TP:
Thanks for your reply.
I have no personal beef with you or your statements on this or any public website. That you are happy with Emirates and Dubai is wonderful. This is what I like to see in new hires.
What I do take exception with is those who paint a rosy picture of Emirates and Dubai that is well removed from that felt by the majority of the pilots in the company and then go on to try to fool potential new-hires by attempting to discredit those who object to your "positive" point of view by saying all those "negative" people are all colluding against the company. Most of this positive spin comes from you (both here and on Pprune). Not to single you out but that is just the way it is. Sorry but your conspiracy theories just don't float.
Once again, I have nothing to gain or lose by discussing this issue (as do most of the others who have expressed contrary opinions to yours). In fact, very seldom do I take the time away from my family to post on these sites BECAUSE it takes my precious time away from my family. But reading some of the stuff you publish has compelled me to post here if only to protect others from making a huge mistake in their careers.
I know you are a fan of the "cut and paste" quote so firstly I think you misinterpreted my post somewhat:
Okay, what about him? Here you post in a manner that insinuates Silicon Oasis is a very bad place. It is a gated community of very nice villas. I was out there last night with two friends who voluntarily moved there so they could have bigger yards and parks. It is hardly a compound and all the negative connotations that you want that to entail. It's the nicest neighborhood I've seen in Dubai. Yes, it is a bit of a hike to get out there from where I live, but it's not an unreasonable distance.
My point was not that Silicon Oasis is a bad place. On the contrary, what I was saying is this individual has found it necessary (due to his nationality and less than ideal experiences with the locals) to
move to a guarded, gated community to protect himself/his family from the "oasis" of Dubai. (note to new hires; many of the villa's offered by EK are not of the guarded/gated variety. Suggest you discuss this with the accom department if this of concern to you). Is this a positive step? Not in my books. Do others joining need this information when deciding to come with their families? Do they need this information when discussing accom with EK? Yes, in my books. Maybe not in yours.
Here is a quote from my last post:
Why did you decide to move so soon after arriving? Was the accom they assigned to you when you first arrived not suitable? What was wrong with your old place that you had to get out of it so soon? Did you have to pay for this move yourself or did the company cover your expenses? What was the total cost to you to make this move?
Great you now have a 5 year lease. What happens to those who join now and are put into villas with 1-2 year leases remaining (what you said is incorrect; they are still putting new joiners in numerous scattered villas throughout the city and not all in Silicon Oasis ). What happens in 2007/2008 when they are asked to either pay for the difference themselves when their lease comes up for renewal or move again? Maybe they should know this before they come in so they can try to get accom to provide them with accom that has a long term lease? Maybe they should have a good idea as to what this place is going to cost to live in. Would this not be good for them to know?
Care to provide details as you didn't in your last post. I'm curious as to why you felt compelled to move so soon? Maybe others might be interested as well so please provide futher details.
I don't want that either and if you would read all the information here on APC you would find that we have had discussions on house prices, school fees, differences in the training culture, etc. The more points of view we get here the better so please join in the discussion, but make it logical and well thought out.
Agree yet you seem to have a problem with anyone who disagrees with your view of house prices, school fees, differences in the training culture, etc. Those that do disagree with you are branded by you as disloyal collaborators trying to take down the company. Give me a break.
You've been out of your country for 8 years. You've had a stable job where you have been promoted during a time when many people have seen pay cuts of up to 60%, loss of pensions, furloughs, collapse of their airline, etc. You have seen Dubai and EK in better times. What you haven't seen is how bad it has gotten in the western world. You haven't had to live through the uncertainty of whether or not your carrier was going to survive. Whether or not you would have a job next month or next year. I've never said that EK is nirvana or some lost mystical paradise for airline pilots, it isn't. It is a good job though and it is worth considering for people who are looking for alternatives.
This we agree upon. The industry as a whole has gone down over the past 5 years. No doubt about it.
The bottom line is I would like those who are contemplating coming here to get the full picture. Some of those who post on Pprune are a little to the "left" and I suggest you are a little to the "right" (I actually think you both would do well on Gerry Springer
). Do you have a right to your opinions; absolutely. Do those who have have a contrary point of view to yours have a right to their opinions? I certainly think so and I would hope others who might contemplate joining might also.
I'd really like to think those who might come here will do their homework. Moving here is probably THE single biggest move a pilot will make in his career, both for him and for his family. I've seen
WAY more examples of those who have regretted coming to Emirates than those who thought it was a great move (this is in the past 3 years; those who came prior have much fewer issues as just about everything worked out in the manner that was alluded to by the company when they joined). And once again to clarify, I'm one of the ones who is happy so I am not part of your "conspiracy" crowd.
In closing, for those who might be thinking about EK, please do your homework. Please not only look strictly at TP's posts but also the 1000's on Pprune. Try to sift through the b.s. you might see; there is a ton of info there and most of it is relevant. It is a huge move; if you do your homework and dig enough you will know exactly what you are getting into. If you don't you won't have anything to complain about because you've been told. Not trying to tell you to suck eggs, not trying to scare you, not trying to dissuade you. Just trying to open your eyes.
Best to all.
Dune