I got my assessment in the beginning of may and i joined Etihad in august , so after assessment, you just wait 3-4 months to join which is acceptable
About the salary and the package , yes EK is better but the costs of living in dubai is way more higher , EY is giving 160k housing allowance per year
You can find 1 or 2 bedrooms apartments in good locations such as al raha beach or reem island with price of 80-90-100k
If you want bigger apartments or villa , then you should go 150-170-200k
Abu Dhabi is a lot more comfortable and not chaotic like Dubai , especially for family
As a widebody FO , i fly almost 70 hours a month with roughly 10-12 sectors , all layovers at least 24 hours
I make 30-31k , plus housing allowance 13k , it can be saved from housing allowance, depends on the apartment you wish to live
Training is busy but not difficult if you do what you need to do , they want you to finish as quick as possible , so be ready for 5 days a row sim sessions
People here have complaints ofcourse, but i am sure in EK is same , pilots do complain
So overall i am in Etihad for like 6 months and i feel good , no regret at all
If anybody has more specific questions , i may try to help
And No i did not fail EK assessments!!!