Not to contradict you at all, I am just trying to form a clear picture for myself as to what exactly is the company policy on this matter.

There was a guy on another forum, the JC forum to be exact, He/She seemed to have great knowledge on the company & went into great detail on how this policy worked internally. It was something like this & this is his words not mine...

"If someone comes in as Capt, then you sign a 12 mo contract, if you come as FO, then sign a 12 mo contract after the upgrade to CA.
If you ever leave before that period, even if you never upgraded, even if they never paid for your ATP, basically, if you ever leave before serving the 12 month term as a Capt, they will MARK as "NOT Eligible for Re-hire"

He clearly said, if someone was coming here with the intent of just to reach 1500 & leave then it is not worth it to get that Black Spot on your record..

Again these were his views, not mine..

I have tried my level best to find that thread on JC, so I could contact that poster.

Now, I know many airlines may not care about "Not eligible for Rehire" thing, but I know are a few who do care..