As long as there is a healthy supply of young men and women who have aspirations to fly, these “ab initio” schemes or programs for low time pilots will always have “insufficient” compensation packages. It is just the basic law of supply and demand. Here in the US, most people would be surprised to find that a regional pilot makes less than $20K USD / YR for first couple of years as an F/O (not much more thereafter). In many Asian carriers, these cadet training programs for their “national” pilots, pay little and come with a bond that can be well over a decade. China Airlines (Taiwan) for example, not long ago had a recruitment drive for Taiwanese national for their cadet pilot program. It pays NT $100,000/mo (about $3,300 USD a month) and there is a 12 year contract I believe. Taiwan my understanding can be somewhat of an expensive place to live especially with the housing boom most Asian cities seem to have experienced in the recent years. It is my understanding even well respected airlines like SIA or MAS pretty much have similar terms like that of China Airlines.
In reality, there will always be a large supply of people with the misconception that a career of an airline pilot is “glamorous” as it once was. There will always be someone who will be willing to take an entry position even if the pay is low and the terms are advantageous to the employer. Better yet, there will always be a good supply of people who are willing to pay tens of thousands of dollars to an airline just to fly in the right seat.
If anyone can find a “well” paying job with “excellent” benefits for low time pilots, please let me know.