High capacity across the board
Guys
Q'link operates on a high capacity AOC. That's it. There's no other consideration. Even though the 200 is 36 seats it is operating on the same AOC as the 300 and 400 so it is still part of the high capacity AOC.
Thus there is no requirement for 500 MEC. I can tell you this cos I'm one of the guys who has gone in there with less than 500 MEC (but plenty of co-pilot time in other jobs) and I have a command on the 200/300. I did not have to build my MEC up to 500 hours before they awarded me the command.
Personally I like it there. The first thing you have to remember is that it is a company that requires bums on seats and good quality professional crew to make it a viable operation. If you're going to go in and whinge from day one, I'm not interested in having you around. Be part of the solution. That's more of a general comment to anyone, not focused on you Sceva.
But that doesn't mean that you let the company screw you over at every opportunity either, and there are times when they try this. It's how you handle these moments that really determines your enjoyment levels. You can go off and get grumpy and disenchanted or you can get involved and try to do something about it. Personally I often remind myself that each of us contributes in some way to the team's level of engagement. Nothing frustrates me more than people who walk in there and rant in ways that are nothing more than selfish or non-constructive. I suppose you could say it's a bit of CRM on a bigger scale...
From the little I can see of your situation I would suggest it's probably a good move. There's plenty happening there at the moment and really, I doubt you will have to wait around for long until you get a command. With your instructing experience you will probably find training roles open up to you one day as well, which are both challenging and rewarding far beyond what you would have experienced now as an instructor.
The disenchantment that you have seen in previous posts is real though. There are challenges in being there, but I think too that the opportunities that it affords you down the track really are very good.
Hope that helps.