Emirates in General
1. Aircraft fleet
a. 115 aircraft
b. over 240 aircraft on order
2. 20% growth in last 3 years
Actually that is 20% per year for the last three years.
Life in Dubai?
1. pretty much crime free
a. certain communities not exposed to that
b. very safe
Crime exists, as it does anywhere. It is generally not directed towards expats, but petty theft does occur quite frequently at the villas, especially in the summer when families are away and the villas are empty.
2. totally drug free
a. penalty for drugs is DEATH
b. pretty much a deterrent
c. don’t have to worry about someone peddling drugs to your kids
Drugs exist, don't kid yourself. Not on the scale of the U.S. because of the penalties involved for trafficking and possession.
6. You can have house mates to keep your house clean
That means maids. They cost about 6000 Dirhams to sponsor for 2 years and then a salary of around 1200 Dirhams per month. Please, for the love of god, do not let them raise your children as all too many families do. Occasional baby sitting for an hour is okay, but to trust your children to an undeducated, untrained person is just stupid.
7. Customer service is fantastic
a. no waits
b. world class facilities
c. customer service is king
d. only 7 star hotel in the world
e. since cater to tourists, want to offer the best
18. Skiing
a. only $20 for skis, boots, and gloves
b. is right next to the mall
c. funny watching someone skiing past you behind the glass building
Closer to $40 actually. Great fun in the summer.
Benefits (First Officers)
1. about $94,000 tax free (average of everything below)
I think I calculated it out as $84,000 plus bonus and overtime. So yes, that could be $94,000 but not guaranteed to get either a bonus or overtime.
a. salary of about $74,000 regardless of how often fly
b. for every flight hour flown additional $12.25
c. for every flight hour flown over minimum of 78 hours $125.10
i. want a nice lawn – don’t worry about water bill
That will change very soon. Believe me, too many people are taking this perk to an extreme and it won't be allowed to continue, nor should it.
ii. want a/c on continuously – don’t worry about electric bill
c. there is a waiting list for accommodations
i. due to delays in housing
ii. cement went from 9 Durams a bag to 40 Durams a bag in the last six months
a. employee covered in full
b. spouse and children – you must pay a slight fee
i. about $200 per year Actually is $50 per month for my wife and child. Still reasonable, but a bit more than the figure quoted.
ii. taken out of your paycheck
iii. you never see it
c. covered in clinics all over the world
d. you don’t have to pay any bills at the one in Dubai
i. it is taken care of for you at the clinic
e. Dubai health clinic is state of the art
d. not sure what a CAT 99 is
CAT 99s are a quarterly look at flights that will not likely become fully booked. They are open to a wider group of your relatives and are firm tickets. Round trip to Europe was about $200 per person a few years back. As a firm ticket that is a great deal. I imagine they are a bit more with fuel surcharges probably closer to $300 now.
10. Schools:
a. primary school per child (max 3 children at one time)
i. 100% first $4,350
ii. 90% of next $4,350 ($3,915)
iii. basically you pay $435 out of $8,700
b. secondary school per child (max 3 children at one time)
i. 100% first $6,810
ii. 90% of next $6,810 ($6,129)
iii. basically you pay $681 out of $13,620
The American schools are significantly more expensive than the British schools quoted here. Work on $6000 per child per year for grades 1-5, then about $1000 per child per year for grades 6-12.
d. however the American schools are for profit
i. slightly higher cost than other schools
ii. however they look exactly like an AmericanSchool
iii. ball parks and the works
5. low turnover rate
a. 0.7%
A bit higher as well, but as long as they are senior to me it's all good.
6. lots of opportunities for wives
a. many work
b. speakers wife is a real estate agent and makes more than he does
7. around 12-18 days off a month
Maximum days off per month is now 14.
8. maximum days away for vacation is 21 days at one time
Depends if you know how to work the system or not. It's not that hard to get 28+ in a row. They just don't want more than 34 since you'll have currency issue per our regs.
