Well, I'm on my third post AN job.
The first was almost 100% ex AN and a start-up with no established procedures. Yet there was still a general willingness from MOST of the AN guys to adapt to the different environment (and it doesn't get much more dirrerent than Japan!!) and "Do it their way". I do remember a couple of "Full frank and open" discussions to try and get some points over to some individuals (E.G- Approach bans-
Instructor:- It is not permissable to commence an approach if conditions are reported as below minima.
Bloggs:- Yeah, but you can go and take a look can't you??
Instructor:- Let me repeat.......)
The second was also a relitivley new operation in the UK, also with a high pecentage of AN guys (in fact their training manager is now ex AN). No question of "Did it this way at AN". This was Europe, and traffic/weather/ATC/procedures meant you learnt THEIR way very quickley.(I'll 'fess up to one instance. I demonstrated an A/P off, A/T on landing to a newby onto a 1600M runway in Greece- Bloody A/T didn't go into RETARD as it should and led to a tense couple of seconds!!)
Now with a large(orange) UK LOCO. There are pre '89, post '01 and never were either Aussies and KIWIs here. We follow the companies (very well thought out) SOPs, get on with the job and are (if the representaion in traning and other management positions is an indication) well thought of as a group.
If anything, I shake my head at some of the "Way we used to do it" stuff. Rock up to Kalgoolie with a 1500' cloud base, one runway and no alternate? NUTS!! ( I remember MR telling me how, if a lightie gear-upped in front of me, some un-named person would come and bulldose the wreck off the runway before I ran out of fuel...yeah right!!) Do an approach to a Cat1 Minima when you KNOW there's 100m vis to "Take a look"? That would get you a quick trip out the front door with no license and a big, red boot mark on your A$$$ just about any where else in the world.
The "Way we did it at Ansett" worked quite well in Aussie condition under Aussie rules.
If the training made good pilots out of us, it did so by giving us good background skills, and the ability and willingness to LEARN!