 reached this amount and CP37 onwards will have this figure. With a CP group every other month would mean that you have just shy of 100 cadets per year graduating in the future. This roughly equates to just over 6% of the workforce. This 6% turnover in pilots leaving/retiring etc is a pretty standard figure for an airline like CX.
It is this simple maths that has shown that a DESO is no longer needed - the pilots and the package we give them. CCP/FTA have a pretty efficient scheme going and the financial analysts for the company are pretty good at predicting future pilot demand. Barring some mircale where overnight there is a surge in air travel by some ridiculous percent, then CPP will cover our needs for a very long time and be an extremely cost effective solution for the company- even if some form of housing allowance is finally surrendered to CPP pilots.
Like I said, this is just a rumour. I have constructed the post as to why I believe the rumuor is true. Naturally I expect others to form counter arguments as to why the rumour is untrue but the simple truth is that why would you have a highly expensive DESO package when CPP meets the demands and can be flexed whenever needed.
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Further to this, International cadets and Instructors for that matter will NOT be getting an expat allowance, there is no such contract, It may have been "mentioned" as part of the deal but it simply is not written down anywhere and is in the TBD tray which simply means it will not be given as it was a verbal contract! 
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SMOC is corect and for those a little confused by the term instructor, a small deal was done some time back because CX were taking FTA instructors. Therefore, a "Short" and "Long" course was developed.
The Short course are for those with a fATPL. CX paid for the FI rating and those cadets must remain at FTA for 3 years Fight Instructing. Once again however, their conract does not specify a definate job with CX and there is nothing in writtting confirming that upon joining CX, they will get the ex-pat allowance. The same goes for the long course which is a 4 year course. CX pays for the fATPL (just like the normal CPP) and then they pay for the FI and stay at FTA for 3 years flight instructing.
The "extra 3 years seniority" again means nothing.
The Short course are for those with a fATPL. CX paid for the FI rating and those cadets must remain at FTA for 3 years Fight Instructing. Once again however, their conract does not specify a definate job with CX and there is nothing in writtting confirming that upon joining CX, they will get the ex-pat allowance. The same goes for the long course which is a 4 year course. CX pays for the fATPL (just like the normal CPP) and then they pay for the FI and stay at FTA for 3 years flight instructing.
The "extra 3 years seniority" again means nothing.
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Cadets WILL NOT get a housing allowance. And those of you who think you will are dreaming. That is the whole reason Cathay is pushing the CPP programme - so they don't have to pay housing allowances and other expat benefits.
People need to realise that if they do the CPP scheme, they will spend the vast majority of their salary on housing alone. They are not going to become wealthy, live a nice lifestyle...
Cathay may give the impression that they may give an allowance, but its just to lure more people in. They will never pay one to cadets, so just accept that you will have to cover housing yourself and thus make a realistic calculation of whether or not you can afford to do this.
Making such a huge decision based on something that will never happen is a big mistake.
People need to realise that if they do the CPP scheme, they will spend the vast majority of their salary on housing alone. They are not going to become wealthy, live a nice lifestyle...
Cathay may give the impression that they may give an allowance, but its just to lure more people in. They will never pay one to cadets, so just accept that you will have to cover housing yourself and thus make a realistic calculation of whether or not you can afford to do this.
Making such a huge decision based on something that will never happen is a big mistake.
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BBfly,
if this is indeed true- there will be alot of unhappy/irate ex cadets in a few years. It will be interesting to see what happens. Knowing Cathay and their immense planning thus far- some sort of plan has been developed and i'm sure an allowance will be madeto keep the pilots from being lured offshore.
All the best to applicants!
if this is indeed true- there will be alot of unhappy/irate ex cadets in a few years. It will be interesting to see what happens. Knowing Cathay and their immense planning thus far- some sort of plan has been developed and i'm sure an allowance will be madeto keep the pilots from being lured offshore.
All the best to applicants!
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"there will be alot of unhappy/irate ex cadets in a few years"
How can they be irate if they have never been promised (in writing) a housing allowance or other benefits?
Like with any job, if something is not specifically mentioned in your contract, you cannot assume entitlement to it.
I agree, best of luck to the applicants, they should just remember that they have not been promised (in writing) these benefits, and to make the move to an extremely expensive city with the assumption that they will get benefits that are not in their contract is a dangerous thing.
However many of the applicants seem to accept they will not get the housing allowance but still believe it is worth it, so all the best to them. Go in with fully open eyes.
How can they be irate if they have never been promised (in writing) a housing allowance or other benefits?
Like with any job, if something is not specifically mentioned in your contract, you cannot assume entitlement to it.
I agree, best of luck to the applicants, they should just remember that they have not been promised (in writing) these benefits, and to make the move to an extremely expensive city with the assumption that they will get benefits that are not in their contract is a dangerous thing.
However many of the applicants seem to accept they will not get the housing allowance but still believe it is worth it, so all the best to them. Go in with fully open eyes.
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happy guy,
Have a good look at where those apartments are located. Also do some research on other costs of living in HK. Try the forums on asiaxpat.com, geoexpat.com, hkexpats.com and any others you can find on a google search.
Have a good look at where those apartments are located. Also do some research on other costs of living in HK. Try the forums on asiaxpat.com, geoexpat.com, hkexpats.com and any others you can find on a google search.
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Can't wait to hear what Mrs happyguy99 makes of living in a $5k-$10k apartment in HK with around $15k - $20k a month left over for fun. After a few years of that she'll soon be Mrs unhappyguy99IwantaDivorce.
Why not come and have 4 weeks hols (sometime between November and March would be good) with $31K and see what kind of life you could expect.
Why not come and have 4 weeks hols (sometime between November and March would be good) with $31K and see what kind of life you could expect.
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$31000 per month, after tax (16%) you are left with $26000 per month.
you should be able to find an apartment 750-900sq/' 8000-10000 per month, add utilities, phone, t.v. which come to approx $2000 per month, you are left with say $14000. Subtract monthly food bill, 4000-5000 (2 people)and you have approx $9000. Subtract a little more for your monthly bus/MTR expenses, depends on where you live...
Budget for travel home, every now and then adds to the bill.
A big night out on the town or eating out will cost a bit though. Say $400-500 for two at an average restaurant. A boozey night $1000-2000 easy. Or the 7-11 drinking option at LKF, can reduce your alcohol bill.
So you will have a little cash to spare, not much, but enough to go to thailand for a few days on your days off with or without the Mrs. If you have kids at a school age (3yrs in HKG) then you will not have enough money. If you can get the Mrs working, that will be the only way for you to get ahead here. No housing in HKG makes it hard, but people do it, ask our CEPs. So you will be able to get by, but there wont be any savings and without your partner working it will be tight.
Hard to imagine, I lived on a lot less before. If you want a jet rating and can live without housing for say 5-6 years, then you can have a job where you can do a little travel, get a rating and move on to other things if it doesnt suit you.
you should be able to find an apartment 750-900sq/' 8000-10000 per month, add utilities, phone, t.v. which come to approx $2000 per month, you are left with say $14000. Subtract monthly food bill, 4000-5000 (2 people)and you have approx $9000. Subtract a little more for your monthly bus/MTR expenses, depends on where you live...
Budget for travel home, every now and then adds to the bill.
A big night out on the town or eating out will cost a bit though. Say $400-500 for two at an average restaurant. A boozey night $1000-2000 easy. Or the 7-11 drinking option at LKF, can reduce your alcohol bill.
So you will have a little cash to spare, not much, but enough to go to thailand for a few days on your days off with or without the Mrs. If you have kids at a school age (3yrs in HKG) then you will not have enough money. If you can get the Mrs working, that will be the only way for you to get ahead here. No housing in HKG makes it hard, but people do it, ask our CEPs. So you will be able to get by, but there wont be any savings and without your partner working it will be tight.
Hard to imagine, I lived on a lot less before. If you want a jet rating and can live without housing for say 5-6 years, then you can have a job where you can do a little travel, get a rating and move on to other things if it doesnt suit you.
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Hey everyone thanks for the info, it is as I expected. Tight on a SO income, but can easily live a conservative life. Sounds like you can have a reasonably nice time so long as you're are careful. And the salary will increase over time. I'm sure i'll get into Cathay, and I'm in it for the long haul. Cheers.
Last edited by happyguy99; 26th Jan 2011 at 11:45.
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Hey guys, ive got my interview for the CPP is a couple of days time. Just wondering if its possible for an SO to commute? I realise that if you're on a standby roster you'd need to be in HK for that roster, but if you've got staff travel and a set roster, then could it be an option?
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Hi all CX Wannabes (or Dontwannabe)
I'm trying to figure out a precise point without success until now...
I know that the P2X license hours (SO) can't be loggued if you leave CX before promoting to FO. But from the time you've an unfrozen ATPL and FO grade are you starting from scratch again ? Are the SO hours totally virtual once FO ?
Thanks for your explanations...
I'm trying to figure out a precise point without success until now...
I know that the P2X license hours (SO) can't be loggued if you leave CX before promoting to FO. But from the time you've an unfrozen ATPL and FO grade are you starting from scratch again ? Are the SO hours totally virtual once FO ?
Thanks for your explanations...
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Hello there,
I was wondering if anybody from India has got a call yet. I'm well past the 8 weeks mark and no response yet. I tried clicking on the link in my email to check the status and it still says my application is in process. Is it normal for it to be in process for so long?
Has anybody appeared from India in the recent past?
Regards,
MKS
I was wondering if anybody from India has got a call yet. I'm well past the 8 weeks mark and no response yet. I tried clicking on the link in my email to check the status and it still says my application is in process. Is it normal for it to be in process for so long?
Has anybody appeared from India in the recent past?
Regards,
MKS
