Episode 24: Feeling at Home in Dubai
When it comes to Emirates Airlines, there’s no doubt that as a company they represent travel, hospitality and a lifestyle of luxury!
When crew fly, they often stay in five star hotels, travel first class and enjoy per diem allowances to eat and explore international cities during their travels. You might ask yourself though :
Do cabin crew live this way at home? Is it always a life of luxury?
Does the company really provide everything? For free??
Keep reading or click the video above to find out!
A room with a view!
Joining Emirates as cabin crew has been an interesting experience for me, as in my home country employers often don’t provide living allowances, or pay for their staff’s expenses.
However, Emirates cabin crew are required to be based in Dubai, United Arab Emirates to perform their duties, and so it makes sense that as a company they would accommodate incoming staff by providing them with a place to live.
In this post, I will share everything the company provides new recruits when joining, based on my personal experience.
Spoiler alert: They are very generous!
Departure
Prior to leaving, the company lets you bring 3 suitcases with you, of max 70 lbs or 32 kgs each. This is pretty generous, but when you think about it, you’re packing up your whole life!
(Also, bear in mind that this was the allowance for me from Canada but your country might differ.)
In my case, I brought clothes (including uniform items I was asked to purchase ahead of time), one appliance (need my Vitamix!) and also some other electronics (my gear) and sentimental items.
Luckily, I had a friend who had already begun her training weeks before me, so she let me know that most things you might want are available in Dubai as well.
For example, it is easy to find appliances and household items in Dubai for cheap (like an iron, laundry basket, etc.) but swimsuits, sandals and specialty food items in Dubai might be a bit more expensive and good to bring with you from home.
There’s Amazon too so don’t worry - you can always find the items you might need online!
My 3 suitcases in my accommodations the first day.
At the Airport : YYZ
When I checked in at my home town airport (YYZ), my complimentary boarding pass was issued and my bags were weighed. A couple were overweight, so I had to pay extra in one case and repack/ take some things out in another. That’s the reason I mention the weights of the bags above and not to overpack like I did. There is a fine for overweight bags.
In my case, my family was able to take the extra stuff back home with them. And we were off!
The three checked bags don’t include your carry-on, by the way!
At the Airport : DXB
Once I arrived in Dubai (DXB), the process was very seamless.
I was told a Marhaba agent would greet me right away, and she did as soon as I stepped off the bridge from the plane to the main airport. She smelled amazing (the first time I smelled oud oil lol) and was a very kind young woman. I don’t know why, I was expecting a big intimidating guy. I guess because chauffeurs are usually big guys in movies haha!
The Marhaba agent and I rode on the airport cart to where my checked bags were arriving to collect them, and together we set up my SIM card and passed the customs security. Altogether, the process took maybe 30-40 minutes. Once this was done, a company car took me to my accommodations.
And, voilà! Before I knew it, I had reached my new home.
To watch it all go down, check out this vlog of my first week in Dubai!
Ps. See if you can spot the Marhaba agent in the video ;)
Home sweet home - in the UAE!
My First Day
Once I settled in and unpacked, I realized that the company had shared a few items with me (some of which you can see in the image above).
These included:
Company furniture such as a desk, ottoman chair, bed, night table, ironing board and a brand new mattress;
Pots, pans, cutlery, dishes, cups, and dishwashing soap;
Towels, toothpaste, a toothbrush, and body wash;
Laundry detergent and a laundry basket;
A trash bin and box of tissues;
Snacks and little gifts like cookies, tea and instant coffee!
I actually really appreciated these gifts because especially on the first day or two, having snacks and small items really made me feel at home right away.
All recruits receive these items when they join, and they will be waiting for you in your room.
The big cardboard boxes are where I found the towels and kitchen items.
Roommates
Back home in Canada, I lived with my family for some time, but I moved out on my own and so I had experience with roommates and with living by myself before.
My roommates and I all arrived the same day. If you have never lived with roommates it can be an adjustment, so get ready!
It is amazing to meet people from every corner on earth but it is also a big change.
For example, I am used to sleeping in chilly temperatures, and my roommate from Pakistan was freezing because my thermostat also controlled her room. Eventually we settled on making the room slightly warm as a happy compromise.
Units have 3 rooms.
They all have lots of storage and closet space and in my building, they were all pretty big.
A - The biggest room, often with a nice big window too and a larger shower
B - The medium room, which is the one I had, which has all the same features just a bit smaller
C - The smallest room, which is the same just slightly smaller than the B room
Every unit has their own way of doing things. In my place, we came to decisions together by majority. Other girls I know divided the spaces into their own areas so that it was easier to manage and everyone could do their own thing.
Make sure you know what feels right to you at home, so you can feel comfortable sharing what matters to you!
Being in company accommodations makes arriving to work very convenient, since the crew bus comes to pick you up or drop you off right from your place regularly throughout the day!
House Rules
When you join, the company lets you know what the house rules are in exchange for paying your rent. Here are a few! I won’t go too in-depth because if you join you will be taught these rules in training:
No pets
No smoking
No visitors past 1am unless they are Emirates crew too, or pre-approved visitors
All company furniture must be respected and returned after your stay
Same-gender roommates
Roomies in room unit order: B, A and C!
Accommodations Tour
The building was a wonderful surprise to me. The reason I wanted to make an EK Accomodations Tour video in 2023 is mainly because I wanted to know what to expect as someone just joining the company today. Where are they placing new crew? What can I expect?
I watched all the old videos online, but some are several years old. What about today?
The good news is that as a brand new building, I couldn’t have been happier with what I found in Dubai at my arrival. New appliances, new furniture, new bed and new coat of paint. Everything was brand new for me to use and to make my own.
Watch the video to get a real tour of the spaces + scroll through the gallery above to see the photos I took around my apartment the first few days, including the incredible view!
In Conclusion
Both inside and outside, Emirates provided me with a wonderful living space, complete with brand new kitchen, living room, bedroom, gym, sauna, steam room and pool.
I felt at home right at the start, thanks to the thoughtful gifts the company provided and seamless transition to the UAE.
If you are thinking of embarking on this experience, I would 1000% do it again, because the UAE is a wonderful country and there are so many things I already love about Dubai.
If it’s your dream to join Emirates, definitely apply! This could all be yours very soon.
Want my advice on how I made a good Emirates CV and some professional advice on what makes a good resume?
Click the image above to see how you can download my personal CV template and read about my interview with Vernon, a professional job recruiter!
Remember guys: Dreams are supposed to come true, so I hope yours do too!
Also subscribe if you haven’t (it really helps me!) and check out the video below for more about life in Dubai and what I’ve learned since living in this city for a few weeks!
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Check out my blog post on life in Dubai to learn even more!
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