Originally Posted by cloudkicker1981
I was wondering if anyone had any insight into the second officer position at Cathay. The biggest question is how long will it take to make first officer? Currently i meet the second officer qualifications and am relatively young so if its not a long upgrade then i guess its worth it. My current job is with a commuter flying a turbo-prop with about a year to upgrade captian. Just thought i through it out there for some comments.
Cathay could be a dream come true for you...if you can get it, take. You'll do some time in Hong Kong, but there's lots to do out there. You can switch over to cargo eventually, which has several major US bases. You'll be treated like a god and paid accordingly. The catch...you have to be in pefect medical condition and have a perfect and verifiable background. They'll give you an astronaut physical exam, and if they can't track down your third grade teacher for the background check you won't get hired.
If you have any "problems" don't waste your time; it's a long round trip to Hong Kong (Twice!) for the two interviews.
Bit if you think you're squeeky clean, go for it... They'd rather a hire a low time but clean candidate than an experienced pilot with any kind of skeletons. Oh and their vision requirements are not as relaxed as in the US.