EMIRATE FO's & $$
01-26-2018, 04:12 PM
#121
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Dec 2007
Position: Window seat
Posts: 5,211
Here's things to look into -
How many EK FO's are getting hired by the majors? The few guys I've known were EK CA's, to include CKA or tech pilots.
How tough is it to get the time off for an interview? Guys have mentioned that it is very tough, to near impossible, to get the time off to travel from the ME for an interview.
Airlines hire something like 92-96% of their civilian OTS candidates from 121 jobs(data's been posted occasionally). EK, as far as I know, isn't 121.
For a guy who's got competitive times I don't see the value EK has if you're trying to get on with a U.S. major or LCC. EK was a great bailout plan for guys 10 years ago but IMO the change in the U.S. industry, especially in the last couple of years, has diminished their attractiveness.
How many EK FO's are getting hired by the majors? The few guys I've known were EK CA's, to include CKA or tech pilots.
How tough is it to get the time off for an interview? Guys have mentioned that it is very tough, to near impossible, to get the time off to travel from the ME for an interview.
Airlines hire something like 92-96% of their civilian OTS candidates from 121 jobs(data's been posted occasionally). EK, as far as I know, isn't 121.
For a guy who's got competitive times I don't see the value EK has if you're trying to get on with a U.S. major or LCC. EK was a great bailout plan for guys 10 years ago but IMO the change in the U.S. industry, especially in the last couple of years, has diminished their attractiveness.
01-26-2018, 05:36 PM
#122
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Jul 2008
Posts: 4,921
Have fun in the desert. I hope it’s everything you think it is. Living in the US is great. Living in the middle east with 7-8 days off per month sucks. Hopefully it’s better for you than everyone else. If you ever upgrade, you might almost make as much as a narrowbody US first officer while working twice as hard.
01-27-2018, 03:46 AM
#123
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Feb 2006
Position: B-737NG preferably in first class with a glass of champagne and caviar
Posts: 5,912
Originally Posted by Sliceback
Here's things to look into -
For a guy who's got competitive times I don't see the value EK has if you're trying to get on with a U.S. major or LCC. EK was a great bailout plan for guys 10 years ago but IMO the change in the U.S. industry, especially in the last couple of years, has diminished their attractiveness.
For a guy who's got competitive times I don't see the value EK has if you're trying to get on with a U.S. major or LCC. EK was a great bailout plan for guys 10 years ago but IMO the change in the U.S. industry, especially in the last couple of years, has diminished their attractiveness.
Your theory and hypothesis are a wee bit off base. I’ve been an expat since 1992. In recent years, those who’ve had the desire to return to their native lands, in Euroland and the U.S. have. Many with legacy carriers such as BA, LH, KLM, AF in Euroland. QF, ANZ in Australasia. DL, UAL, WN, JB in the US. Some chose secondary carriers in Euroland such as Jet-2, and TUI Fly, and Monarch (when it was a viable place to work) 100% success? No. But the majority... yes... better than 75% success rate.
No all will be fortunate to be hired with their dream carrier in the U.S. Ergo, overseas adventures. Expat flying opens doors of wonderful opportunities, other than pax/cargo flying. Quite a few of my overseas colleagues are currently flying BBJs 30 day on/off contracts to boot.
The number one downside of expat flying for most is family sacrifice, especially living in the ME. Very difficult culturally wise. It can be an almost all expense paid vacation for those with young families who were and still are to obtain visas in Euroland. Parts of Asia can be a bit tough, but yet enjoyable, and manageable.
01-27-2018, 03:48 AM
#124
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Feb 2006
Position: B-737NG preferably in first class with a glass of champagne and caviar
Posts: 5,912
Originally Posted by hockeypilot44
Have fun in the desert. I hope it’s everything you think it is. Living in the US is great. Living in the middle east with 7-8 days off per month sucks. Hopefully it’s better for you than everyone else. If you ever upgrade, you might almost make as much as a narrowbody US first officer while working twice as hard.
do share, please... carrier, quality of paid accommodations, pay... You don’t have to iterate comments about the schedule, nor management.
01-27-2018, 09:25 AM
#125
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Jul 2005
Position: 777
Posts: 358
Originally Posted by nyc pilot
do it. It's really a chance of a lifetime. Look into qatar also, they pay a lot more than emirates and a better company. If you like it there and do well, the possibilities are endless. Senior captains in qatar make over $350k tax free with 15 days off plus 10% 401k type pension with no matching required.
03-16-2018, 10:11 PM
#126
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Jun 2016
Position: A350 CA
Posts: 295
Originally Posted by Worldguy
lmao! 😂
03-17-2018, 11:09 PM
#127
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Aug 2008
Posts: 770
I'm just shy of a decade flying in the Middle East so perhaps my opinion may hold some water.
In the current hiring climate, this is not a regional alternative so much as a divergent career path. Even if your idea is to make some money and bounce, you need to be prepared to make at least a 5 year commitment. As an American, you also have to adapt to living in a foreign country with a social and economic structure that is impossible to explain in a few paragraphs.
If you happen to catch the wrong end of a hiring wave and concurrently decide you have had enough of the sand pit but want another expat flying job, you'll discover another immutable concrete truth: finding a decent first officer job sucks. I routinely fly with highly experienced FO's who just can't seem to find a company where they can break into the left seat. Not that they have failed mind you, just haven't had the opportunity. In lieu of a hard seniority based upgrade system, it is exceedingly difficult to get to the left seat of a large jet at a (semi) reputable carrier. Several companies hire expat FO's but do not offer upgrades. If you want to do this at EK, you are looking at a 10 year commitment.
The flip side is, once you hit the left seat and have a few years experience the possibilities that open up are numerous. I remember when I was furloughed and would scroll through these pilot recruitment websites advertising the huge salaries for experienced captains on medium and heavy jets in far off exotic places. Who are these type rated pilots with all this experience and no particular attachment to an airline? Well now they are all looking for me.
I can't speak too badly of my time here, at times it has been both challenging and rewarding. I'm not here to convince anyone to come here or stay away, but rather go into it with eyes open. My departure is less about contempt and frustration as it is about a lifestyle change as I start seeing more grey hairs.
In the current hiring climate, this is not a regional alternative so much as a divergent career path. Even if your idea is to make some money and bounce, you need to be prepared to make at least a 5 year commitment. As an American, you also have to adapt to living in a foreign country with a social and economic structure that is impossible to explain in a few paragraphs.
If you happen to catch the wrong end of a hiring wave and concurrently decide you have had enough of the sand pit but want another expat flying job, you'll discover another immutable concrete truth: finding a decent first officer job sucks. I routinely fly with highly experienced FO's who just can't seem to find a company where they can break into the left seat. Not that they have failed mind you, just haven't had the opportunity. In lieu of a hard seniority based upgrade system, it is exceedingly difficult to get to the left seat of a large jet at a (semi) reputable carrier. Several companies hire expat FO's but do not offer upgrades. If you want to do this at EK, you are looking at a 10 year commitment.
The flip side is, once you hit the left seat and have a few years experience the possibilities that open up are numerous. I remember when I was furloughed and would scroll through these pilot recruitment websites advertising the huge salaries for experienced captains on medium and heavy jets in far off exotic places. Who are these type rated pilots with all this experience and no particular attachment to an airline? Well now they are all looking for me.
I can't speak too badly of my time here, at times it has been both challenging and rewarding. I'm not here to convince anyone to come here or stay away, but rather go into it with eyes open. My departure is less about contempt and frustration as it is about a lifestyle change as I start seeing more grey hairs.
03-19-2018, 10:15 PM
#128
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Jun 2016
Position: A350 CA
Posts: 295
Originally Posted by RemoveB4flght
I'm just shy of a decade flying in the Middle East so perhaps my opinion may hold some water.
In the current hiring climate, this is not a regional alternative so much as a divergent career path. Even if your idea is to make some money and bounce, you need to be prepared to make at least a 5 year commitment. As an American, you also have to adapt to living in a foreign country with a social and economic structure that is impossible to explain in a few paragraphs.
If you happen to catch the wrong end of a hiring wave and concurrently decide you have had enough of the sand pit but want another expat flying job, you'll discover another immutable concrete truth: finding a decent first officer job sucks. I routinely fly with highly experienced FO's who just can't seem to find a company where they can break into the left seat. Not that they have failed mind you, just haven't had the opportunity. In lieu of a hard seniority based upgrade system, it is exceedingly difficult to get to the left seat of a large jet at a (semi) reputable carrier. Several companies hire expat FO's but do not offer upgrades. If you want to do this at EK, you are looking at a 10 year commitment.
The flip side is, once you hit the left seat and have a few years experience the possibilities that open up are numerous. I remember when I was furloughed and would scroll through these pilot recruitment websites advertising the huge salaries for experienced captains on medium and heavy jets in far off exotic places. Who are these type rated pilots with all this experience and no particular attachment to an airline? Well now they are all looking for me.
I can't speak too badly of my time here, at times it has been both challenging and rewarding. I'm not here to convince anyone to come here or stay away, but rather go into it with eyes open. My departure is less about contempt and frustration as it is about a lifestyle change as I start seeing more grey hairs.
In the current hiring climate, this is not a regional alternative so much as a divergent career path. Even if your idea is to make some money and bounce, you need to be prepared to make at least a 5 year commitment. As an American, you also have to adapt to living in a foreign country with a social and economic structure that is impossible to explain in a few paragraphs.
If you happen to catch the wrong end of a hiring wave and concurrently decide you have had enough of the sand pit but want another expat flying job, you'll discover another immutable concrete truth: finding a decent first officer job sucks. I routinely fly with highly experienced FO's who just can't seem to find a company where they can break into the left seat. Not that they have failed mind you, just haven't had the opportunity. In lieu of a hard seniority based upgrade system, it is exceedingly difficult to get to the left seat of a large jet at a (semi) reputable carrier. Several companies hire expat FO's but do not offer upgrades. If you want to do this at EK, you are looking at a 10 year commitment.
The flip side is, once you hit the left seat and have a few years experience the possibilities that open up are numerous. I remember when I was furloughed and would scroll through these pilot recruitment websites advertising the huge salaries for experienced captains on medium and heavy jets in far off exotic places. Who are these type rated pilots with all this experience and no particular attachment to an airline? Well now they are all looking for me.
I can't speak too badly of my time here, at times it has been both challenging and rewarding. I'm not here to convince anyone to come here or stay away, but rather go into it with eyes open. My departure is less about contempt and frustration as it is about a lifestyle change as I start seeing more grey hairs.
03-22-2018, 11:04 PM
#129
Line Holder
Joined APC: Feb 2009
Posts: 81
Great post. What is the time to command currently at EK?
Originally Posted by RemoveB4flght
I'm just shy of a decade flying in the Middle East so perhaps my opinion may hold some water.
In the current hiring climate, this is not a regional alternative so much as a divergent career path. Even if your idea is to make some money and bounce, you need to be prepared to make at least a 5 year commitment. As an American, you also have to adapt to living in a foreign country with a social and economic structure that is impossible to explain in a few paragraphs.
If you happen to catch the wrong end of a hiring wave and concurrently decide you have had enough of the sand pit but want another expat flying job, you'll discover another immutable concrete truth: finding a decent first officer job sucks. I routinely fly with highly experienced FO's who just can't seem to find a company where they can break into the left seat. Not that they have failed mind you, just haven't had the opportunity. In lieu of a hard seniority based upgrade system, it is exceedingly difficult to get to the left seat of a large jet at a (semi) reputable carrier. Several companies hire expat FO's but do not offer upgrades. If you want to do this at EK, you are looking at a 10 year commitment.
The flip side is, once you hit the left seat and have a few years experience the possibilities that open up are numerous. I remember when I was furloughed and would scroll through these pilot recruitment websites advertising the huge salaries for experienced captains on medium and heavy jets in far off exotic places. Who are these type rated pilots with all this experience and no particular attachment to an airline? Well now they are all looking for me.
I can't speak too badly of my time here, at times it has been both challenging and rewarding. I'm not here to convince anyone to come here or stay away, but rather go into it with eyes open. My departure is less about contempt and frustration as it is about a lifestyle change as I start seeing more grey hairs.
In the current hiring climate, this is not a regional alternative so much as a divergent career path. Even if your idea is to make some money and bounce, you need to be prepared to make at least a 5 year commitment. As an American, you also have to adapt to living in a foreign country with a social and economic structure that is impossible to explain in a few paragraphs.
If you happen to catch the wrong end of a hiring wave and concurrently decide you have had enough of the sand pit but want another expat flying job, you'll discover another immutable concrete truth: finding a decent first officer job sucks. I routinely fly with highly experienced FO's who just can't seem to find a company where they can break into the left seat. Not that they have failed mind you, just haven't had the opportunity. In lieu of a hard seniority based upgrade system, it is exceedingly difficult to get to the left seat of a large jet at a (semi) reputable carrier. Several companies hire expat FO's but do not offer upgrades. If you want to do this at EK, you are looking at a 10 year commitment.
The flip side is, once you hit the left seat and have a few years experience the possibilities that open up are numerous. I remember when I was furloughed and would scroll through these pilot recruitment websites advertising the huge salaries for experienced captains on medium and heavy jets in far off exotic places. Who are these type rated pilots with all this experience and no particular attachment to an airline? Well now they are all looking for me.
I can't speak too badly of my time here, at times it has been both challenging and rewarding. I'm not here to convince anyone to come here or stay away, but rather go into it with eyes open. My departure is less about contempt and frustration as it is about a lifestyle change as I start seeing more grey hairs.
03-25-2018, 03:29 PM
#130
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Mar 2016
Position: Gear Biatch
Posts: 266
Originally Posted by Boss Hoggin
Okay guys help me out and be very blunt with me. Why go fly for a regional when you can fly a triple 7 or a 380 and make twice as much money? What am I missing? Shiny jet and tons of cash is one of the reasons we got in this business right?
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