Lee, did you have similar problems at school? Just wondering.
Smiling Monkeys review of the A300 accident in '97, was a classic case in point. A disaster, that shouldn't have happened with multiple systemic failures, of which, it appeared, the highest being the human factor.
Take this into consideration with what one observer has said, namely Slasher, about observed actual performance of candidates that may, or may not have come from the same Company, but the same country, then review other incident or accidents as well, and it possibly demonstrates a standard that is not acceptable anywhere else.
It is important to have this information out in the open, not to denegrate any individual or country, but identify problems, and address them accordingly. As SM said, you need to learn from others mistakes, and not to take it personally.
ICAO, through the Annexes adopted by contracting States, should acheive this minimum standard, unfortunately ICAO requirement allows all member states to use the base of assessment for other countries to be the private license, irrespective of the qualifications and experience held. Is it any wonder then, that some States find it hard to recognise the standards of other states and thus take the pains to establish those standards first hand. Think about it.