carpet weaver, they will send an email inviting you first.

After you have confirmed your receipt and availability, they will send you another email detailing the interview day i.e JKI booklet and what tests are involved.


goodluck :ok:

I totally agree, although with the right practice you can ace them. Contact me via PM for more details:ok:

accept no substitutes!!

Anyone here going for the CX interview in SIN on 23rd March 2011?

Raven's Advanced Progressive Matrices??
 

Hey does anyone know where I can buy the Ravens APM book?

Eyes open
 

Hi All. I know it is exciting to look forward to a airline job. I know as it was for me and still is for me now. I have been with Cathay since 1998 and love my job. I just think you should not ignore this package you are being offered. Be very aware that if you come here with no housing allowance you will not be able to afford to live here. It is one thing being in a low paid job in your own country, and a completely other thing to be in a low paid job in some one else's country. In Hong Kong most foreigners have quite well paid jobs and these are the people you will be socialising with. You will just be miserable and resentful when you find out too late that you can't afford to buy your kids milk in the supermarket. Don't think about staff travel as you won't be able to afford it. Small 3 bedroom flat at the moment in DB about 15 to 25000 per month. Not much left on a 32000 per month income. And for those that have been told no school allowance as local schools are free. First, classes are in Cantonese, and second if you were going to send your kids through the public school system, why would you not do it in your own country.
You are being misled in the interview. By the time you find this out, if you came with a family, they wont be here as you will not be able to support them in Hong Kong. I have two children, wife and a nice garden apartment. I live in a style that I would expect to live in my own country given the job I have. If I was living a as a pauper and not around my family and friends at the same time, then I could not live as an ex-pat.
I've taken the time to post this as you need to know the facts. If you have a job in aviation, do not leave it for this one. If you are unemployed at the moment with little or no prospects of employment in your country then ok. Hell, I even got housing paid for when I was working in PNG nearly 20 years ago.

If you went to live in Discovery Bay in your first year as an SO you would be absolutely nuts, what an expensive place to live. What about Lantau island? You can get a reasonably sized 2 bedroom flat for 10,000 a month at the upper range. Share that with another cadet and you're fine.

If you're single with no dependents then the cadet program is incredible. Remember you get paid for duty flight hours as well, and that the new salary pay rise is really quite good for SOs.

Sorry to burst your bubble, but "expat" grade apartments aren't HKD10K any more. Try HKD15K+.

Then you'd need a car, public transport (when you want to go to work) is really not that reliable unless you WANT to add an hours' grace...

Car licence HKD5500/year.
Insurance (liability only) HKD1500/year.
Petrol HKD14+/Litre
Lantau permit HKD?
Parking HKD1600/month
Car P.O.S. HKD20K - Decent shape HKD60K+

Crash-padding working for CX? Living the dream. Remember Colgan Air and KBUF.

Think carefully.

Hi everyone,

I'm new to this forum. Like everyone else, I have a dream of being a pilot. Dream, but not unreachable. I took my first attempt 5 years ago (in 2005) and failed miserably. I guess I was categorized as a 'passing phase', a commonly found wannabe, which i wont argue because that was probably true.

But after working for 5 years in another totally unrelated industry and numerous other life experiences, i still feel my love for aviation and decide to have a second shot at it. I just applied 2 weeks ago, before the Chinese New Year holidays, any one else here have applied around this time?

I've been reading the first 20 pages of this thread.. there's so much useful information here! Anyhow, does anyone know if the selection process have changed since this thread began in 2009?

I've a some questions:

1) is the holding period still present? (the CP32-5 classes waiting up to 12 months before having first flight and CP36 up to 6 months)

2) i notice there's a session going on right now, does anyone know when abouts the next intake would be?

Thanks!

It is nice to inform us Cadets and future SOs about the housing and funding situation in Hong Kong. I believe it is all a matter of how one approaches life in Hong Kong, and how one deals with the given circumstances.

Stage 2 on March 23
 

Anyone for Stage 2 on Mar23 in HK?

not yet, but could be as I had my Stage 1 on Feb 14th. Hope I hear back from then soon :) When was ur Stage 1 and how long did u wait for Stage 2?

Stage 1: Feb1, ICAO exam; Feb 17.. Are you finished with your ICAO exam?

5 Years as S/O??
 

1st: I normally don't even read these forums anymore. It is way too negative.

2nd: To all the current CX pilots delibarately shooting down the dreams of potential flyers because they only worry about their own jobs: shame on you!! If you cannot state facts in a professional manner and hate CX so much, then do us all a favour; leave.

That said, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but it seems like CX has just decided to cut the S/O to F/O upgrades for this year by half!
This stems from the new rules coming into play allowing them to crew long haul flights with two S/Os.
For someone like me, that's been around 3 years, and was hoping to upgrade inside 4 years; it now looks like closer to 5 years as a S/O, with no further pay rise till upgrading!

I know that a lot of new joiners will see this as a mere blip in their career, but I do beleive that this should be weighed as a factor when making a decision to join CX. I am now reluctantly accepting the fact that it will take more than 13 years to become a captain (beleive me, that sucks!)

As for the new contract on offer for International Cadetts - I will only say this:
If you are young (<24) and single, you can possibly consider it. Get in, get to F/O and get out. (You can then restart in a company in your home country at around age 30, which is still possible to do)
If you are married or coming to HKG with a partner: forget it, this contract is just not for you.

I apologise if I am breaking my own rules and being too negative here, but I am trying to keep emotion out of it and provide facts only.

If anyone needs ANY information about moving to HKG, cost of living, available housing, prices, etc; please PM me, I will provide as much help as possible.

Regards
PP

so 16 days, cant wait!

no whats the ICAO exam about?

did u get a call or mail from cathay?

Well 5 minutes of research yielded the following 4 properties in South Lantau

http://www.expatflats.com/property-pui-o-lo-uk-$6000-2215-2.html
http://www.expatflats.com/property-tong-fuk-2/f-plus-roof-$6k-2121-2.html
http://www.expatflats.com/property-mui-wo-scenic-crest-terrace-$5500-2225-2.html
http://www.expatflats.com/property-mui-wo-center-$10k-2233-2.html

The top 3 are all 2 bedrooms and about $6000 a month. This took 5 minutes, I'm sure with more time you could find better properties.

You seriously don't need a car, even in Lantau, take a minibus!

I honestly think that when you guys are setting your standards for coming to Hong Kong, they are not typical of what should be expected as a SO. We don't expect to have houses with gardens and nights out in Wan Chai. We expect to have to scrape by at first, and when using sensible figures and sources to calculate monthly expenditures, there's quite a lot of room to play with before exhausting that month's salary.

Go ahead and do the calculations yourself, take one of those $6k properties, although they're two bedrooms, assume you're renting it by yourself, and see how much cash you have left over that month. Don't play silly buggers and throw in ridiculous expenses like cars. Even if you give yourself insanely high allowances for food, utilities and others, I doubt you can exceed that month's budget.

Your expectations will be met - and then some. For years and years and years...

What price integrity?
 

The breathless rush to take up these cadet positions is quite frankly sad to see:(

sunytorytimo, have you ever been to Hong Kong? Your statements justifying being poor, no nights out etc etc are ridiculous in the extreme. What are you planning on doing in your tiny little flat during your 20 days off a month...?:hmm: And by the way, Disco Bay IS on Lantau Island. If you want to prostitute yourself then I'll make a little wager with you and any other cadet here....in less than 3 years, when you are still broke, no pay rise, can't go out, can't travel and staring down the barrel of at least another 2 years in the back you'll all be whinging like a windmill in a Typhoon:E;):D And not one of us will want to hear it. Of course, there is then the small matter of your JFO upgrade after 5+ years in the jumpseat, because if you don't pass that, your out and you'll soon find your P2X rating about at useful as soggy loo paper.

Pitotprobe......
You make this comment and then go on to moan about 5 years as an SO? Are you not doing the exact same thing?:rolleyes: I've read this forum and what I can see is current pilots advising, using facts, about what these cadets can expect when they get here and perhaps opening their eyes and, dare I say it, even helping some make an informed decision. You offer nothing and if you think its a case of "shooting down dreams" don't you think CX is doing that to you, and most definately to the cadets....?:ugh: Good lord man, get a grip. :hmm:

The wager stands.

Suntory

http://www.squarefoot.com.hk/propert...ages/3570242/5

Your third search (Scenic Crest) is on the commercial wharf, 24/7 unloading for the "Wellcome" (spelled correctly) supermarket directly opposite, the correctional services wharf (prisoner transfer for the nearby gaol) and within earshot of the cement factory - just out of view. Did I mention the VERY popular "China Bear" pub and it's noisy clientele (unaffordable on an S/O salary BTW) across the way?

Great choice. You'll last a month, then spend 11 months trying to wriggle out of 24 month lease...

suntorytimo

As has been stated before, you can find many cheap places in HK but do you want to live in an area that isn’t accommodating and welcoming of expats? Do a little research and you will find that there has been some serious unrest about expats moving to certain parts of South Lantau in the very recent past. Racism unfortunately is alive and well in Hong Kong for those expats venturing too far outside the more traditional areas that expats tend to live.

Sure you don’t need a car “all the time”. Have you actually done any research into the bus service on South Lantau though? What about the taxi service? When you have come back and tell me how you will make it work. Just in case you haven’t worked it out yet, you won’t be working normal office hours in this job

It still amazes me that some of you actually think you know more about living in Hong Kong from browsing the internet than some of us who actually live here. You really are in for a rude shock when you actually move here.:ugh:

Anyone out there reading these postings, possible inside CX, know approximatly how many cadets have applied since it opened to International and how many thus far have been accepted to the programme?

The number I've heard is around 20000 cadet applications since the international cadet program started. Intake was around 80-120 cadets/SO per year. Apparently this year the cadet intake will be doubled.

Has any of these tools have actually passed Cathay type training….getting an interview is one thing but passing Cathay training is something else….:{

well spotted.. seems like there's almost no one coming back to the forums and write to us after they passed the interviews and the training... or they havn't said so

there are of course many ex cadets working as SOs at cx. Most pass the training after AUS and most but not all pass the upgrade to FO.

Fine I surrender, I'll just go and take that other pilot job where they pay for all of my training and then start me off on £32,000 a year post tax.

I beg your apology for possibly suggesting that a pilot who has just received his CPL would scrape by, because lord knows, all new CPL pilots start off on really cushy jobs, don't pay for type ratings, and get housing allowances in Europe, and of course there are enough of these jobs going around for everyone!

You want to know why no one goes on this forum, because most of the guys with a modicum of sense steer clear of you trolls who clearly have an axe to grind.

suntorytimo

Again you shoot from the hip. If you had bothered to do some research, something you seem to be reluctant to do, you would have discovered I have helped many wannabes try and get into CX in the past. I won’t sit by though and let wannabes have their lives ruined by financial entrapment when they discover they can’t afford to live in Hong Kong on the package being offered. £32000.00 before tax will be a very tight existence for someone in the third most expensive city in the world to live. I had more disposable income in my first year of GA flying in Australia in the late 80’s then you will have here flying a wide body jet. If you can’t see you are being taken advantage of because of your naivety of everything to do with this industry then god help us all.
You’re kidding right? 2224 post on this thread, 95% by wannabes speaks for itself. Considering you only have 24 posts to your name it's a bit of a rich calling us trolls. I suggest you look in the mirror sunshine.:ugh:

Hong Kong, Third most expensive rents in the World

Thanks GTC58. Do you know when it opened to International, not too long ago correct?

Approx. 2 years ago.

Suntory & friends:

Let's get one thing straight. The CX iCadets are nothing more than the CHEAPEST way CX can fill a map folding seat. Nothing more, nothing less. You are not part of ellite group as the speaches at the graduation ceremonies will tell you via a Goebels-esque propagander speach. If this were not true they would've employed the many pilots on the T & C's that they interviewed under & were successful in those interviews from 3 years ago. At least they (all but 1 i believe) had the experience knowledge of CX & the industry to see when they are being taken advantage of & refuse such an insult.

Pilots with actual CX experience and knowledge are not offering hints or advice, they are telling you & the others in no uncertain terms the truth. But it is obvious you & the others are so easily led & ignorant to to truth & facts that you insist on dismissing them.

When all is said & done you have actively & deliberately lowered the T & C's of a once great airline. In truth, I don't blame ignorant, starry eyed children for such mistakes. More so the greedy managements profiteering from this ignorance. I do & will blame ignorant, starry eyed children when all the advice & evidence is before them but they are so arrogant in their own assertion to be right that they ignore it.

Wake up call......... A CX second officer has never had to "scrape by". It's always been a positive career move in many ways, financially mainly. Not so any more though. With all these SJS jumping at these inadequate conditions, they are sure NOT to improve.

By the way Pitot Probe, spell check before you spout off.

Facts
 

Not a commercial pilot, not a cadet either. However, in reading these posts, it seems to me two things must be accepted if one has the choice to become a cadet:

1. Money is bad as SO, especially in HK. No housing credits either, likely never.
2. The overall airline trend is to cut benefits and pay. CX is no exception, and the cadet programme is a great example of that. Seems to me one must get used to that if they're in the industry. That's the way it is, join them eyes wide open.

What I wonder is how someone with limited experience as an aviator, after a flight school and undoubtedly great training, can expect to fly with 4 years of monkey see and zero monkey do (save for sim training I understand every-other month) with adequate performance in tough situations? So long as you accept the two facts above it seems like a great opportunity but will this give the proper foundation to move to FO and so-forth?

I'm not knocking what I am sure is expectational CX training, and nobody would move to JFO without passing the evaluations. Nonetheless it begs the question......

The answer to that is 'DEFO', the FO spots will go to outsiders when needed, that is after the current DESO's are moved up to JFO.
My "crystal ball" is telling me the ICadets will stay as SO's for the maximum term of their contract, then be upgraded very slowly. Because after-all they will all be soooo bitter by then that as soon as they make FO and get some time on something larger than a Cessna.....they will be leaving in droves.

However if you are 20 now, you will be a Widebody FO before you are 30, and with 30 more years of flying ahead of you this might just payoff for you? Now if you are 30+......well......ahhhhh:eek:

Cathay Salaries for Second officers
 

Hi, just joined the forum, I have never posted before, but do have a little bit of up to date information to share with you guys who are considering the Cathay Cadet Scheme.
The initial salary has just risen by 9% this year, will increase by 3% next year taking OTE to approxamately £40,000 per annum with the inclusion of annual bonus's and allowances. I have just found out from a very reliable source that there is going to be a housing allowance allocated to Second Officers of approx £10,000 per annum.
There are about 40,000 applicants in the pool at the moment looking for sponsorship and it seems that Cathay may be looking to double the intake for Cadets this year.
My experience of Cathay is limited, but I have found them up to press to be an extremely supportive company towards their cadets where opportunities for these young men and women are few and far between.
The Cadet scheme is open to all nationalities and has been since June 2009.
I know that the cost of living is expensive in Hong Kong, but the reality for these cadets is to have no prospect and no money or grasp this chance and have a carear with a first class world leading company and a bright future.
I sincerly hope this helps some of you hopefuls out there make a more informed decision. If any of you guys have interviews, the best of luck, be assured though, you will have to be exceptional to be chosen.

Hey Guys,

How can I the best train myself for Stage 1? What sort of selection is it(interview,test)?

Thanks!

have a look at my Cathay Stage 1 report!

Captain Weird,

Few suggestions

1 - read this entire thread - there's alot of waffle going on, but also alot of good info regarding all aspects of the selection process

2 - what level of flight experience do you have? your knowledge should commensurate your level of experience at the very very least, but would be strongly recommended you study material beyond what you would be expected to know with your experience. There is a base knowledge level that is expected of you being the material in the JKI booklet that is sent to you when you are invited for stage 1.

3 - you can never be too prepared

goodluck and sit patiently till u get the email invite :ok:

Quick question regarding the JKI test

Are the questions about specific information on the booklet CX sent us or are the questions more general stuff from the booklet.


For example

The book gives an example about variation.

"the variation in Burma and Western Australia is nil, whereas at Vancouver Island it is 25 Degrees E and the other side of Canada, in Newfoundland, it is over 30 Degrees W."

Could CX as a question like

"what is the variation in Burma and Western Australia"..

Im trying to figure out the best way to study for this...

Thanks

Ad on internet today
 

Just a quick one. I noticed today CX advertising for cadets on a European website. I have had an application in for 6 months and not a peep from them. I have fATPL with the right education and thought I would at least get a reply. Others I know who applied at the same time have gone off for stage one and others as well as me hear nothing. Is there some magic wand that is waved to select people?

I find it hard to understand why they are advertising when they have I would think hundreds of people on the books already.

VIEW JOBS - Latest Pilot Jobs provides the latest aviation vacancies around the world.

Just out of interest tarmac, are you married or have kids/dependants?