Cyprus-Forum.com

[Kikapu]

Right and what knowledge do you bring to the table about the B737? Sweet stuff all is your answer. I know a lot more intricate information about the B737 than you think.

I have once crashed a Boeing 737........................in a simulator!

Nice. It's actually a very heavy aircraft when hand flown.

Assymetrics on the B737 are also quite a challenge when practicing V Cuts - assymetrics with Engine Failure just after lift off.

It's a east of an aircraft and a real joy as well.

Probably one of the best planes ever built if not the best.

I am happy to say everyone walked away from my crash landing!

Did you have another go?

After about 2 hours you would have pulled your first B737 landing successfully. It's a very easy aircraft. It's all about the right configuration and flying the right numbers.

Yes, the second attempt was successful despite passing the landing threshold a little too much.

[Robin Hood]

Pyrpolyser:

@ RH and Mr from NG. You have many misconceptions. But I am too late in this topic to clear them up. Some other time perhaps. Just a tiny bit: Half the Govnt jobs are for teachers. If you can find me just one teacher who got the job because of a "koumbaro", then I will be here to cut my throat

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But if I remember correctly, teachers are selected on a different basis? They get their offers of a teaching job off a ‘list’ that is open to any Cypriot that has a degree to apply to be added to the list. They then wait, most often for years before their name comes up. When they are selected THEN they get the teacher training course. But I also remember this system was heavily criticised some time ago because by the time their name came up many had made other career choices. I don’t know whether that system was ever changed or modified.

But the ‘koumbaro’ system is alive and kicking once in the profession! We have a neighbour who is a teacher, with a young son, but travels from Limassol to Paphos every day. I believe she teaches at primary level but when jobs become available closer to home ..... who you know is a big factor in who actually gets the job than experience and competence. There are also teachers that are promoted a few weeks before they retire ..... to get them a bigger pension! (I may be wrong but I again remember this coming up some time ago.)

As for my experiences with the Police service!

It is first hand experience and during that time I have realised that the system was NOT very competent, honest or efficient and you don't need to be a genius to see it! Maybe I just got a bad apple but, even so, it has been a difficult journey to get anyone in authority to review these actions. I think Paphitis explains admirably why there are a lot of police officers who are not up to the job. If people get jobs because of cheating and/or who they know rather than their ability to do the job, then the service they provide is going to suffer. Unfortunately for many Cypriots as well as for people like me, it prevents or at least makes the process of getting justice, a difficult and stressful experience.

[Paphitis]

Pyrpolyser:

@ RH and Mr from NG. You have many misconceptions. But I am too late in this topic to clear them up. Some other time perhaps. Just a tiny bit: Half the Govnt jobs are for teachers. If you can find me just one teacher who got the job because of a "koumbaro", then I will be here to cut my throat

.
But if I remember correctly, teachers are selected on a different basis? They get their offers of a teaching job off a ‘list’ that is open to any Cypriot that has a degree to apply to be added to the list. They then wait, most often for years before their name comes up. When they are selected THEN they get the teacher training course. But I also remember this system was heavily criticised some time ago because by the time their name came up many had made other career choices. I don’t know whether that system was ever changed or modified.

But the ‘koumbaro’ system is alive and kicking once in the profession! We have a neighbour who is a teacher, with a young son, but travels from Limassol to Paphos every day. I believe she teaches at primary level but when jobs become available closer to home ..... who you know is a big factor in who actually gets the job than experience and competence. There are also teachers that are promoted a few weeks before they retire ..... to get them a bigger pension! (I may be wrong but I again remember this coming up some time ago.)

As for my experiences with the Police service!

It is first hand experience and during that time I have realised that the system was NOT very competent, honest or efficient and you don't need to be a genius to see it! Maybe I just got a bad apple but, even so, it has been a difficult journey to get anyone in authority to review these actions. I think Paphitis explains admirably why there are a lot of police officers who are not up to the job. If people get jobs because of cheating and/or who they know rather than their ability to do the job, then the service they provide is going to suffer. Unfortunately for many Cypriots as well as for people like me, it prevents or at least makes the process of getting justice, a difficult and stressful experience.

Sometimes the Koumbaro System is there for a reason.

For instance, refugee families get priority for the public service. Also families of the EOKA fighters in the 50s get priority because they contributed to the struggle and Makarios made a decision to help these families out. In addition, other families who were involved to combat the Coup against Makarios.

Case in point. My uncle was a British educated Physicist. he actually was highly qualified as he went on and got a PhD.

When in the UK, the Yanks at the time were looking for talent so some Americans that were working for their Government were looking at who was coing through the university system in collaboration with the Brits, and the Brits referred my Uncle to them and the Yanks wanted to offer him a US scholarship paid for by the US Government on condition he remains in the US, becomes a citizen and works for their Nuclear program. It was a generous offer which he declined as he didn't want to use his skills for making weapons like that.

he went to Cyprus and was one of the 3 guys to build the Radio Station at Paphos where Makarios gave his speech after the Coup attempt but he was also captured by the Coupists and beaten up in his Paphos cells and was actually going to be executed as well.

Our family on the other side owned through inheritance the Palikarides Museum and donated it to the State and we have 1 family member paid a wage to look after this National Treasure as an inheritance to all Cypriots. others were given positions in the Council and so on and so on, because of this relationship and because our family lost someone special to us.

People like his were looked after and rightfully so. he was in the public service for his entire life as an educator.

Now as I told you before. The Koumbaro system isn't unique to Cyprus. it happens in the UK and Australia. So many times when you look at the most prolific corporate climbers and people on boards, they come from elite schools like Geelong Grammar and Eton and schools like them. Aviation industry has a habit of prioritizing family members of pilots and engineers. RAAF pilots are always on the fast track and so on.

And if you have contacts up hire, it is likely they pick up the phone and pull strings.

Not what you know it's who you know. It happens everywhere.

[Pyrpolizer]

But if I remember correctly, teachers are selected on a different basis? They get their offers of a teaching job off a ‘list’ that is open to any Cypriot that has a degree to apply to be added to the list. They then wait, most often for years before their name comes up. When they are selected THEN they get the teacher training course. But I also remember this system was heavily criticised some time ago because by the time their name came up many had made other career choices. I don’t know whether that system was ever changed or modified.

That system that gave each candidate a serial number according to the date he graduated was in the past. Still nobody could get a priority because of a "koumbaro". The system was working fine in the past but as the number of candidates increased in the last 20 years one could reach the age of 40 to get the job.
That system has already changed and each candidate now gets points. The points system is indisputable too, and no one can get a job because of a koumbaro. What actually happens now is that the candidates who excelled at the Uni get the job faster, whereas the majority will never get one. Too much supply over a limited demand…

But the ‘koumbaro’ system is alive and kicking once in the profession! We have a neighbour who is a teacher, with a young son, but travels from Limassol to Paphos every day. I believe she teaches at primary level but when jobs become available closer to home ..... who you know is a big factor in who actually gets the job than experience and competence.

Your neighbour is NOT in the system yet. She works on a monthly contract as an "replacement" temporary teacher, usually to replace teachers on sick leave or on maternity leave. She doesn’t have a permanent job. Next year she may have nothing. Her contract terminates in the summer.
Assuming the Ministry has permanent teachers who have not completed their obligatory (5 year?) rural service, then they will send one of those to do the replacement. Otherwise they will offer the job on a temporary contact basis to the queu of unemployed teachers. Most of the times such jobs are rejected because they are usually far away. Some however like your neighbour take the offer.
Notice there are about 10-20 positions for teachers at the occupied GC schools. Not even one of the permanent staff accepts to go there. So all those positions go to temporary teachers. And there’s no competition for those therefore no need for a "koumbaro"

There are also teachers that are promoted a few weeks before they retire ..... to get them a bigger pension!

Totally wrong! All teachers who reach the pension age get the maximum possible pension. There’s no need to get a promotion.
In the past most would end up schoolmasters just 1-2 years before retiring. It was just a matter of moral satisfaction. Today there are 4 assistant schoolmasters at every school. It’s not unusual for all 4 to decline the offer to become schoolmasters, simply because the position is on a different pay-scale and it often occurs they would end up earning less money.

As for my experiences with the Police service!

It is first hand experience and during that time I have realized that the system was NOT very competent, honest or efficient and you don't need to be a genius to see it! Maybe I just got a bad apple but, even so, it has been a difficult journey to get anyone in authority to review these actions.

What was your first hand experience with the Police??
Notice that the Republic was established in 1960. At that time Makarios could not even find enough High school graduates to form a Police force… Policemen near their retirement today come from that era. Slowly slowly things changed and I am confident that young policemen are at the same standard as any other advanced EU country.

If people get jobs because of cheating and/or who they know rather than their ability to do the job, then the service they provide is going to suffer.

That’s a bif IF. "Cheating" on the exams for the Police happened only once. And it wasn’t really cheating. If I remember correctly the exams should have been on the Internet at 8 o’clock in the morning, and the person responsible made a mistake and uploaded them at midnight for some reason.The exams were canceled, so anyone who "cheated" just wasted his time. "who you know" won’t get you a job at the police simply because there are exams.
What’s certain is that compared with other EU countries where police corruption reigns supreme, our own is generally clean.

The "who you know" in the Government actually happens when there are many candidates and a small number makes it to the short list. When I was young there was just ONE position for an Engineer at the Govn’t. 340 people applied including myself. I wasn’t a top candidate and I knew it was a waste of time. Eventually they made a short list of 4 people. I knew them all, and they were all top candidates. I am sure the "who you know" should have worked in that case. What's certain is that no one of those 4 lacked ability or top credentials.

Btw although you are living here for 25 years, I am sure you don’t even know the language.
Without knowing the language you are susceptible to all sorts of misconceptions.