Hey Jimmy. I've been doing a bit of research myself.
Have come to the firm conclusion that Emirates is an amazing airline, with an amazing training system in place and some very very good pilots and employees running the show.
A few are disgruntled, but given the sheer size of its operation, that is to be expected.
Quality of life(by what i've heard/learnt), is excellent and depends mostly on what you make of it. Most consumables are quite cheap.
I believe Emirates is a very fair employer if you are fair to it. However I also believe that in order to attract and retain enough talent from overseas, EK might want to consider tweaking their salary structure a bit. So as to seem competitive enough to the new joiner.
But like someone correctly pointed out earlier, there's no dearth of guys still wanting to join EK out there. Both FO's and DEC's. So, if you are one of them then you should feel good about it. Cause you are in the right place.
Remember, YOU want them and not vice versa. But if you're amongst the best then THEY will want you.
So go out there, do your best and leave the rest to allah.
All the best my friend.
Off now.
PS-The above are all just my own personal views. Albiet, well informed personal views....
And I am sorry, I am NOT a current EK pilot. Not just yet.
Good luck in your decision.