DoItInverted
Im curious of what your source is. $50,000 for an Airbus 320 family type rating....hmm thats interesting... Last time I checked it was only about $ 30,000 USD. I can not imagine how your price got so high.
Your $5000 figure for selection payment can be easily broken down. The initial JAA medical which can be converted to Lebanese Class one costs around $1300 USD and $100 conversion cost. Then the DLR exam costs about $2000 USD. What we have left is $1700 which can cover hotel expenses, travel, and finally the cost of aptitude and personality tests which take place in Lebanon.
There are three unions at MEA, one for pilots, air stewards, and ground crews. All of them have salary agreements with management and the salaries are overall agreed upon.
OD-AFA
The DLR is a test that can test anyone's patience down to the last second. There is hand-eye coordination tests involved and fatigue tests that can catch you by surprise if you are not well aware of what to expect. There are study manuals from what I understand that help you prepare for the DLR examination, those should be studied thoroughly prior to beginning the examination. Most of the DLR is conducted via group exercises to tests CRM and multi crew concepts.