Ever considered flying for a middle east airline such as Emirates?

As a British pilot you are not restricted to flying for UK airlines, in fact there are numerous exciting opportunities to fly for airlines all round the world. Dubai based Emirates is emerging as a power house in commercial aviation and is actively recruiting pilots globally.

Emirates A380 on a snowy day at Manchester

Emirates is a rapidly growing airline and is on course to become the largest airline in the world. Based between America/Europe and Asia/Australia it is the perfect hub and offers a vast route network which any pilot would desire.

The route network spans all six continents which guarantees as a pilot you will experience diversity in your flying duties. Emirates only flies long-range wide body aircraft, so whichever type you are assigned you will have the opportunity to fly shorter as well as longer routes. Diversity is king as an airline pilot and Emirates is one of the best for providing it.

With a young high tech fleet Emirates offers some of the most modern and advanced aircraft to fly. These include the A380, A350 and Boeing 777. Your aircraft type will be chosen by operational requirements, although Emirates does offer the chance to transfer between aircraft types after 6 years.

Emirates has an excellent rostering system which gives each pilot the opportunity to fly their desired routes. Each fleet has five groups. Each group has a rostering priority which rotates monthly. This means every five months you are in the group with the top rostering priority. When you are in the top group you have a very strong chance of being given your selected routes.

The downside to Emirates is that their minimum entry requirements means that they only recruit experienced pilots. Emirates does have a cadet scheme but unfortunately this is only open to UAE nationals. First officers require 4000 flying hours of which 2000 must be in a multi-crew and multi-engine jet environment. I highly reccomend applying for Emirates if you do meet these requirements, otherwise focus on UK airlines in order to build your hours up.

The lifestyle of an Emirates pilot is one of the biggest pulling points. You will be given the chance to escape the UK weather and go to live in one of the world's most exciting cities, sunny Dubai. Dubai offers a vast range of activities to keep your family occupied whilst you are on flying duties, including excellent schools for your children, execellent shopping, restuarants, sports and a host of other attractions.

Emirates offers a very competitive remuneration packgae. Direct entry captains can expect to start on around £6000 a month. Extra pay rewards are provided in the form of Hourly Flying Pay, Productivity Pay and a Profit Share Scheme. Emirates also contributes to the education fees of its pilot's children. The biggest bonus is of course Dubai being a tax-free haven!

Emirates also offers a wide-range of non-cash benefits which include 42 days annual leave, free leave tickets to Emirates destinations, life insurance, medical and Dental provision, loss of license insurance, company provded transport and uniform.

Emirates is a world class airline which offers a fantastic employment package to pilots all around the world. If you want to live in a superb tax-free location, fly modern high-tech aircraft across a vast route network then Emirates is one airline definitely worth considering.