Emirates Requirements...?
 

Hey guys,

Looking for info on what EK seems to like hiring these days.

I am currently 1 year into my first 121 gig, an EMB-145 only operator and am not going to meet the time requirements for an upgrade for a few years yet.

What sorts of things is EK looking for?

EK's website states that its pilots require X hours of "Modern, multi-engine, multi-crew jet aircraft time"

I've heard all kinds of different rumors about what does and doesn't qualify as that type of time, and have even heard rumors that the aircraft in question must be 60,000lbs MTW or greater.. is that true?

Is EMB-145 time acceptable, and is it competitive?

I had also heard rumors that EK is only taking the disillusioned and ultra experienced US 121 pilots that our giving up on our industry over here any truth to that?

Besides just hours in a log book, what sort of personality types/lifestyle types are they looking for. What registers well on the "Human Resources" end?

They have tons of testing for technical skill, psychometric testing, knowledge testing, coordination testing, and everything else for the interview and these things can be studied, practiced, mastered, and generally prepared for, so I really want to know what gets you in the door of the interview? What makes a company like EK want to fly you half way across the world for a prospective job?

I also would like to know a bit about the quality of life at EK. The money is legendary, but the few people i've spoken to about it that claim to know anything are "a friend of a friend that worked over there at some point" and I either get how much they hated it or how much they loved it. Never heard a neutral remark on the subject period.

pprune.org Middle East section. Also, JS to DXB for a week and see for yourself. Your better off staying where you are life gets better after year one. QOL QOL QOL.

Emirates Requirements...?
 

Get 2500 hours on a Boeing or Airbus then you'll get an interview.

Emirates Requirements...?
 

My gf is a cabin crew at EK and last time I was in Dubai, she was able to get me in touch with one of the captains that also does interviews and we grabbed a coffee and chatted about this very same subject.

As for the interview, I was able to review his guide and believe me, it's not as complicated as people make it sound like. There are some specific things that they look for (during the group exercise, speak up) but really, they understand you're going to be stressed out. He said even if you screw up the sim, but do well on the areas, you will be hired (get the idea?).


At the moment, 145 or crj200 times aren't very competitive. That said, EK has hired both 145 and 200 pilots in the past. It's all about supply and demand. He said the pilot recruiters are trying to convince the hr people to drop the weight requirement. No luck yet, but it could happen in the future.

You do not have to be a 121 legacy pilots to get hired at EK. If you can get yourself in a 900 or a 170-175, that will do it. Of course, it always helps to know someone within the inside. But that's almost for any job, not just EK

Average American pilot life span at EK is about 8-10 years, according to him. It's not for everybody. So do your research.

I'm exactly in the same boat as you are. Just over a year at a 121 company, flying the E145. If you can get on a 175, or a 900, that's great but don't stress it that much. He strongly believed that requirement will be dropped, eventually

Thanks man. Yeah, unless my company gets E175's which is a very unlikely (but still rumored) event, we won't be seeing the weight requirement met untill the MRJ comes out if the MRJ ever makes it so I hope they drop it, because I'm not making lateral career movements and losing seniority just to target a bigger airplane for a job that might or might not happen.

There are a lot of threads here on APC. Just search "Emirates". The threads here are 100% better than any you'll find on PPrune. Pprune went downhill as an information source about 10 years ago and it just keeps getting worse.

I was at Emirates for 11 years and recently left for something else. So I made it more than the average American :) That's kind of funny actually since when I left I was basically the senior American. Gillegan, who left a few years ago, made it 15 years. Emirates didn't really hire Americans until slightly after I joined. The flood gates opened a few years after that and there are about 300 there now. There was a period where ERJ and CRJ pilots were getting hired, but then the pendulum swung the other way and it stopped. I am hearing now that some corporate guys with only GIV GV or Challenger time have been getting calls, but I believe they are flying in that region already.

A large number of those 300 Americans are looking to leave. Emirates was great during the post 9-11 furloughs/bankruptcies and then the age 65 stagnation period, but now that things are starting to move in the USA again there is no way I would recommend going there. One of the main reasons to go to Emirates was the chance at a quick upgrade in a widebody. I was lucky and upgraded in one year ( previous command time ) and most who joined within the 5 years after me upgraded in the 3-5 year time frame. That has ended now. Upgrades for a new joiner today are going to go beyond a decade. It's just simple math. Look at the fleet number now; the projected growth; the number of pilots; and the attrition rate to get a rough idea. At what point might you be projecting to be at the half way point up the seniority list?

If you want to go to Emirates I would highly recommend getting 1000 PIC jet before leaving the States. At least then you'll have the qualifications to get back to the States someday. Because you won't be getting PIC time at EK for at least 10 years.


Typhoonpilot

Typhoonpilot,

I have always found your posts to be fascinating, informative, and a great read. Now that you are gone from Emirates, would you care to share some entertaining stories (names and dates abstracted, of course) from your time on the line?

And if I may ask, to which greener pastures did you head?

Good advice. Very Informative, thank you. What about getting in on the 777 for example and transitioning to the A380?

Thanks kfahmi, I think it would be better to let a few years pass before telling any stories in a public environment. Most of my stories are good ones. Emirates was a great experience for me and I am thankful for my time there. In an ideal world I would have stayed a little longer, but circumstances dictated the time to leave be sooner.



TP

While it might happen, it is unlikely. So far only B777 Captains have gone to A380 Captain. First Officers from the A330/340 fleet have gone to the A380 fleet as First Officer, not from the B777 fleet. It is always a question of where the need is, so it could happen eventually.

TP