Anxious .... F1FF;NZ787 & ChrisA
 

Hey guys - F1FF; NZ787 & ChrisA - when did you apply; where is yr interview and what was yr first preference for location of interview?

Cheers Kimba

should you receive a call or an email for the invitation?
i've got an unknown call yesterday that i failed to pick up, and im not sure if it is from cathay.

congrats on the interview calls! seems theres a NZ trend going on here :) .....are you NZ folks interviewing in NZ or HK?

how to contact them via email?
 

hello.


I recently changed my address and would want to inform Cathay about it.

how do i email them telling that my permanent address has changed?
any email address?
thank you. :)

If you cant figure this one out by yourself and especially see that this question has been discussed before, how da he$$ are you gonna fly a more than 200T heavy aeroplane?

Step up...this is what they want to see apparently!

S/O rosters
 

If my memory serves me well, from a previous post it was said S/Os roughly work a 10 day roster then they get the rest of the month off? Correct me if i'm wrong.

Does anyone know the exact figures? Im sure it would be different for each aircraft on the fleet, i.e. different routes, different times etc
Any input on this is appreciated, thanks in advance :ok:

Just depends on the month.

You tend to be rostered up to 84 credit hours (roughly translates to 84 block hours for an SO). So that translates into 3 longhaul patterns. There are shorter and longer patterns however and also reserve blocks of 6 days.

You can also (presently) choose a W pattern (double longhaul i.e. HKG-SFO-HKG-YVR say..) and then tend to get one W and one single trip.

It takes about 3.5 days to complete one longhaul say depart midnight Sunday land Wednesday morning.

There is plenty of possible variations though.

Good luck

Cadet
 

Hey all,

I got an interview invitation last week, had an email and a call from hong kong, just to let you know i applied in November 2009.

Kiwis
 

F16 and NZ787 good work on the initial call up. Go hard and get involved!

Do any of you care that you will not get ANY housing allowance, and will not be able to afford to live the life you are expecting??? THINK ABOUT IT!!!!

to crwjerk
 

crwjerk,

For some people, the cathay pacific cadet pilot programme is their only chance to sit in a cockpit one day!
Housing allowance or not, I have always wanted to become a pilot and I don't have enough money to pay for a pilot tranning! So with or without a housing allowance I hope I will be selected even if for 4 years I must live under a bridge! :mad:

To Daftpunk2008
 

You are absolutely right. I am in the same situation and I understand it fully. Good luck to everyone and thanks for the sharing of info. 'crwjerk' must read Da Vinci...For once you have tasted flight you will walk the earth with your eyes turned skywards, for there you have been and there you will long to return.

Kind Rgds

1st Year Cost of Living
 

Guys and gals I just wanted to put some thought into the cost of living with Year 1 SO salary. It would be grateful if anyone with solid knowledge could add to/amend my rough calculations.

Income

Pre-Tax

Salary = $398,148
13th Month Bonus = $33,179
Flight Pay (based on 84 credit hours a month) = $29,398 per annum

After-Tax (assuming 13th month bonus is not taxed)

Salary + Flight Pay = $427,546
Tax of 15%

After-Tax income = $363,414

Per Month = $30,284

Expenditure

Rent = $10,000
Food (weekly shop of about $300) = $1,200
Home Telephone = $110
Mobile Phone = $300
Internet = $280
Electricity = $300
Gas = $400
Water = $150
Public Transport (very roughly estimated since depends on lots of factors) = $560

Total expenditure so far = $13,300

OK i need to add a lot more to the expenditures. As long as you don't go out to LKF every night!

Please help me add to these calculations!

At the moment, net income after BASIC expenditure is $16,984 (if you are a hermit)

Dreams can be tough sometimes huh? You might have to actually go out and work for it.
Fine. I can't wait to fly with you. Don't complain to me when you get here, read the above post, actually it can be a little worse than that....
-You can safely assume 10000 per month on eating, drinking, having a life, in addition to the above.
- 2000 per month for a philippina to clean your flat.
- Phone bills do not include SMS unless to same provider. Can be double or triple the contract price.
- You'll need extra income protection insurance, as the Company one only pays for 5 years..... that's about HKD 25000 per year.
- Electricity in Summer at least 1000 per month
- a piece of steak - 200-400 HKD.... One per month maybe?

Anyway.... Good Luck. Just be ready for a TOUGH time. ( btw, there'll be no bases for you to go home to, when you finally decide that you can't afford to live in Hong Kong)
I'm only trying to get you to think about it before you up and leave your homes.

Worth it......??? Up to you of course.

to crwjerk
 

Here in my country, I work as an engineer.
At the end of the month, I save about 1000 HKG dollars.
My life will be better in Hong-Kong anyway. Maybe during the 4 first years, it would be difficult but after that I think it will be ok.

Standard Toaster,

Please keep in mind that the 13th in not contractual and on a few occasions we all have missed out on the elusive 13th...

As a 2nd officer you will have a lot of time on your hands and whilst all your mates are pissing it up at the "Fong" or going on holidays all over the world you will be sitting in your tiny flat wanting to do the same. Further I don't think HK$300 a week for food is enough - please keep that in mind.

If I was a wannabe without experience I would jump at the opportunity... free training and a jet job... I joined as a DESO with a couple thousand hours experience but I can say with confidence that if CX had offered me the SO job without housing I wouldn't have taken it since I have done my careful research about the cost of living in HKG.

Just to clarify - there is nothing wrong with cadets in CX - we have a lot of very good pilots who come from the cadet scheme; it's just the terms and conditions which worry everyone - there is no way you can have a family when you are older on a CX salary without housing.

If you take the job then go ahead but please don't bitch to me at 3am over the Pacific or the Himalayas about getting short changed...

Got a call this afternoon, pretty much telling me if i want to attend the interview i need to reply to the email by end of business today.

"HK$300 a week for food"... . ha ha ha ha in HK!! you have got to be kidding!!

Toaster
 

Toasty, you've completely underestimated a number of of figures. Lets run some more accurate figures for you intrepid wanna be cadets.....:D

Rent - dependant, but most of you will be in a tiny studio or 1 bedder in Tung Chung, or worse, 10K per month is good enough.:ouch:

Food - not even close:{ Try a 1000/week, and I'm not exagerating at all. Everything here is twice or more what you pay at home. Example, milk, its $28HKD per litre; Cheese, 250gm $45.00; Bread $20.00 for cheap stuff (loaves are half size too btw); Box of cereal 60.00.....I think you can see where I'm going with this one.....:eek: Don't even think about steak! Cheap snags, $50-60 for 4. Get used to those I think:E

Forget the home phone, go with a mobile only....my bills are usually around $1500/month and I don't use mine all that much. And they have been higher.:ooh:

Internet and TV - NOW has both, you'll pay around $1000/month for that...and of course you'll need to buy a TV....:{

Electricity - my last bill was nearly $4000, that's for 2 months. Don't think you can live with no aircon here in summer.:=

Public Transport - that's hard to estimate, but say $1000 per month to be safe.

So now we are at around 20K per month and our intrepid cadet has yet to buy a TV, furniture, bed, linen, kitchen items, clothes or even been out to have a bit of fun to try and forget his woes....that by the way is easy $1000/night, and that's also conservative. Want to stay in shape? Check out gym prices....or the local Residents Club, in DB, you'll be looking at another $1000/month again minimum....cause you'll want to be doing something with all your time off:E

A few other points, don't include your 13th month in any calculations, we haven't had that the last few years. Tax, more like 17%, and you have to save it up, they don't do PAYE here and it's harder than you think, especially when you have bugger all money left over anyway. I haven't even begun to mention the "Hong Kong" factor in prices here:yuk:

I now await the screeches of justification:E

You have been warned:ugh:

StandardToaster

Firstly 13th month and profit share if they are paid and hourly duty pay is taxed. Tax rates are as follows:

Income: $398148

Taxation

Tax free Threshold (Single):$108000
1st 40000 2%: $800
2nd 40000 7%: $2800
3rd 40000 12%: $4800
Remainder ($170148) 17%: $28925 (excluding Hourly Duty Pay, 13th month & Profit Share)
Total: $37325
Provisional Tax (First year only & depending when you start in Hong Kong): $41057
Gross tax: $78382 (19.7% of gross salary)
Net salary: $319766 or $26647 per month

Expenditure/month

Rent: $15000
Food: $4000
Home Phone: $500
Mobile: $120
Internet: $200
Electricity: $1000
Gas: $300
Water: $150
Public Transport: $1000
Miscellaneous: $3000
Total: $25270

This expenditure is assuming a single person living by themselves. Imagine if you had a wife and kids?