stormrage
Thank you for your explanation and providing the context for it.
Yes, by all means if you are applying in earnest, then you have my best wishes and encouragement. There is ABSOLUTELY no need to concern yourself about paying SIA back should you not make the grade if your intentions are consistently sincere and you show best efforts.
Yes, you are correct in saying that the SIA selection process is possibly not 100% reliable. Maybe about 10% get chopped. At this time the Flying College is 100% owned by SIA. But it is also possible that they may be privatised and open their doors to start training for profit. In such a scenario it would be in their interest to do the KLM FA arrangement. After all, it's no longer their business to insist that their graduands are employed and someone has to pay the training bills.
Regarding the issue of a guranteed (pilot) job; historically there have been cases of cadets being offered flight attendant jobs because demand did not quite take up the supply available. But those days were shortlived (relative to the total career lifespan of those affected) and they were soon flying again. At no time did they have to pay SIA back for that cockup. In worst cases those affected just left, without having to repay the training costs.
But not getting a job (in the situation you described) isn't really the same as "being chopped", as far as it concerns the SIA situation. Choppees from the SIA cadet scheme get nothing (no ATPL or even a PPL), in the KLM situation at least they still have the frozen ATPL.
Anyway, our cadet scheme carries no such risk of financial ruin (at least not arising from school fees; some cadets did accquire gambling habits in Perth which has now ruined them years later). The cadets don't have to go Dutch (yes, bad pun). Join us if you are so motivated. Every batch has several foreigners, and they are not just Malaysians.
Good on you for investigating this angle.