The order should help with upgrade times, which are currently running at exactly three years on the Boeing and just slightly over that on the Airbus. They still do not do transition upgrades so upgrade time is fleet specific. I suspect that if they fleets get too out of whack that rule will change.

Housing is okay, some places are better than others. It won't be as nice as you are used to in the States, but it's a lot better than China. If you are married with kids you'll get a villa, if not you get a three bedroom apartment. Villas are generaly three to five bedrooms plus a maid's quarters. They will have a small yard and a one or two car parking area ( carport ). The locations vary and that can be an issue depending on where your kids go to school. A new American school just opened on the Deira side of the creek so it's not as big a deal as before.

Health Care is okay. It costs you about $50 per month for family coverage. The EK clinic has doctors of varying quality, some are excellent, others are not. I had Legionaires disease last November and it was misdiagnosed as Pneumonia. Not to say that couldn't happen in the States as the symptoms are similar, fortunately I recovered anyway. Dental is also provided and there is a good American dentist at the clinic. The one thing they do well is take care of you if you have some serious problem that requires specialized care. They will pay for you to go have a procedure done elsewhere within certain parameters. I know guys who have had knee sugery in the States, back surgery in South Africa, etc. The company also carriers you at full pay for the time you are sick, in some cases that has been 6 months or longer.

You'd most likely be put on the Bus with your Bus background. They are running classes on the Bus and will need them more as the A340-600s and A380s start arriving.

Emirates does require resigning seniority. PM me for my thoughts on that.

In my case, upgrade was based on looks Otherwise it is based on a combination of Seniority, time, and ability. The ability part is the one that is intersting. You are graded here from day one and if you do not perform to a required level you will not get a chance at upgrade. That is good and bad, but mostly good. A lot of emphasis is placed on decision making ability, not just technical skills. It is different that what people in the States are used to. Most people do okay, but about 10 to 15% don't make the cut.


TP

 

TP et al,
I got to resign! Well that bites. I'm getting furloughed a second time from a major US carrier (now bankrupt). I've been here for 7 years. Do you think it's worth it to RESIGN my seniority number in order to move to Emirates? I have a little over 9K total time (all heavy), retired USAF, and now an FO on a narrow body flying domestic. I think best case, if I stay here, I'm looking at 2-3 yrs of furlough and possibly a capt upgrade in 7 - 8 years. Worst case I guess we'll strike and liquidate the company.

Recommendation anyone?

thanks,
Goose 10

 

HPD Wote the following some time ago.

>>1. Dubai has a high cost of living. Education allowance does not completely cover the cost of children attending the American School of Dubai,(ASD) which is the only "not-for-profit" USA curriculum school in the city. There are other schools offering USA curricula, however they are owned privately and operate "for profit". Currently, it is costing me 2000 Dhs/month to send one (1) child to ASD.<<

Can anyone confirm this? They told me in ATL that they would cover tuition for 3 children. (I happen to have 5 school aged children). Scowling wife is looking over my shoulder as I type this. (She's beautiful, though!). Was HPD implying a cost overrun of 2000 Dhs/month? I think Tennessee Ernie Ford had a song about this. Something like "Sixteen Tons of #9 coal,............"

 

Spike,
That's exactly what they are saying. The allowance covers about 1/2 of tuition at ASD for primary school (grades K1-5) and 75-80% of secondary (Grade 6 and above). In addition, there is a $2700/yr. "seat rental" fee per child. If the company owns seats, the seat rental is not required. Emirates owns 35 seats which go to employees based on seniority. Right now, they are all taken.

There are waiting lists for all grades in ASD - some grades lists are longer than others. There are 2 other American curriculum schools also. Their fees are similar though they don't have the seat rental (I believe). It would be worth it to check out the school situation when you come for an interview and get your name on the waiting lists as spots are filling up.

In general, schooling is expensive. I have two children. When they were both in primary school I was out of pocket about $15,000/year. Now one is in secondary so at least some of the heat is off (and I have access to company owned seats so no seat rental). The other problem is that the company has not kept up with the rapidly rising cost of living here (including school fees). Their fee system is based on the British system which is about half of what the American schools cost. Hope this helps.

Be careful about what they tell you. When I interviewed (11 years ago), I was told that the American school would be covered 100%. When I received my contract, it said something very different. I decided to come anyway. Basically, I don't trust them. The contract is written to give them maximum flexibility. When you read it, notice what's not on it. That is done on purpose. The general conditions that we work under here have eroded over the years and while it has not been specifically contractual, I do feel that it has been bad faith by the company. Typhoonpilot, expert though he may be in all things Emirates is not yet having to deal with the school situation here so may not be as up to speed as others on the subject. Cheers

 

Gillegan,

I deeply appreciate your frankness. This does not rule out my wanting to work for EK, but I have to know the plain facts before I uproot and commit everything to living there. I have moved many times over the years, and all of my overseas tours were "hardship tours". Do you have any information on homeschooling in Dubai? Is it allowed? What is the advantage of the American curriculum over the British? I am still too junior on this board to send PMs, but I may be allowed to recieve them. Could you please PM your email address to me? I'm arriving in DXB on 12 May. Thanks.

Spike

 

Listen to Gillegan in relation to school issues and costs. He knows the score in regards to ASD.

I would say, however, that ASD is not the only choice. You can go with International or British curriculum schools. That is a personal choice that would be wise to research in depth before making a decision on whether to join or not. Not sure about home schooling. Mrs. Gillegan may know the answer to that.


TP

 

Yes, could someone enlighten us on homeschooling in Dubai? We have one left in homeschool here in the states--the other two are off to college. Also, the British system seems fine to me. Any comments on the differences between ASD and the other schools?

OOPS--I skipped a post. I see that both these questions have been asked--well, just confirms there's a lot of interest in the topic....

 

Tim,

Thanks for your help. You and your advice have been quite instrumental in my getting invited to DXB. I'm very excited. Any tips for the interview? I've downloaded the book at:

http://www.emiratesinterview.com/

and I am considering the book at

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/007...oks%26v=glance

but the reviews of that book are horrible.

Once a guy has several thousand hours commanding a jet in 121 operations, what's the point of asking him to define, "Dutch Roll"? (Is that like a 'Cheese Danish'?) Sorry, I'm venting.

Thanks again.

Spike

 

Anyone with information for me to consider regarding EK (positive or negative) is encouraged to email me at [email protected] . There shall be no attribution. If you may be available to meet with me next month while I'm there, I'd be interested in that as well. Thanks.

Spike

 

We are looking to put our kids into a British school over here and the differences with the American system are primarily in how the kids are tested. In the early years there aren't many differences. Once the kids move on to high school they take tests to put them on to certain academic paths that are more rigid and defined than in the US system. These tests (called 'A' levels and 'O' levels) are of critical importance because they determine if your kids get into college or not, and also which college they can attend. I suppose it is similar to the SAT/ACT we use in the US, however you can still attend okay colleges with mediocre SAT scores as long as the other things such as class ranking and extracurricular activities are positive. Not so with the British tests- once you score poorly on the tests you are pretty much locked out of the UK higher educational system. Therefore, teaching in the British schools is very much geared toward teaching you to test well on the exams. The tests are apparently much harder than the SAT so this could be quite stressful for the kids. Some other small differences are things like learning rugby and cricket in gym class!
Most of the British schools here seem pretty decent to me and offer a much cheaper alternative to the US schools- definitely worth investigating if you are interested in moving to Dubai. I know a few people who homeschool over here and yes- it is legal.