I agree with TP, however, as one that looks towards emirates ever so often, it has to be said, that I would never consider leaving my current job for a FO slot with emirates.
This isn't a question of being to good to be an FO, lords knows I am not, but more of a renumeration/advancement point of view. Things at EK change at a moments notice and if I was hired as an FO, then six months later, if the DEC program was back on, I would be hosed.
I do not know, who gets hired as DEC, sure there are some "gems", but also there must be some good people, who might be great FO's and given a bit of time in the EK system, great captains, but they would not have joined as FO's and hence, EK would be looking at rostering problems.
Yes, I worked for a company that decided to hire DEC, even though I was eligilibe for an upgrade and had passed the sim assesment test and it sucked, but that is how it goes, for better or for worse.
The way I see it, unless EK pays their FO more and assure them, that upgrades happens as seniority predicts, then no one with good qualifications will hire on as anything other than DEC's.