@LimaVictor: I'm not so sure that's true. Times may have changed so I stand to be corrected, but I went for an assessment with Hainan in 2008 and completed the ATPL exam, Medical and English proficiency. My sim was cancelled and I was sent home for a month to wait. In the meantime, I asked my broker if I could do an assessment with Air China, and did so a week later. I got the job with CA.