For anyone considering the cadetship I would say go for it! Barely two years in the right hand seat of the Saab and you'll be a prime candidate for the likes of Cathay, Hong Kong Express or Qatar.
Those jobs are now terrible because the "likes" of Cathay and Hong Kong Express Human Resources see pilots in Australia buying their career path. So they adjust their package accordingly so you can now buy the rest of your airline apprenticeship too.
The packages offered by those two HKG carriers are unlivable for a family man. But I am sure a single guy will be happy to work at half the pay of other HKG pilots hoping that one day they'll have the experience for a dream contract job with KAL or Air China. I'll guess that by the time they get to that level the contractors will be in on the game as well- looking to continue the exploitation of pilots with jet ICUS and other creative schemes that make this generation of cadets an emerging working poor.