Check out Pprune forums if you haven't yet. There are some good gouges there as well. The interview and the sim is nothing like Cathay's BS, but your sim is almost 80-90% of your interview. Know the basics for technical and don't crash the sim. As for the contract companies, they are all good as posted. You receive the same gross pay, but it's "allocated" and posted a bit differently so you might see a little more or less net. But all in all, it's neglible The only real advantage CREW has over other contract companies is that the company is based in the US (like WASINC) and its VP is ex-ANA executive management. So the ties between CREW and ANA might be a bit tighter than with other contract companies. CREW also has a Japanese rep in Tokyo and yes, the Aetna Global can't be beat. All your dependants are covered free of charge with very, very low copay and deductible.
As for training bond, yes they have one - ONLY if you do not give them a 90-day notice before you bail. In Japan, 6 - 12 month notice is the norm. Once you complete the seemingly endless training, it's one of the best jobs out there. From schedule flexibility to QOL, it really can't be beat. If you come in as FO, in the worst case, you will upgrade at the end of your 5-yr. contract. As LostinAsia said, I think the current going rate is between 3-4 yrs. for upgrades. With the accomodation, you will use more or less of the accomodation pay depending on your schedule.
Working in this part of the world, it's how you make out of your situation that'll determine how happy or miserable you'll be. This long distance commuting or relocating definitely is not for everyone though. And like other companies, not everyone is 100% happy here.
Last edited by captjohndoe; 08-25-2008 at 08:29 PM.