I'd just like to add that I did attend the interviews with Jetstar Asia recently and found the experience to be quite different.
I am from England and I certainly didn't feel any hostility from any of the five member panel, which included Singaporeans. For those unaware, Singapore was part of the British Empire.
The technical questions I felt were relevant to the environment I would be operating in and yes I do agree some were coming out of left field, but I sensed these were more designed to discover whether someone had just learnt their lines or was a professional pilot. i.e. What do vortex generators do and where do you find them on the A320? Below average pilots would struggle to answer all or part of this question.
Does ANY airline in europe pay for foreigners or even locals to travel to and attend interviews? British Airways does not, Virgin Atlantic does not!
Regarding the pay. Yes the basic is lower than european airlines, but take home is higher AFTER TAX. Singapore rate for F/O about 7-9%, Captain 10-12%. Where as England 40%.
One thing I did sense from the Chief Pilot was he really DIDN'T want guys arriving with stars in their eyes. He wanted to make it plain clear that we would be flying our arses off and yes Singapore is expensive housing and children schooling wise.
As for me having to pay for the medical and visa... erm I've got the visa, haven't paid a dollar and as for the medical I will have to wait to see if a bill arrives!!!??
che ci dō che ci dō!: by any chance are you Italian or Spanish?
I'm not trying to sell Jetstar to anyone. I am just offering up my experience which was different. As I have only just joined, time will tell what sort of airline Jetstar will be like to work for. But, so far I haven't seen any seasoned Jetstar pilots on here, so I take that as a good sign.