WileyTwo

I know they won't say it but they do not hire over thirty or married. I know of six pilots that I worked with flying the 200 and 700 that are at Emirates now. I know of three others that tried and did not make it. So yes you need to divorce your wife and family. Then if you are under thirty you can bring them to Dubai later. They do hire pretty girl too.

RJSAviator76

Here's the scoop on Dubai:

Just because you're an American doesn't mean sh*t. Lots of us around here.

If you're single, have a fun personality and like to have a good time, you can get quite a bit of action in Dubai. No doubt about it. Emirates usually hires hotties. It's not like the US where Bertha just got her big break and is now a FA but her a$$ can't fit through the aisle. or Gladys who retired from the US Postal Service after 35 years now wants to be a flight attendant - ain't happening here. Remember, this is not the US - discrimination of various sorts (age and looks as an example) is very much alive and in practice.

Now, people are people. There are plenty of watering holes, dance clubs, and other things to do in Dubai. Food-wise, you have most US brands available here - from fast food to chain restaurants. The biggest difference is that most of the time, you cannot buy alcohol there. However, you can always get it to go or get it delivered and have some beers at home with your Chili's Fajitas.

Living under Islam Law... well, it is a little different, but it's not Saudi Arabia. You'll find girls wearing G-strings at the beach, mini-dresses, heels, etc. Common sense applies. If one has to define common sense, well... maybe you're not suited for this place. Basically, be respectful and be polite. Some differences, during Ramadan, most restaurants are closed during the day as Muslims are fasting - however, you can order in from most places and they'll deliver food to your house. Same with water, no drinking in public either during Ramadan - yes, I mean water bottles. Just how it goes... one of those things. Again, no big deal, just gotta learn to live with it and deal with it.

Dubai is a huge melting pot. Emirates has some crazy number of nationalities working there - something like 160+ and they make it work and make it profitable and lucrative.

Again, if you're single... this place is great. If you're married - depends on your spouse. Just like anything else in life, it's all what you make of it. Some make the best of it and have a great time, others are miserable.

Personally, I found that the hardest thing about my 2.5 years of living and working in the Middle East was getting on that airplane the first time. Once I broke that barrier, I knew I could adapt and overcome any challenges. I came from a failed airline, so for me, it was a must.

Now, would I go back to the US? Absolutely. Would I go back to a US regional? Hell to the NO! Would I leave a US regional to come to Emirates? Absolutely. Is it Delta Airlines? No. You'll work to the max, and you'll be tired and jet lagged. There's no ALPA here, no union contract, and they can modify your contract at their whim - they actually did that when they raised the overtime threshold at Emirates - again, you can quit or you can put up with it.

Having said that, show me a US airline that will pay for your house or apartment, pay your utilities, and give you over 7 grand take-home pay after it's all said and done - TO START... AS A FIRST OFFICER.

As I said, it's all what you make of it. Good luck with the decision. If I were at a US regional, this would probably be the easiest decision of my life.

WileyTwo

Hey, RJSAviator76, maybe you can help me get some of the discrimmination coming my way. I am good looking and having visited Dubai would love to live there even if it is just to rest for the next trip. Anyway you could talk to someone that makes those decisions and hire an old guy, I am over thirty.

johng723

WileyTwo - I'm curious as to why you feel you'll be discriminated against for being over thirty? I know a number of pilots who have gotten hired at well over 30...

KoruPilot

I know five recent hires and four are over thirty, two over fourty. . .

So, I'm going to go out on a limb here and take a guess that Wiley, you're talking about their hiring of cabin crew, not flight crew. Correct?

AirbornPegasus

Thanks RJSAviator76. This is EXACTLY the kind of information all of us are looking for. Any other similar perspectives would be very much appreciated.

In terms of the age thing, the rumor is they seldom hire pilots under 30. Does anyone know if they really do routinely hire under 30 years of age and if so how far down do they go.

RJSAviator76

I know several guys hired into their 40's, I also have a friend who was hired at 28, granted this was 2008.

We're talking pilots here...

johng723

I was also recently hired and am under 30..and under 28 for that matter.

Typhoonpilot

I've been in the Gulf for a total of 10 summers, 9 in Dubai and 1 in Saudi Arabia. The hottest I've seen it near the coast in Dubai is 44-45. If you go inland it gets hotter. The worst heat I've ever experienced was in Dhahran when it was 50 with high humidity. The northern parts of the Gulf get far hotter than Dubai. Dhahran and Kuwait are probably the worst.

Little known, even to people who live in Dubai, is that the "east coast" near Fujairah has far milder whether for much of the summer. July and August when the northern monsoon reaches up towards the east coast it is 8-10 degrees cooler many of the days. I've seen overcast and drizzle with temperatures of 32 when it's over 40 in Dubai. That's only a 1.5 hour drive away. Great for weekend getaways.


Typhoonpilot

Typhoonpilot

The exit strategy question is actually one of the most intelligent ones to ask.

I cam here with a 10-15 year time horizon. I am at 9 now. I'm older so my exit strategy may be different than yours.

What can happen is that you upgrade at EK and then you're almost locked in with golden handcuffs. The total package at EK is worth quite a bit compared to a taxed U.S. based salary. Inevitably you'll have to take a pay cut to leave an EK captain position, but you'd be doing it for a better QOL at home most likely. That is what most guys end up doing. Some only last 3 years, others 10+. The airline is still young so the senior pilot has only been here just over 20 years.

If you come as a single guy it's likely you'll end up married within 2-3 years. I've watched that happen over and over again. A lot of the FAs come from Eastern Europe, Asia, etc and they'll latch right onto a "rich" airline pilot because it's a huge step up in quality of life for them. These girls are so much better, and treat a man so much better, than the "entitled" witches from the USA so that's not necessarily a bad thing. However, one must be careful of cultural differences causing unhappiness over the long term.

I used to recommend that younger guys not really look at EK as the long term prospects are better in the USA. If you came with a shorter time horizon it may not be a bad thing. It will disqualify you for a job at Fedex, but other airlines will like the international widebody experience. It would make you stand out from the crowd. But the other thing I used to say is that you need to get 1000 PIC before you made that move, since to go back to the USA most jobs require the 1000 PIC.

Typhoonpilot