Ex3Holer

I feel greenDog's pain. I flew the MD-11 for EVA in the mid to late 90s. The schedule really stinks. No stability, everytime you return back to TPE they hand you a schedule change. BigBeerBelly probably flies for World Airways. Laying over in TPE is different than being based there.

greenDOG

BBB,

Thanks for the advice. I received interview offers from a few airlines and even heard from World, all before I left my regional jet job to work for EVA. Since I've been at EVA and applying to only US airlines, I haven't heard from anyone. Due to the sinlence, I'm considering taking a small B1900 turboprop job just to get out of EVA quickly. Does that sound like a career killer?

Here's a copy of an email I recently sent to a friend with hopes of persuading him to not work at EVA. You're right about Taipei being a fun city, but EVA is not located there. I don't like to be Mr. Negativity but around EVA I actually feel like I am one of the more positive ones. The corporate culture here is bad beyond my imagination.
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Everyone's situation is different but for most poeple, I have to recommend not coming to work here. However, if you do decide to work here, you're lucky to be in the 747 where the schedules are better than in the MD11 where I am. However, the 747 fleet is being converted to freighters and the schedules are gradually worsening.

The pay system here is not simple. Once every three months you get a bigger pay check if you're not flying a minimum number of hours each month. So, my average pay for the first 3 months of 2006 is $4500/month with two small checks in January and February, then a double sized check in March. I think this 3 month pattern holds true for the entire year. Then there is an extra months pay once per year. There is a new deal where you get a some housing and childrens education support if they all live in Taiwan.

You should average 8 days off per month and expatriate pilots usually get their days off in a block so that they can go home. I never know when my days off are coming and it is impossible to plan anything. My schedule changes several times each day on average, so working here is like being on permanent reserve and is sucks. It sucks and it sucks alot. Again, this is the MD11 and the 747 is better, for now. Sometimes you'll work 22 days and get 8 off. Sometimes you'll work 40 days and then get 2 weeks off. Or maybe you'll work 40 days straight and then they'll onlly give you only 9 days off -that's what they're trying to give me right now. Maybe they think I should be happy with that because many of the local pilots get only a few days off each month and some of them take no vacation time. You get 22 days of vacation (after finishing 4 months of training and 3 months of line flying) and you don't get to choose when you take it your first year. They just put it on your schedule when they want to if they give it to you at all. Also They are very good at scheduling you to finish your work late on the last day of your work days and very early on your first day back. For example, tomorrow I finish work at 23:59pm before starting my days off the following day. So if you have 8 days off, you can't leave town until your first day off. After subracting travel and recovery time, it feels like you get 4 days off for the month if you're commuting to the USA.

Upgrades to PIC are somwhere between 7 and 8 years right now. The rumor is that the time will increase, but many expatriate pilots are leaving because of the horrid conditions here and maybe that will affect the upgrade time. Something to consider is that alot of local pilots are starting abinitio training and it takes them 2 years to complete training. So when you see a local guy doing his initial 747 training at the same time you are, he will already be 2 years senior to you.

But don't worry about how long upgrade is, most guys don't last that long here. Many of the guys I met in training did not finish training. They got fed up and quit or were fired. EVA demanded a letter from my previous employer saying that I had quit and then it seemed like they wanted to terminate me. If you can keep your position in your current job (if you have one) as a backup, by all means do it. I almost walked out before I finished my training but decided to stay and suffer since I had no other job waiting for me and because I had hopes that things would be better later while online, which they are not. I've been online for less than a year and can't wait to find another job. If I don't get one by the end of the year I believe I'll quit anyway. Also, there is a series of interviews with management before you're allowed to upgrade. Failure and punishment are common. If they don't like you here, you're out of luck as far as upgrades go. There is no "real" union to protect you. Haha, what do you need a union for? There are almost no work rules for the union to enforce, or any kind of rules for that matter that can't be changes by the company on a whim.

Let me know if you have any other specific questions. If you come here, I'll buy you the beer, you'll need it. If you go elsewhere abroad, let me know how it goes.

Also, you've seen this ****hole called Nankan and the EVA dorm building when you came for the interview, right? You'll be staying here at least to start and probably for the length of your employment whenever you're in Taiwan. It's by far the worst place I have ever spent so much time.

BigBeerBelly

Thanks for sharing your point of view. I now have a much clearer picture of why so many leave EVA. I am not sure if it will help or not, and many may disagree, but I received four interviews from attending an AIR Inc conference. You might consider attending one of them if you have a chance. PM me if there is anything I can do for you.

Cheers,

BBB