When I was over there doing some training a few years ago, I was surprised to meet some pilots doing 727 training for a freight company, their training consisted of the ground course (essentially the CBT), followed by sitting in the sim for half an hour or so and learning where everything is and runing a few checklists. They never even flew the thing.
That was my intro to the FAA system.
We had six weeks of ground, nearly four weeks in the sim, then two months or more of initial operating experience line training in the airplane. Perhaps you misunderstood your "intro to the FAA system."
Every single flight, and each aspect of each flight, required documentation, signed off by the check airman or training captain, and separate line checks were required for various aspects ranging from the INS and individual nav systems or radios, to north atlantic checks, etc...to say nothing of checks into individual airports and on certain routes. Numerous checkrides, oral exams, written tests, etc, took place throughout training. During ground school written tests were taken and graded on each topic and phase, as well as end writtens, and exit orals when passing from one area to another...don't pass that exam, don't get to move on.
Now it's certainly true that one can achieve a type rating in a simulator and be legally qualified on the airplane without ever setting foot in the airplane. It's also true, however, that one can achieve far more advanced and realistic training in the sim than in the actual airplane, because there are a lot of things you can do in the sim that you simply cannot do in the airplane.
I've been to simuflite or FSI and come away with a type rating after several weeks of study and plenty of hours in the sim, as well as passing oral, written, and practical tests. My type for my present job was issued based on a sim check...not wasn't given out with abandon, and was earned. Moreover, on arrival on the line, nothing was assumed, and I was held to the same checkride standards every step of the way.
Yes, a SIC needs a type rating for international flight. Some operators try to get away with the bare minimum, but most hold a SIC candidate to the same practical test standards as a PIC candidate. Some operators only issue the SIC until the individual upgrades, which means that they're not providing full type ratings so the individual can then take the training and run to another operator. Once the individual upgrades, the full type rating is issued, and hopefully both the individual and the operator mutually benifit.
I suggest that if you truly feel that the training and oversight you receive under FAA certification is so poor, you seek training elsewhere in the future. Your training dollars, euros, riyals, shekels, or whatever else you use to pay, are certainly welcome, but definitely not needed.