Qatar
Lucas,
my honest opinion: WAIT.
Actually, you can apply 11 months after your resignation. (That's the information I got.)
You won't get a straight answer to your questions above as the recruiters and hr people don't and cannot post on pprune. Yes, you can get answers like: I heard..., According to my friend... , As far as I know.... but nobody can and will tell you what to do.
Someone posted in the Qatar topic that there is no agreement between the companies any more. According to my several sources this information is incorrect. However, try and go if you want. There is no harm. Two of the girls from my country who work for Qatar went to an Open Day in June, both were eliminated after the cv drop-off. (Source: non-English forum.) If it happens to you: you need to wait 6 more months, just like now. If they take you: I was wrong.
Emirates DOES hire people with flying experience. There should be 1-5 ex-crew in a batch. My friend got the Golden Call a week ago and he used to work for 2 airlines in my country before went to the UK.
FYI: he was hired from the Birmingham OD (120 attended), only 5 boys made it to the second round after the cv drop-off. (FI in Birmingham: 31 girls and 3 boys. He wrote: very strong candidates, so well-done Birmingham people!)
I know many ex-GulfAir, -SIA, -Qatar, -KingFisher crew who work for Emirates. (I always spot them in economy because they are so good.)
Your background is fantastic, your age is ideal. I think it's a great advantage that you worked for QR. I'm pretty sure it's better to mention it than deny it. One more thing: you are 23 years old!!! Can't you just wait another 5-10 months until the next recruitment day?! (I hope you found some job at home to survive.)
Good luck with your flying career!