I am not interested in Dubai either for several reasons. But money wise, Emirates pilots have got us beat by far. The average household income both in Dubai and the US are very similar. It is around $5000 per month. So even a first year Emirates pilot is definitely not anywhere close to minimum wage... they make much much better than average household income. Whereas here in the US, we are definitely making less than US average during our first year. And don't forget the regionals where some pilots are well under the poverty line.