SAUDIA RECRUITING
 

Saudia is recruiting 320 and 777 pilots.
An interview takes place in London, with 50 ATPL questions (not so difficult), some 20 questions to measure our "stupidity", and an interview . The interviewers are extremely polite, and the questions sometimes tricky....SAUDIA is paying your airticket, plus HOTAC for one or two nights.
If you pass, there is a second "round" in Jeddah, where you have to pass a sim assessment and medical examinations.....Then you must stay there, for at least 4 to 5 months.....Why? In order to do your Saudi school, sim and training as well as line....What else? You must obtain FAA (?) ATPL....!!!! The last was very "nicely" hidden from the interviewers....but noted in the invitation received a few days later. Although salary noted in interview is 3 to 4 thousands us$ MORE than offered.
After all this, I am looking for something else, adding the cost of the "bonding" , which means 1 to 2 thousands us$ less on salary, for some years....
:}

I'm guessing this already happened?if not,would you be so kind as to provide a link where to apply?

Well, there are a few differences between the benefits advertised at flightglobal and the ones on Saudia website. Is the salary also different? :hmm:

Looking at the ad I wonder where is my
Annual productivity bonus??
10 "king days" that due to lack of crew didnt give this year and saudis got paid 6 months ago and expats still waiting for the money
School allowance i believe is around 28000 rials per child and the amount doesnt cover the fees of some international schools
They also fail to mention that to get your ACM tkt you need to run around the office collecting this stupid stamps and signatures and make sure you are listed on the flight as crew otherwise you still dont get on
Very interesting about the free membership on saudia sports club, It is ONLY for men and you still have to pay an anual fee
Free accomodation, well if you dont mind leaking roof when rain ( lucky only3 times a year), electricity plugs not grounded, blowing a/c, cheap furniture and the list can go on....
About the compound facilities I am not going to even mention it, I heard on the 70's was the best, and thats it ,they havent cleaned it or improved it since then so imagine the swimming pool, parks and play area. They also seem to love to leave the water running for the grass areas and flood them so nobody can use them for weeks.
The medical center is a joke, most expats go back to their country for real treatments.
By the way, your contract pay might be change for worst at anytime, despite you having a sign contract, and your promise 6 days off in a row turn out to be 5 or less, just cause they need you.
Also your 30 days holidays have to be taken all in a row cause they cant work out their very expensive system to split them through the year

The money is ok, but you really have to work overtime to be really good, tax free but i believe some of the comuting americans still have to pay some tax back in their countries, money is not enough for the livestyle of this country,
If you planning to bring your familly you wont see them much, jeddah is the base but most of the time you find yourself away for 3-4 days, back for 1 and away again, you can be landing at 11am and reporting for night fly same day at 11pm. If you planning to comute usually the promise days off in a row never happen.
If you dont mind any of this, and you are really desperate for a job, come here, but dont complain after
Most expats are already looking for the way out...

Happy landings

ASFRY thanks! Exactly same comments received today from friends in Jeddah.
If you are "desperado" it is a good place....
I had to chose between Saudia and Qatar....After all this, I am leaving home in a few days for Doha. Will report ppruners accordingly...
Keep it cool!:ok:

1978/1985
 

I worked for Saudia during the above listed years. Sounds like the only thing that has changed are the types of aircraft!

Sort of sticks it to the regional though...

The arse fell out of the pay circa 1996-97 vob. I was lined up
for the 310 when they told me of the then revised conditions
and salary. The old T&Cs would've paid me enough to put up
living in that crapholery.

Slasher in Saudi........... that would have been interesting :):):):)

You're implying I might not've survived living and working in
the Saudi without a supply of booze and buxom nubiles Mutt?


Yer right. I wouldnt've.


But of course I had various plans in the pipeline for my beer
still and as for women..er...well lets just say I would've been
on the A310!

You wouldnt have had a problem with either of these :):)

But access to porn was extremely limited :):):)

SAUDIA EMPTY PROMISE
 

..just went for the interview in first week of Dec in London.. letter said will pay you immediately...not very true..till today nothing in bank account..
very sad for a national carrier. thank you Mr. B :D



" Evidently there is no Saudia direct flight from XXX to LHR. This letter reassures and guarantees your interview travel Y-class round trip ticket cost for ...will be reimbursed instantly in London as advised. No delay and no waiting for ticket cost reimbursement.

:ugh:

Let us not forget about the 36 year old Airbus Capt. (a Saudi, by the way) who died after some sort of cardiac stenosis or other crisis manifested during a flight out of JED last year. He was denied admission to hospital after arrival in Dammam because Saudi Arabian Airlines had failed to pay for medical treatment before...

Or the B747 pilot who fell over some equipment which had been left behind by the cleaning staff onboard his airplane, causing injury to his shoulder, if i remember correctly. He, naturally, went home (= far away from the KSA) for professional medical treatment and got terminated (= fired) after that, because he had to many absent days...

I could go on...

Can anyone tell me, which is better... between Qatar and Saudia as captain. They both offered me a job.
I am really confused....

Jetopa, if you are going to tell stories, please make sure that you have them correct !

Refugee..... Qatar.

MUTT thanks! I know that life in Jeddah is difficult, as well as the difficulty to visit home....especially the first 6 or so, months during training.
But in the other side, Saudia is more "flexible" if you compare with Qatar, in matter of "intra-company life".
Of course life on Qatar is much more easier than Jeddah....

Dear Mutt,

just tell me, that I made this up:

Negligence alleged in Saudia pilot

Newspaper article by RH on the 08th, following the event on the 05th.... The truth about the hospital was revealed in later articles and fully accepted by the family.

Unfortunately this doesn't do anything to bring CM back, so for me this subject ends, but if you are still interested, I would suggest you do more research.

I went last week to Athens for the screening as a consequence of my application to the 777 capt non type rated position.
Well...
50 standard questions about aeronautic knowledge (V speeds, TORA, ASDA, etc.), nothing special to say about, to be completed in one hour.
Then 10 questions about, let's say, intellectual ability to treat small problems in a minimum of time (15 minutes).
If you go through this, then you will have a beautiful seat facing the three SAA guys.
They ask you to explain your aeronautical past, family life, expectations.
After that, of course, you ask questions.
And it becomes different of all the mails you received previously to encourage you to cross Europe for the pleasure of meeting these interesting persons:
- No 777, recruiting in fact for A320 and ERJ 170/190:{
- 9 days off/month means a block of 5 days (1 day to come back to your place, 3 days on the premices ans 1 day to go back to JED), and 4 days off the way they fall = 3 days with your family, unless you want to divorce by bringing your wife there,
- Need to sit for the Saudian ATPL which is based, they say, on the FAA one,
- TR will be stamped on the Saudi license (where can you go with this if everything goes wrong):=
- Need to have entry visas,
- Need to have exit visas :eek:
And so on...

Make up your mind yourself, as I did...:mad:

That was to be expected. But hey - they needed to write something in order to get everybody's attention...

No comment...

That's the easy part!

Unless you go for a type rating on a business jet (= which they don't do in JED), that's they way it is.

Well, that is also mandatory for many other countries, isn't it?

Which sucks, because you can't just leave the KSA whenever you like - you're effectively dependent on their mercy. And - in my (and many other's) case - it may take a while before they issue you this visa.

Need an "Exit Visa" :yuk:

Sorry, but doesn't that sound just a "little" like a prison ?

It is an "opensky prison"....
I got the job, I went through many-many medical checks to get the visa, a terrible procedure.....and the roster....is something else!
They told me that I have to stay in Jeddah "until I finished my line training", which means 5 to 6 months MINIMUM! And during this period I am NOT allowed to leave KSA, to visit my family, and my family is NOT allowed to visit me!
To get the ATPL is not so easy...it needs a lot of work.
Therefore I decided NOT to join them, and as far as I know, from the group of captains we passed the interview, no one is moving to Jeddah...
The HR of SAUDIA must change all these, if they want pilots to join them. You must be completely desperate, to go there. And money is not so attractive.
Try something else.....and keep this as the last resort.

Saudia places ads to hire 120 Indian pilots:
Saudi Gazette - Saudia places ads to hire 120 Indian pilots

.... :D

Or Saudi Captains, with whom they'd have to fly supervision before that.

I've ordered around my white gardner in the morning and then went to work to take orders from my white boss...never been a problem for me.:E

Wow, how did we go from a topic about airline recruitment to slavery ? Regardless of its guise, slavery is deplorable and unfortunately it exists just about everywhere....

In June 2006, Wei Tang was found guilty in the Victorian County Court of possessing and using a slave. The charges related to five women who were recruited from Thailand to work in a Melbourne brothel. Under the terms of the recruitment agreement and purchase, each woman owed a debt of between $40,000 and $45,000 to Wei Tang. The debt involved expenses supposedly incurred transporting the women to Australia and resultant accommodation and incidental expenses as well as a profit margin.
In order to pay off the debt the women were required to work six nights a week servicing clients at the respondent s brothel. Their debt was reduced by an amount of $50 for each etc etc

So can we please stick to the original topic, any discussion on slavery can take place in Jetblast.

Very simply;
When the flag carrier of a country with an ENDEMIC (as opposed to isolated) problem of Indian worker abuse, then seeks to recruit Indian Captains to command its nationals, there is unquestionably a connection and certain irony.
As far as I am aware there is no endemic, specific nationality of foreign worker abuse in Australia. If there were, I am certain the Australian government would take the appropriate action, unlike the Saudi government.
You are perfectly entitled to your opinion, but please, do not be so presumptuous as to appoint yourself acting moderator.

Let's not get abusive
 

Hey Tommy Tilt I think maybe you are the one having a problem making a reasonable post. For your information I am of Indian descent and I have lived in Saudi Arabia and I know other people of Indian descent working in SA as captain and my father was a professor at King Abdulaziz University in Jeddah and he bossed around Saudi students....the list goes on.

Is there a problem as to which you speak...YES. But don't give me a lecture how I live secluded in California and don't know what I am speaking of...please.

My point is racism does exist everywhere, some places more than others. But also it is what you make of it.

And Mutt, sorry for taking this off topic, obviously from reading your posts you know more about any of this than most others on this forum. A belated thank you for all your very informative posts.

Em20;
Perhaps you should have used your alleged vast knowledge of the situation by making a constructive post at the onset instead of making your juvenile “white gardener” comment, complete with an even more juvenile icon. Had you done so, you may have forgone any “lecture” on your California lifestyle bubble.
Not impressed if your father was a professor at a Saudi university. With your vast knowledge you already know that wealthy Saudis educate their children at any location other than in Saudi Arabia.
I have noted, as I’m sure others have, your self-serving apology and praise of Mutt. An isolated incident of foreign worker abuse in Australia is certainly informative but hardly relevant to the regular, government condoned events in Saudi Arabia.
Best of luck with whatever list you are presently working on.

Tommy Tilt:

I couldn't care less about your comments. They are pointless. If you don't like the Saudis don't go there. There is good and bad about every place and there is racism everywhere as well...yes, even in my "California lifestyle bubble".

I think everyone on this post has respect for Mutt's knowledge and help in this forum so I'm not sure where you're going with that. Perhaps you should try it yourself rather than flame baiting all day long. Nuff said and here is another "juvenille icon" for you..:mad:. Let's get back on topic.

Looks like I touched a nerve. If you do not care about my comments why on earth did you bother to respond with, yet again, self serving adulation for others. No one likes a suck-up.
You state “there is good and bad about every place”, absolutely correct, but the topic concerns Saudi Arabia not every place. Every place does not have a website devoted to Indian worker abuse.

Indian Workers Sold Like Animals in Saudi Arabia

em20 - Your answers are somewhat disingenuous. To suggest that, 'There is good and bad about every place and there is racism everywhere as well' is somewhat misleading. To compare the level of racism in California with that in Saudi Arabia is like comparing the anti-semitism around Germany in the thirties with that in England. The treatment of Indian and Filipino workers in Saudi is an outrage that condemns both the shameful behaviour of the Saudis and the blind indifference of the Indian and Philippine governments, who are effectively complicit in the suffering of their own citizens. There is nothing more shameful than seeing your fellow countrymen being persecuted and choosing to do nothing for the sake of convenience. You may indeed be of Indian extraction, but that only makes your willingness to excuse the suffering of your own people at the hands of morally bankrupt and decadent Saudis all the more shameful. The days of the house of Saud are mercifully numbered - we can only hope that what replaces it is not an even more unpleasant group of nutters.

"To compare the level of racism in California with that in Saudi Arabia is like comparing the anti-semitism around Germany in the thirties with that in England."

I completely agree with your statement, however I did not say they are the same, I said racism exists everywhere obviously to different degrees. I actually agreed with most of your post till you got personall and said I should be ashamed of myself. That is somewhat presumptuous of you as you don't know me, my background, or my life experiences.

My original point was just because the captains being hired by Saudia are Indians is no reason to disqualify them (that would be racism). I would not disqualify myself of working in the ME eventhough I know I will face challenges as an Indian. It may be a concept for a non-minority person hard to understand. It is what I teach my children, make no excuses for the color of your skin and not to use that as an excuse to do what you want to do. I have personally seen people of Indian descent both in positions of authority and in near slavery conditions in SA. I have personally experienced racial discrimination in Saudi Arabia that does not stop me from going there.

To your other point, it is not the House of Saud that is the problem. It is the majority of Arabs themselves that feel they are superior to non-white races. The plight of Indians are the same in Dubai and other Middle Eastern cities.

Em20:

I've been reading these forums for months and today your forced me into registering so I could post.

Your comments on this are SPOT ON brother. I am an Indian pilot and I completely agree with you. The Bishop's statement that you should be "ashamed" is completely off track. It shows a complete lack of understanding of what we face in the ME and what should be done.

I really liked your comment on your gardner.:ok: It was funny dude.

I respect your Indian descent, but, if I were a Saudi, based on your performance so far, I would have to seriously think about selling you.

Mr. Tilt your comment is RACIST and disgusting. Grow up man. As an Indian I find it nausseating. Comments and commentators like yours should be banned from this forum. Moderator?????

Did we just veer slightly off topic here???? Guys, grow the **** up.

Why not look at the demographics of executions in Saudi Arabia? That provides an indication of which nationals don't do well there. It is certainly a different place in many many ways, most distasteful or even abhorrent. Sadly folks like Mutt depend on the Saudis for a living. Their posts are biased in favour of their hosts. As an outsider with much experience there over the last 25 years, I believe that the kingdom is guilty of slaving.

I'm not pro 'Saudi-bashing', but you're right. You shouldn't bite the hand that feeds you.