It doesn’t look like you have read this thread since these questions have been answered over and over! But here we go again!
1. Is the salary paid to your home country bank account or any account of your choice (e.g. expat accounts in HKG or SIN)?
The contract company will direct deposit to any account of your choosing!
2. The hotel stay during your 20 days or whatever days ON is paid by the company or is it like paid by you every time you checkout or deducted from your salary on a X days block basis or what? Wait, is it even a hotel stay because CAE job page mentions accommodation allowance too? I am confused now.
Hotels and transportation while on the road is covered by the company and the majority of hotels are quite nice. The nights you spend at base (Narita) is covered by the pilot with the accommodation allowance.
3. The local to and from airport to hotel transport and meal expenses during your ON days...is that also paid off or you arrange it on your dime? This one is stupid but I am just so curious to figure out the cost of living 18 or 20 days every month in Japan with this type of setup.
Train rides to and from work while at base is covered by the pilot with the allowance, the exception being training events where you need to go down to the training center where they will give you a bus ticket or you can submit a reimbursement form.
Now the cost, to be honest the accommodation allowance won’t be enough to cover the expense of being in Japan during your roster, food is not too expensive (Steak being the most expensive item) but housing and utilities are pretty pricey, here is Narita is cheaper than down in Tokyo but if you are like any of us that enjoys a cold one here and there, and doesn’t really think about what to eat because of the price, you will end up spending more than your perdiem and your housing allowance for sure.
4. The non-type rated (which is my category) candidates have to pay some upfront or is it like 100% amount bonded against a couple of years?
No, but there is a penalty with CREW if you leave the contract early.
5. How do you enter Japan once you are on this type of job, like on a crew visa or something or you get a temporary govt. Id because it seems you just won't have any sort of Id to identify yourself as a non-resident of Japan.
You enter like every other crew member from other countries, with a Shore Pass that you will need to keep with you while you are hanging out in Tokyo, the most important thing is that this shore pass restricts the area where you can be while in Japan so if you have a couple of days off while at base and you want to do some sight seeing while in Japan, it’s best that you enter with a visa.
6. I recall it being mentioned that as AJX pilot you shall be doing only international flights, so that means either you are in the cockpit or the hotel. Guess what I am coming at is how a sample roster looks like over this 20 ON day spread?
We can only do international flights since we are not legal residents of Japan and you are a temporary contract worker, I know it sounds strange but that will be one of the least strange things you’ll come across.
A sample roster won’t do you any good, they vary so it might not be at all what you experience once on the line, remember that there is a transition to the 787 so we don’t really know how this job will look like a year or two down the line. It will be over 8 months before you are even released on the line.
I still have so many curiosities but I guess this is good enough for starters.
I would really recommend (again and again) that you take some time and read this thread, there is information here that you won’t think about asking but that it is good to know. The thread is very old but definitely go back let’s say 5 years or so and start from there.