Sliceback

EK has other benefits outside of pay - housing allowance, low or no medical insurances costs, etc.

Much better comparisons might be monthly net after taxes and what housing, utilities, and medical fees are paid by the employee.

TeddyKGB

I didn't realize they had such subpar terms and conditions and low pay. It's a scum bag outfit in a god forsaken place so I'm surprised to see them attract pilots for that low of pay.

MikeF16

Grade school cost me (well, actually the US government) $20k/child which EK does not cover. Middle east health care, yeah, I'll pass. If the EK housing is anything like what I was provided, it is very pretty and shiny on the outside, and garbage underneath. My air conditioner failed 13 times in 12 months, my bathroom looked like Niagra Falls due to massive ineptitude in pipe installation, and I had my very own mold farm due to a water leak inside one of the walls. None of the cabinet doors closed properly, windows leaked, the appliances were garbage, and a small cat could sneak under my front door which wouldn't be a big deal if it weren't for the desert across the street with the sand the same consistency of talcum powder. Do I even need to start on Etisilat, the nazis could've learned a thing or two from those antichrists. I haven't even started on ramadan, free speech, or driving...

RockyBoy

That would be a more "fair" comparison.

However, there are no places in Dubai I would ever want to live even if they pay for it.

I'll pay for my place in the mountains of Idaho with no neighbors any day over a shared multiple housing unit in Dubai that Emirates pays for.

Purple Drank

Absolutely. Living on the Man's farm is a recipe for disaster.

TeddyKGB

When you go to Captain at EK they start you at 1st year Capt pay so a 7 year FO that just upgraded make a whopping $8K a month. Most 2nd year legacy FO's exceed what a new EK Capt makes.

Typhoonpilot

Not that I am defending Emirates pay, but that is not even close to an accurate statement.

As previously mentioned you need to look at the take home figure between the two examples you have chosen. That would be gross pay minus taxes, minus expenses, etc. In your example the EK captain would come out way ahead.

When I left there my salary was equivalent to over $300,000/year in the USA. I was on 10th year captain pay with an instructor override.

But, for you anti-Emirates guys, I still left. It was the right decision at the right time and I have no regrets either going there when I did post 9-11 or leaving when I did last year.

Oh, and Mike, EK do cover school fees for up to 3 children. The amount depends on which grade. It is not enough to fully cover the American schools, but comes very close on the British schools.


Typhoonpilot

scambo1

Typhoon,
You've always been an informative straight shooter. Where did you go when you left?

boarderdw

As a second year FO at Emirates my take home is 8700/month. I have a family of 5 and out of that 8700 we need to pay for groceries, cell phones and wifi. We've saved almost 80,000 and have 30,000 in our provident fund. We enjoy living in Dubai for the most part. Working at EK can be frustrating at times, but I came from a regional and the comparison is night and day. All that being said, I will leave for a job at a legacy; but only to get that coveted seniority number.

Typhoonpilot

Thanks Scambo.

I work as a contract pilot/instructor now. A lot more time off and a lot more time in the USA, but certainly less take home pay than Emirates. My actual employer is a contract agency, but the majority of my duties are for a company that would probably prefer I keep a low profile.

If I was younger I would certainly have considered going to a major. Lost my seniority number at USAirways ( crappy as it was after the Nic award ). In other threads here and elsewhere I encourage the younger American guys at Emirates to consider going back to a major now.


Typhoonpilot