Aviator_Bakeek
Well-Known Member
They have a posting for CFI's at the school in Saudi Arabia. Looks like a decent gig with some nice equipment. I am hoping someone has some knowledge about their operation, I applied a few minutes ago.
Rabigh wings flight school
- Thread starter Aviator_Bakeek
- Start date
TwinCessnaDriver
Well-Known Member
Good luck! Keep applying everywhere, someone will hire you. When I was a fresh CFI I had to move to San Diego from Texas for my first gig. Things were a little better then. So I wouldn't be surprised if a person had to move to another country for a flying job these days. Keep at it!
I'd be cautious with this school. I was contacted by them about a year ago, and the person who was doing all the hiring agreed to bring me over pending approval by their (yet to be hired) chief flight instructor. There was a group of about 10 of us, and when they did hire a chief flight instructor apparently he went against everything that the hiring guy suggested. That guy ended up leaving the company not long after because he couldn't stand the way they were doing business.
They may have gotten things fixed up by now. The job can't be beat, as far as pay and benefits go.
They may have gotten things fixed up by now. The job can't be beat, as far as pay and benefits go.
swisspilot
Well-Known Member
any idea what the pay is?
Maddog1974
Well-Known Member
I work there currently and would prefer to answer questions over the phone...I hate typing and I know that I come off as a jerk and an ass sometimes here. A little easier for me to convey conditions over the phone. The school just went through a management change and we have a new Chief FI and Ops guy and things are looking better than they did previously.
PM for number to contact me, would be willing to answer any questions about the flight school. Oh, and this is not a international number, it is a Skype number to help me reduce cost of family calling me.
The previous statements are true, there have been several chiefs here, one of them is a member of this community, but the last Chief was here for a year. He did not renew his contract because he got a Hawker job.
Either way you can PM or call me, no problem.
Later!
PM for number to contact me, would be willing to answer any questions about the flight school. Oh, and this is not a international number, it is a Skype number to help me reduce cost of family calling me.
The previous statements are true, there have been several chiefs here, one of them is a member of this community, but the last Chief was here for a year. He did not renew his contract because he got a Hawker job.
Either way you can PM or call me, no problem.
Later!
Maddog1974
Well-Known Member
I am working on a write up of a typical day here in Saudi. I should have it ready in the next day or so if anyone is still interested.
swisspilot
Well-Known Member
Have you sent your Cv to that school in Punta del Este, I was in touch with them, they are getting G1000 and may look for CFIs soon.
rockman2343@aol.com
Well-Known Member
Sent my resume last night and got an e-mail today to send a copy of my passport and certificates. It feels good to get an e-mail from a potenntial employer, and this isn't even a job offer, yet lol.
TopGunn
Well-Known Member
I lived in Saudi for 17 years. I was born there. I just earned my CFII and CFI. Would love to work in Saudi again. PM Me your number.
Maddog1974
Well-Known Member
So, Rabigh Wings is a Part 141 flight school but we mainly follow the requirements of part 61, GACA really doesn't know what to do with us. Gaca has an agreement with the FAA to use certain portions of the FAR/AIM, AC's, and other circulars/directives so that they don't need to write up their own.
We have 8 C172s (G1000), 2 C172r, 1 archer, 1 retractable arrow, a turbo charged seminole, and two turbo seneca V's. We use filipino mechanics to maintain and an FAA licensed A&P to sign off the work once done correctly. Sometimes parts can be hard to come by and take time to arrive from the US but the aircraft are very well taken care of.
We currently live in Jeddah and fly out of an airport 65nm nnw of Jeddah along the coast in Rabigh. We have an hour and fifteen minute bus ride from the main office to Rabigh 6 days a week. The bus is a minivan that seats 11 very tight, maybe 7+1 comfortably and that is typically what we see. Many of the students drive themselves to Rabigh rather than ride the bus and then sometimes the Instructors ride with them. It sounds like it sucks, which it does, but it beats the alternative of living in Rabigh. I would rather live in Jeddah and have this ride than move to Rabigh. Other plans may be in the works but that is how things are going now. Food is scarce at the airport and the drive to town is 30-45 minutes round trip. We brown bag or snack while in Rabigh. There is an indian fellow that sells drinks here so that helps.
Pay, well that one is an ever evolving thing. The last I had heard was that there would be a base salary of between 2000-2500 a month plus 15-25 per flight hour with some sort of stipulation for min hours flown in the month. Right now they are talking about 80 hours minimum per month they would like us to fly. Right now the instructors schedule the students and things are slightly dysfunctional in that area. These are rich Saudi's and they aren't always on the ball with being on time or showing up at all. We are making a change in that area now with new management.
We are working towards having a scheduling department so we just need to pre-brief, fly, post-brief and move to the next one with breaks worked in. I am optimistic that this will work out and we will be able to hit 80+ hours a month. As I sit here typing this I have had one flight today and have flown 26 hours this month so far and I still have two more flights scheduled for today. I am not very god at scheduling and follow up for the next day, i am loving the fact that we are transitioning to a scheduler to call and confirm.
Living here is pretty crazy, driving is an all out defensive and offensive exercise every single day. All kinds of food here from Mcdonalds, hardees, KFC, BK, On the Border, Applebees, Uno chicago pizza, Subway....etc. There are plenty of food choices here with most being pretty fairly priced. Then there is the local fare, Lebanese food, which is very popular and very good here, Indian, and Indonesian or Asian food. Groceries are easy to come by with produce being VERY cheap and very fresh.
Housing is provided in Jeddah right now but that may change in the future. They have been talking about a move closer to the airport for two years now, so don't hold your breath. For transportation you either get a 1000 saudi riyal allowance per month or a car. It depends on what they have available when you arrive or if another instructor is leaving. And then you can also catch a ride with one of the other instructors if you need to do something in town. They also provide medical to the employee and that is it. Pay is once a month and when and if you arrive you can get a bank account then transfer money back home. Or use a western union to bank transfer and that costs me about $30 each time. I live on about $650 dollars a month using that to pay for internet, personal cell phone, groceries, and anything else that might come up.
Uniforms are provided when you arrive. If you need book materials you can purchase or ship but that gets expensive, make the student buy books. You will have to have a medical to get the Visa to come here and the company will reimburse for that as well as either pay for or reimburse for airline tickets. I bought a ticket from CAE to JFK and they bought a ticket from JFK to JED and then they reimbursed me for the flight to JFK. They will provide one ticket at the end of the contract to get you home and you also get 30 days paid vacation during the contract. Right now the contract is for 12 months but they are talking about extending that number in the future.
*****WARNING*****
Personal Opinions coming...
Please don't come here unless you can negotiate a decent amount of pay. Read and be absolutey sure you understand the terms of your contract. These poeple love to negotiate money and will tell you they cannot afford it with a straight face. The company has the backing of the King and will NEVER close (that part is fact). They can afford to pay and the they have been trying to pay less and less everytime they hire. Before me the contract was for $3500 base and $10/flight hour. I was given just the $3500 base with no hour requirement each month. The living conditions are not bad but not great either, make sure you help us keep the standard a little high. You are away from family and friends in a foreign country, you should get paid accordingly for your skill. There are opinions that you should make a min of $4000 and I agree. You have to make your own decision but plase don't hurt yourself or sell short.
END OPINION
The issues: We don't have a set pay date, they pass it out when they have it, typically the last or first week of the month. Flight pay in the past has been slow, sometimes 2-3 months late. The students don't always show up and that makes it hard to stay motivated. The weather is hot but not unbearable, search Wunderground.com and look at the months and compare with somewhere in the US that is hot. There is a 1-2 month period where temps are int he 120's with the heat index and it is not uncommon to have 100 degree temps on the surface and rising as you climb. We are on a bus for 2.5 hours and we work 6 days a week but it has been said that if we fly a certain amount per week we could have days off a week. There are only a handful of GA aircraft in the Kingdom so ATC really does not know what to do with us, sometimes good and bad.
Ok, my brain is shutting down and my twelve o'clock just walked in. If i didn't cover something or you would like me to call you or you call me please feel free to PM me. I have talked to two guys so far and would be willing to answer any questions about the Country, Rabigh Wings, or even SAFA.
Maddog
We have 8 C172s (G1000), 2 C172r, 1 archer, 1 retractable arrow, a turbo charged seminole, and two turbo seneca V's. We use filipino mechanics to maintain and an FAA licensed A&P to sign off the work once done correctly. Sometimes parts can be hard to come by and take time to arrive from the US but the aircraft are very well taken care of.
We currently live in Jeddah and fly out of an airport 65nm nnw of Jeddah along the coast in Rabigh. We have an hour and fifteen minute bus ride from the main office to Rabigh 6 days a week. The bus is a minivan that seats 11 very tight, maybe 7+1 comfortably and that is typically what we see. Many of the students drive themselves to Rabigh rather than ride the bus and then sometimes the Instructors ride with them. It sounds like it sucks, which it does, but it beats the alternative of living in Rabigh. I would rather live in Jeddah and have this ride than move to Rabigh. Other plans may be in the works but that is how things are going now. Food is scarce at the airport and the drive to town is 30-45 minutes round trip. We brown bag or snack while in Rabigh. There is an indian fellow that sells drinks here so that helps.
Pay, well that one is an ever evolving thing. The last I had heard was that there would be a base salary of between 2000-2500 a month plus 15-25 per flight hour with some sort of stipulation for min hours flown in the month. Right now they are talking about 80 hours minimum per month they would like us to fly. Right now the instructors schedule the students and things are slightly dysfunctional in that area. These are rich Saudi's and they aren't always on the ball with being on time or showing up at all. We are making a change in that area now with new management.
We are working towards having a scheduling department so we just need to pre-brief, fly, post-brief and move to the next one with breaks worked in. I am optimistic that this will work out and we will be able to hit 80+ hours a month. As I sit here typing this I have had one flight today and have flown 26 hours this month so far and I still have two more flights scheduled for today. I am not very god at scheduling and follow up for the next day, i am loving the fact that we are transitioning to a scheduler to call and confirm.
Living here is pretty crazy, driving is an all out defensive and offensive exercise every single day. All kinds of food here from Mcdonalds, hardees, KFC, BK, On the Border, Applebees, Uno chicago pizza, Subway....etc. There are plenty of food choices here with most being pretty fairly priced. Then there is the local fare, Lebanese food, which is very popular and very good here, Indian, and Indonesian or Asian food. Groceries are easy to come by with produce being VERY cheap and very fresh.
Housing is provided in Jeddah right now but that may change in the future. They have been talking about a move closer to the airport for two years now, so don't hold your breath. For transportation you either get a 1000 saudi riyal allowance per month or a car. It depends on what they have available when you arrive or if another instructor is leaving. And then you can also catch a ride with one of the other instructors if you need to do something in town. They also provide medical to the employee and that is it. Pay is once a month and when and if you arrive you can get a bank account then transfer money back home. Or use a western union to bank transfer and that costs me about $30 each time. I live on about $650 dollars a month using that to pay for internet, personal cell phone, groceries, and anything else that might come up.
Uniforms are provided when you arrive. If you need book materials you can purchase or ship but that gets expensive, make the student buy books. You will have to have a medical to get the Visa to come here and the company will reimburse for that as well as either pay for or reimburse for airline tickets. I bought a ticket from CAE to JFK and they bought a ticket from JFK to JED and then they reimbursed me for the flight to JFK. They will provide one ticket at the end of the contract to get you home and you also get 30 days paid vacation during the contract. Right now the contract is for 12 months but they are talking about extending that number in the future.
*****WARNING*****
Personal Opinions coming...
Please don't come here unless you can negotiate a decent amount of pay. Read and be absolutey sure you understand the terms of your contract. These poeple love to negotiate money and will tell you they cannot afford it with a straight face. The company has the backing of the King and will NEVER close (that part is fact). They can afford to pay and the they have been trying to pay less and less everytime they hire. Before me the contract was for $3500 base and $10/flight hour. I was given just the $3500 base with no hour requirement each month. The living conditions are not bad but not great either, make sure you help us keep the standard a little high. You are away from family and friends in a foreign country, you should get paid accordingly for your skill. There are opinions that you should make a min of $4000 and I agree. You have to make your own decision but plase don't hurt yourself or sell short.
END OPINION
The issues: We don't have a set pay date, they pass it out when they have it, typically the last or first week of the month. Flight pay in the past has been slow, sometimes 2-3 months late. The students don't always show up and that makes it hard to stay motivated. The weather is hot but not unbearable, search Wunderground.com and look at the months and compare with somewhere in the US that is hot. There is a 1-2 month period where temps are int he 120's with the heat index and it is not uncommon to have 100 degree temps on the surface and rising as you climb. We are on a bus for 2.5 hours and we work 6 days a week but it has been said that if we fly a certain amount per week we could have days off a week. There are only a handful of GA aircraft in the Kingdom so ATC really does not know what to do with us, sometimes good and bad.
Ok, my brain is shutting down and my twelve o'clock just walked in. If i didn't cover something or you would like me to call you or you call me please feel free to PM me. I have talked to two guys so far and would be willing to answer any questions about the Country, Rabigh Wings, or even SAFA.
Maddog
moxiepilot
Well-Known Member
thanks for the write up MD
Maddog1974
Well-Known Member
I have a couple of resumes out there, one with Weather Modification and one with Air Cargo Carriers. I am kinda hoping for the ACC job, but we will see. There is an opportunity here with the school but I am not putting all my eggs in one basket just yet. Plus I am still applying to places as I come across them.
How ya been, I saw your FB post saying you had done something...PM or call me!
Maddog1974
Well-Known Member
I went back through this again and reread it wondering if I painted the most horrible picture. I don't think I did but I am left wondering if I did paint a completely negative picture of this flight school.
All in all it has not been the most horrible place I have worked in my life. It has been an adventure and for the sake of those coming in the future I didn't want them to have false hopes and expectations that were unrealistic.
I wonder what the opinions are of Rabigh Wings after this post. I also wonder if I have killed any future chance at networking through this site since I did this. If you don't mind and you happen across it please leave me your opinion. I have been available most evenings and have only heard from 2 people so far wanting to ask questions.
Thanks
All in all it has not been the most horrible place I have worked in my life. It has been an adventure and for the sake of those coming in the future I didn't want them to have false hopes and expectations that were unrealistic.
I wonder what the opinions are of Rabigh Wings after this post. I also wonder if I have killed any future chance at networking through this site since I did this. If you don't mind and you happen across it please leave me your opinion. I have been available most evenings and have only heard from 2 people so far wanting to ask questions.
Thanks
sr22driver
what had happened was...
I think you did an excellent job in describing conditions "on the ground".
I'm in no position to speculate what the school would think. As a CFI currently looking for opportunities, I think your write up reflects a genuine concern for folks looking at overseas ops.
If I were single and free I'd seriously look into it, if for nothing more than the adventure of living in The Kingdom.