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Emirates Questions

Old 08-26-2011, 07:22 PM
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Default Emirates Questions

Hi guys. I’ve been reading a lot of forums on Emirates lately to get a better feel for the company and what the job is like. I came in feeling that the job is near perfect-company accomadation, no taxes, awesome city, and high pay. But as I read forums I found out a lot of people dislike the job and don’t recommend it. Some people left the job because of the lifestyle was very foreign to them, while some left for other reasons. I was particularly shocked by the reasons on the PPRune forum. Everyone over there seems to hate the company. I decided to ask how Emirates would fit for me even though you guys probably get a lot of questions like this. Sorry if it’s a bit redundant, but since people are all different, I feel it is appropriate to get a personalized answer.

So I’ll tell you guys a bit about me so you can get an idea of where I’m coming from so I get a relevant response:
  • I am from the US, sophomore in college studying non-aviation related things
  • I currently have my PPL with 67 or so hours (I find it near impossible to build hours lol)
  • I plan on starting commercial training after I get near 190 hours so I can get the license through Part 141
  • I have no problem with hot weather and would be fine living in the desert
  • I am very open minded and wouldn’t mind living in a Muslim country
  • I am single and probably will be for a long time haha so I don’t have to compromise on anything
  • I like money and save pretty much everything I make. I guess you could say I’m a miser
  • I don’t drink so I don’t care about alcohol being difficult to get (funny that I don’t drink being a college student eh? Lol)
  • If I do go to Dubai and work for Emirates, I plan on staying for the long term, and eventually come back to the states and work for NetJets.

(I just wanted to put this out there so people don’t say “It isn’t like living in America.” I know that and it’s not a factor for me)

So now that you know where I’m coming from, how do you think I’ll fit into Dubai and Emirates? Is the benefits such as company accommodation and the like true or is there some sort of catch to it/ or it’s going to be phased out in the future? How much of my income will I be able to save? Considering I don’t have to pay tax or housing/utilities, I feel like besides food, gas, and insurances, I can pretty much pocket thousands of dollars a month. Is it true like this? Is the company as prestigious as it’s made out to be?

Feel free to add anything else, and sorry for so many questions I’m just really curious and want to get to the bottom of this.

Thanks!
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Old 08-26-2011, 08:46 PM
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I know two guys that went to EK. One hated it, and Dubai, and every aspect of the job and his living situation. The other guy, and his wife, both love EK and Dubai.

Even on pprune, a number of guys post that they like their overall situation.

I would definitely go to DXB for a 2-3 week vacation, to help you know if you will like living there...it's NOT the same as living there, but it's the closest you can get...

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Old 08-26-2011, 09:11 PM
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Originally Posted by SgtRevan View Post
So I’ll tell you guys a bit about me so you can get an idea of where I’m coming from so I get a relevant response:
  • I am from the US, sophomore in college studying non-aviation related things
  • I currently have my PPL with 67 or so hours (I find it near impossible to build hours lol)
  • I plan on starting commercial training after I get near 190 hours so I can get the license through Part 141
  • I have no problem with hot weather and would be fine living in the desert
  • I am very open minded and wouldn’t mind living in a Muslim country
  • I am single and probably will be for a long time haha so I don’t have to compromise on anything
  • I like money and save pretty much everything I make. I guess you could say I’m a miser
  • I don’t drink so I don’t care about alcohol being difficult to get (funny that I don’t drink being a college student eh? Lol)
  • If I do go to Dubai and work for Emirates, I plan on staying for the long term, and eventually come back to the states and work for NetJets.

So now that you know where I’m coming from, how do you think I’ll fit into Dubai and Emirates? Is the benefits such as company accommodation and the like true or is there some sort of catch to it/ or it’s going to be phased out in the future? How much of my income will I be able to save? Considering I don’t have to pay tax or housing/utilities, I feel like besides food, gas, and insurances, I can pretty much pocket thousands of dollars a month. Is it true like this? Is the company as prestigious as it’s made out to be?

Feel free to add anything else, and sorry for so many questions I’m just really curious and want to get to the bottom of this.

Thanks!
Being single is by far the best thing you have going for you for a job like Emirates.....They're are a couple things that are semi-important to point out however...I don't men to be a Debbie Downer but you gotta know a few facts before you focus primarily on Emirates..
  • Having only 67 hrs as a Sophomore in college is about where I was at the age of 19 or so....However, to be even remotely competative for Emirates you will need thousands more hours to even get a application looked at. Think in the realm of minimum 4000-7000 and that would probably put you on the very low end of the experience curve...
  • Given that, you have to decide how you want to obtain those hours...Regional is about your only real bet to get thousands of jet hours quickly..at a regional you'll fly maybe 8-900 hrs /year.. Corporate will be very slow, cargo might be alright but trying to get an Emirates interview with only turboprop time would be difficult.
  • Emirates will only accept your application if you have flight time on an airplane the size of a CRJ 700 or larger...So there goes most corporate jets and turboprops outside of a regional.
  • As far as Netjets is concerned.......we have current pilots bailing for other airlines/overseas airlines....That should tell you about where Netjets is heading for the distant future. I'd say to even consider Netjets may be atleast 10-15 years down the road, probably more, before they even would possibly hire. I doubt if it will even be "Netjets owned by Berkshire Hathaway" by then. Personally I wouldn't include Netjets in your future plans..seriously....The company most likely will not be around in the same form. That's just business..
  • On that note, Emirates will most likely be a vastly different company within the 10 or so years it may be before you become seriously competative.. It may become easier to get on, or harder.. first lesson in aviation is that within a year things will change..
In all honesty, and not to be a complete downer. I'd really focus first on where you want to get to maybe 1000 hrs (or whatever regionals hire at). You can CFI, pipeline patrol,banner tow etc... If you want to build time quickly a regional will be your best bet. Figure out what regional would work best for you, then after a few years you can really start to plan your next move...

BTW..I really hope you atleast plan on having a girlfriend within the next decade Trust me, a carefully crafted master plan WILL change between ages 20 and 30...

Sorry if this seems negative. Just trying to give you a more "real" view of what your up against within the next 10 years or so.. Emirates could be a great career but figure out how to get there first.
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Old 08-26-2011, 09:28 PM
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Yeah, you are putting the cart before the horse here. Look at UAL in 1999 and in 2011. In the aviation world past performance is definitely no predictor of future performance. Lots of things will change in the next decade. Fly the biggest plane you can as soon as you can. That sets you up for anything you want to do.

You need to figure out how to get to 1500 hours first.
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Old 08-26-2011, 10:13 PM
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All good advice so far.

Emirates is hiring pilots with 2500 hours in B737 or A320 aircraft. Those are younger guys who went the ab-initio route in Europe with airlines like Ryanair and Easyjet. Their total time is around 2700-2800 hours on joining.

That said, as a young guy in the USA you would probably have a much better chance at a good career in the USA than you would at Emirates. Emirates can be good for 10-15 years, but it's not something you realy want to make a long term career of. The majority of pilots who came to Emirates are from airlines that went out of business or downsized considerably. Emirates was never their first choice as a career destination, it was a fallback plan.

A lot of the negative sentiment you see on PPrune comes from the European version of SJS pilots. Guys who "hated" flying European domestic in small ( B737 or A320 ) jets. Guys who had to have a "command" on a wide body. They left relatively good jobs in their home country to chase after utopia. Now they regret that decision.

To be honest, I was perfectly content flying up and down the east coast in a 737 for a reasonable pay check. Lived in my own house in my own country and had a good life. I only came to Emirates because I saw the hand writing on the wall post 9-11. It's been a very good move for me, but it was never my career goal or first choice. I would much rather be working for a good major in the States.



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Old 08-26-2011, 10:37 PM
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TP: Aren't current EK aircraft weight requirements low enough so 50 seat RJ guys now qualify???

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Old 08-27-2011, 09:27 AM
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Thanks for the responses guys!

I know I have to build up my hours a lot more but I like something to work towards so that’s why I’m doing my research on Emirates now. Kingairfun, I’m 19 too so I’m basically at the same spot you were at haha. What path did you take to build hours?

Originally Posted by Typhoonpilot View Post
Emirates can be good for 10-15 years, but it's not something you realy want to make a long term career of.
Why is that so?

Also, what about the benefits of Emirates? I heard that they house you in Silicon Oasis, is this true? How is the quality of the apartments? I also heard that there’s a limit to how much they’re willing to spend on utilities…is this a low amount that easily gets crossed? Is it easy to save a lot of money and still life at a decent quality of life? Thanks again guys.

EDIT: I might not have internet for a few days as the hurricane is gonna hit very soon so if I don't reply you know why haha
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Old 08-27-2011, 09:33 AM
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I went to the EK roadshow in the USA a couple months ago (June or July I think), and they still required time in jet greater than 30 tons. But they didn't say you needed 2500. I had all CRJ-200 time, and he said simply 50 to 100 hours in a CRJ-700/900 would get me an interview. I have just about 4000TT too.


But I second what atpcliff just asked: has Emirates done away with the 30 ton rule?
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Old 08-27-2011, 11:24 AM
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Originally Posted by SgtRevan View Post
Thanks for the responses guys!

I know I have to build up my hours a lot more but I like something to work towards so that’s why I’m doing my research on Emirates now. Kingairfun, I’m 19 too so I’m basically at the same spot you were at haha. What path did you take to build hours?

Why is that so?
Sounds like you're pretty much exactly where I was... I was a pre-9/11 guy, so we all had just about zero doubt we'd all be flying for Delta/United/AA...

I took the CFI route first..I was fortunate that it was very easy to get hired by my first regional back then. Only instructed for maybe 6-8 months..

Was a 9/11 casualty and got stuck in a very stagnant upgrade environment throughout the mid 2000's.. then went corporate and fell victim to the Great Recession..... I've got a fairly healthy resume for being still pretty young, but so does everyone else, and we're all looking for career jobs after multiple furloughs...

You're definitely in a good spot as far as age and ambition.... Just wanted to make sure you were advised that getting to Emirates before your 30th birthday will be an uphill battle..It can certainly be done, but the stars have to align perfectly. You will hovever make it there at some point.. Be persistant, don't get too discouraged etc..


Emirates does require a/c over 30T.. I've received multiple e-mails from their recruitment team asking me if I met the requirement...Unfortunately I always stayed on the 50 because of schedule.. Probably should have transitioned over to the 70? Who the hell knew back then!!
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Old 08-28-2011, 02:31 PM
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Emirates isn't the only airline in the region. If your that open to the middle east, once you get to the hour requirements, Etihad and Qatar Airways are worth a look also.
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