Quote:
Originally Posted by Idaho
What should a US airline pilot consider when contemplating employment with Emirates based in Dubai?
What are some of the cultural differences in how the airline is run? How is the lifestyle in Dubai?
Is is worth it or is one better off holding out for a job offer from a US major airline?
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You're asking the same questions everyone of us that have left the land of milk and honey for time in the desert.
Numero uno question and the most important, IMHO, is whether or not you are married and or have kids. That is the wild card in all of the questions. Probably as a pilot you are used to changes and can adapt, but bringing a wife over can be challenging if she is at all hestitant. Most of the pilots are married and have kids, some adapt very easily and love it, some say "see ya, I am going home". And that's not just US pilots' wives. Two friends of mine, one from S. Africa and one from Germany are now solo and communting from Dubai. Tough act.
The airline is run very much like any big legacy airline in the states. Same issues, same problems. The training is different, but I would have to say the training in the US is different from the rest of the world (which is based on the UK, Australian model). In the US it is more like, we'll get this done and teach you how to do it right, the rest of the world is more like "mate, you need to know this." It is up to you to get it. Again, my opinion.
If you are coming over as a First Officer you can expect to be upgraded anywhere from 3-5 years. Some would say less, some would say longer. Today it is around 3+ years. The question you need to ask yourself, is where you want to be in 10-15 years. Would you see yourself still in Dubai? Many of the pilots have left carriers that have failed or are failing or lost a retirement from a US carrier or furloughed.
Depending on age and which carriers one is holding out for in the US, it is hard to answer that question. Again, the big factor is NOT the airline, which I happen to like, but rather living abroad for years on end. There does not appear to be anything in the works for basings outside of Dubai. And it doesn't matter whether it is Dubai, Cairo, Hong Kong, Seoul, or Frankfurt, the expat life is different and can be very challenging. You probably have certain expectations of how governments and services run. It ain't like that in the rest of the world.
Hope this helps and starts some conversation. Some of the comments you see will probably say, stay the hell away, others will say it's great, hurry over. But then again ask people what they think of the city in which you live. Probably the same answers.
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