The Golden Call

May 16, 2016

It’s Monday, a day that everyone hates. It was a regular day at work. My phone was at my office, while I was in the kitchen preparing something to drink, as I heard it ringing. I went out to check whose calling and I found a long number that starts with (+971…). I knew it was from Emirates. After all, I don’t have any friends from Dubai; neither had applied for an opportunity there except at Emirates Airlines.

My heart started bumping very fast. I picked the phone and answered, and below is the exact chat that happened between me and Mrs. Rachel who was responsible for my joining formalities:

–          Me: Hello

–          Rachel: Hello, I’m speaking to you from Emirates Airlines, is this Hussein Khalil?

–          Me: Yes, it’s me… (heart beating)

–          Rachel: I’m calling to inform you that you have been accepted for the position of cabin crew at our airlines, congratulations, and I’ll need you to finish some papers before joining.

–          Me: OMG! That’s awesome…

–          Rachel: First, I want to know if you are joining us from Beirut.

–          Me: Yes, that’s right.

–          Rachel: and how much notice period do you need to give your current employer?

–          Me: I’m working right now at Spinneys Call Center, and I need 30 days as a notice period.

–          Rachel: alright, and do you have a passport?

–          Me: I do, but it’s expired.

–          Rachel: okay, so you need to prepare a new one with 5 years of validity. How much time do you think you can do this?

–          Me: around one week.

–          Rachel: great. One more thing is that I will give you your Date of Joining which is Aug 05, 2016. Please do not resign from your position until we advise you to do so. And finally, you will receive soon an Email that will gives you access to our online portal in order to submit all the needed papers before you commence working with us.

–          Me: okay, that’s awesome. I will be waiting.

–          Rachel: thank you, and have a nice day.

–          Me: Thank you so much you are so sweet, and I wish you have a wonderful day.

Exactly, and in details, this is what happens during the Golden Call. The lady on the other side of the phone is very nice, calm and classy. But she speaks in a very fast way.

Anyhow, 10 seconds after I closed the line I received an Email concerning the online portal and the joining formalities.

The portal is very easy to work with. It is divided into three steps on the left side, and many headlines on the right side. The left one shows you the documents you need to submit, the phases to follow, whether a task is completed or not, and when you are allowed to start with the next duty. The first three jobs where the hardest: reading a 5 pages contract and accepting it, submitting medical reports, passport copy and pictures, as well as finishing an online joiner’s form with all your personal information.

I finished all the steps within 2 weeks, and another phase of the waiting game started. I had to wait in order to receive the “Advice to Resign” Email, before continuing the joining formalities. It’s how the system works.

On the right of the portal you will find some useful links about your rights, your accommodation, Dubai’s life, and more details about the overall duties as a Cabin crew. It is very important to read all the notes; they’re really helpful.

Finally, it is important to mention that you shall not resign from your work unless advised to by your HR coordinator. The portal states this sentence clearly on the home page with a red color. I feel that this is because Emirates at this time are not sure about you. They need to be certain that you don’t have any medical conditions, neither legal issues before you commence working with them.

As usual, don’t hesitate to ask any question you might have, and good luck with your Emirates journey.  Try to enjoy it as much as you can, because eventually you will only get this opportunity once in a lifetime, so don’t miss it out. As for me, I cannot honestly tell you how much excited and joyful I am for every single step I am taking with them. They are the reason I started smiling again, after several black days. Today, I feel that life is turning around on Aug 05 as I will start a new chapter filled with enthusiasm, good energy, and happy memories from all over the world.

A cabin crew job is one of a kind. It is made for people who hate routine and look for something new within their career; specifically with Emirates. Not only because they fly to more than 150 destinations, but because they work on the overall development of their staff, and helps them grow with time to reach high levels of success and customers satisfaction. A job with Emirates is a treasure, even though I haven’t started working with them yet, but I can already feel it.

Again, best of wishes with your Emirates trip, I’ll be waiting to hear your experience. I hope to meet you one day in Dubai (maybe we could be flat mates). And please don’t hesitate to contact me for any question or inquiry that I can help you with.

Lots of Love

Hsen 💙