nt.pilot
 

The flat in the link you gave is in Tung Chung, which is right next to the airport. The area is home to a lot of aircrew, with food and various amenities well within reach. It is about 30 minutes train ride to the city centre, pubs and nightlife though. Discovery Bay should be out of reach for a new S/O, unless you pitch in and share a place with several other people. This might be a good idea if you want to live in a bigger shoebox, but if you prefer to live alone, I can assure you that reasonably-priced rental accomodation is available in different parts of HKG.

You shouldn't need to fork out an unreasonable sum of money for food and utilities in HKG, so your biggest expenditure by far will be accomodation. Having said that, for the first few years you can expect to retain a bare minimum of your income. Things will gradually improve as you progress up the ladder into the F/O ranks, provided you stay single. Don't come to HKG expecting a lifestyle resembling the one back home, because you won't be able to afford it. Adjust, assimilate and you can definitely learn how to enjoy living in this city.

I know what you mean in terms of not expecting to live the way i would live here over there.... just thinking about it because I still live at home and will be self sufficient if i do the cadetship, my parents would not help me out with rent etc..

But the 'reasonably' prices are in all countries - but what are the actual area's like? If i spent half my wage on rent would the other half say 15,000 HKD be enough to eat, go out, travel on the train to the airport etc...http://images.ibsrv.net/ibsrv/res/sr...ies/boohoo.gif i would really love to do this but i dont know if i could 'assimilate' to the hk life... it would be very different to my sydney life!

If you don't like it, just leave, say thanks for the training and find a job else where.

Make sure you get your licences sorted out, your HK ATPL with a P2X rating may be useless for a conversion to another issuing state.

If there is any way possible I'd recommend getting an Aust CPL and MECIR while doing your flying in Adelaide, even if you have to pay for it yourself.

It will give you options in the future if you find CX pay as an S/O to little.

Remember there is no harm in joining and then leaving, if CX won't pay enough what do they expect.

I'm new to this site :D
 

Hi guys - I'm new to this gouge but have skimmed through the highlights. Just wanted to know if the people receiving interviews have previous flight experience? I've seen that this question has been asked multiple times before in this thread but not many have answered.
I just put in my application with CX 3 days ago (have wanted to work for them for YEARS but never knew they hired Expats into their cadet program until - well...3 1/2 days ago :P)! Currently at 1400 TT and 110 Multi - with everthing from Private to MEI. Anyone else with similar qualifications - or am I too overqualified to be competitive? Thoughts..........................anyone?...anyone?....buhle r? :O

No you are not overqualified to answer your question. There are guys and gals with jet time applying for this. Good luck with your application

Hi Khammy87 - I work at Westminster College up in Salt Lake, but I'm a graduate of USU. Have some friends down at UVU as well :) When do you interview with Cathay and how long did it take them to process your app?

Khammy87
 

pay: Cathay Pacific Airways Pilots Salary <<< i'm not too sure if this is still the same but it should be a rough idea of what to expect.

duties: Free File Hosting - Upload files or images for free - Hide My Ass! <<< this pdf file is a cathay pacific S/O guide in detail of what S/Os do on cathay's 747-400.

time at FTA: https://www.pprune.org/fragrant-harb...gramme-30.html << post #595 by holdmetight covers pretty much your time at FTA and what you do.

hope this helps :ok:

Just adding some points to what Em773ER has provided...

If my memory serves me right, the salary figures provided in the website are a little off, because they are outdated. The discrepancy between the current figures and the ones in the website is minimal though, so it is still a good indicator of what to expect.

You don't do any instructing at FTA after you graduate - you return to HKG for ground school on whichever fleet they assign you to. I assume you were referring to the CX-FTA Instructor scheme that was launched 2 years ago? I don't think CX will recruit pilots through that channel again.

Finally, I don't think you can find any solid information on upgrade times because it varies with the movements of the pilot body. This, in turn, varies with a lot of factors - company expansion, retirements, etc. Have a look at the "Time to Command" post on the Fragrant Harbour Wannabe forum. While it mainly focuses on time needed for eventual promotion to Captain, you can get an idea of how long it would take for you to reach F/O. In the past it was typically 2-3 years after joining as an S/O. However with retirement age being pushed to 65, it could take longer. Read the post, it's very informative.

My "failed" Stage 2 attempt
 

Hello all, just wanted to update everyone with my application status. I did stage 2 yesterday in HK, unfortunately i was rejected and didn't get invited to Stage 3. But I don't feel that i lost much. The whole process was actually really fun after looking back at it now. It also allowed me to find my weaknesses so i know what to prepare for for my next attempt.

As holdmetight stated a number of posts before, if you are looking to apply for Cathay's Cadet Program, make sure you are ready first. I submitted my application last year with little knowledge about the flying. I didn't start the research and reading until I got invited to Stage 1. By then, it was too late. But after the research i have done so far and with the experience i got from Stage 1 and 2, i am certain that i would try again and that this is a career i want to get into.

By the way, i've checked with them on when can applicants re-apply again if they were not successful and they told me it is not 6 months anymore, it is now 10 months.

Well, it was great meeting everyone! We will meet again!

Hey guys.I recently submitted my application but Iam quite unsure if the interviewers will come to my geographical region.Iam from Africa and specifically KENYA.Any one out there who is from this location and had them coming for the stage one interview?

AsL402,

I'm sorry to hear the news, I hope you are coping with it well. Definitely don't give up, good things come to those who wait! To prepare and build your knowledge base, I suggest you constantly keep reading anything you can get your hands on. I personally believe the best way of accumulating knowledge is to read a little bit everyday, rather than cramming a stack of books 2 weeks before your interview. Sounds quite old school, but it has worked for me so far.

On the other hand, if you some spare time and cash, taking some flying lessons would be good as well. I have found that learning ground school theory is much easier if you can experience the practical side of aviation at the same time.

All the best, let us know how you go! :ok:

EM773 and Holdmetight,

Thank you for sharing the different links you've posted.

The pdf file giving an insight of a SO tasks and duties seems to be quite ironic...is that espacially coming with the 744 fleet and old, embittered Captains ? Are SO really considered as the bunk makers and ATIS printers only....?

Might be frustrating after a few months :bored:

Hey Asl402 and dronehawk,

Asl, keep up the good spirit (I really admire that), I had a similar situation with another airline. Keep your eyes open, you never know who else will have a cadet programme before the 10 months are over.

dronehawk, if you could, try selecting a city where they have previously visited (e.g. London or Jo'berg). E-mail CX and try to find out if they are coming to any city near you or any place you are willing to fly to for the first interview.

Cheers,
Ahmed

Ispahan
 

Yeah, I've heard similar stories about the B744 fleet and the long-sleeve brigade. I'm not convinced this is how most S/Os are treated though, I have a friend who is an S/O at the moment and he seems to be enjoying his line of work. It seems life in the Airbus and B777 fleets is much more pleasant!

AsL402: Sorry to hear the bad news. Like everyone is saying, keep the spirit and don't give up. Best of luck in the future!

Ispahan: I am also not convinced that's how S/O's are treated, but as far as duties go, i think the SO guide shows a good enough description. Something you could get asked during interviews (most often they do) about what S/O's duties are, some people just know the basic "relief pilot" description but this guide should certainly help.

dronehawk: if my memory serves me well, i think i remember reading a post by someone from kenya as well. but don't worry, i understand that they also offer interviews to places near your geographical location, likely to be jo'burg for you if not kenya. good luck with your application. :ok:

@dronehawk:

I too am from Kenya, and attended my stage 1a and 1b in Hong Kong. I had previously applied to be assessed in Malaysia, as i was studying here then. But, decided to change my location, and got invited to HK.

Do try check for change of location, as CX does not fly into Nairobi, and doubt highly if they'll have interviews there. In Africa, I do know that they held interviews in Jo'burg, if my memory serves me correctly..

All the best! :ok:

Is Cathay calling everyone who applied for the initial screening? Is there an idea of what the average time frame is from when someone submits the app to the time a person is called?

Your wait varies depending on whether they happen to hold interviews at a location you picked. That said though, I've heard most people say they waited 6 months between applying and getting an interview.

ASL
 

ASL,

Mate sorry to hear the news.. I've actually got my stage two coming up in HK. I was wondering if you had any insight into where you feel you went wrong, or perhaps any tips from your experience?

The best advice I can give is to just be yourself and stay composed under pressure. I'm convinced that it all comes down to how they like you, not how much you know.