Yep you're an employee from day 1. You'll get an employee badge, placed into the CASS system, and paid 75 credit hours guarantee. Lodging is on you; however, if your sim is outside of Denver they will pay for the hotel. Year 1 is a big financial hit for a lot of folks. It's ridiculous, but you're essentially throwing the dice that their grand growth plan not only happens, but is successful AND the pay tables/retirement benefits greatly improve. Welcome to the Frontier career roulette table! Pull up a chair and double down! Actually that would be a pretty great idea for the job fairs.