i'll like to drop my 2cents wrt jal. seems like there are many misconceptions about what to expect from the company yadda yadda. the bond itself is 15months, inclusive of training. so if u happen to hate the job to the core and decided to leave during the bond period, the damage is S$3000.
currently sin-based crews fly to these countries:
tokyo
osaka (usually 1 night stay. unless you forgo your sleep, forget about visiting kyoto, nara etc. you can still explore the places using your points for free travel. then again, that's another hassle to go thru.)
kuala lumpur (there's one pattern with a night's stay, and another pattern that doesn't have layovers)
san francisco (yes, we still fly there and it's getting more common for sin-based crews although we are still sharing the patterns with hkg-based crews)
new york (high allowances + per diem but extremely tiring)
guangzhou (there's layover but rumour has it that it's going to be a turnaround during summer schedules; meaning no layover.)
ho chi minh
there isn't any water confidence test during the interview. the only time you are required to don your swimsuit is during the training in japan and it's only for a day during the emergency training. if u can't swim for nuts but have the guts to jump into the water with a lifevest, you'll survive.
they do skin check during the interviews. you'll be asked to change into a camisole + shorts. if you've seen the uniform, you'll know how conservative and how the crews are actually covered from head to toes. so if you have some pimple scars etc, don't worry. the reason for this check is to see if you have any visible sign of mental problems, like suicidal scars, gang tattoos etc. you can't have a crew who has a problem up there in the head to be responsible for the safety of hundreds of passengers.
the uniform is dark blue jacket suit with white blouse and floral scarf. everyone wears the same uniform regardless of seniority, and it's only the chief purser that wears a checked scarf in white or black.
however, for sin-based there is no promotion within the company, the same goes with any japanese company in singapore. contract is renewable (subject to the company's whims & fancy) for every 5 years. so in a way, you are guarantee for a job for 5 years but maximum length of service is 15 years. you can get tons of compliment letters and sucked up real well to your seniors, but at the end of the 15 years, no matter how good you are, you'll be asked to leave.
during the interviews, i'll say the good-lookers will definitely get an advantage. yes, as superficial as it sounds, jal look for girls with pretty faces or the girl-next-door look and good skin. the "ugly" ones are probably those who had previous experience in another airline or impressive resume, or they are just goddamn lucky that the company is having mass recruitment and doesn't have enough applicants to fill the seats. then again, even if you have a pretty face to boot, but have a "come-slap-me" kind of look or show attitude to girls taking your height blah blah, you'll probably won't stand much chance getting in.
do dress in formal business attire with stockings and dye your hair black. smile, smile, smile. neat and presentable are the keywords as with any interviews that you are going to. just be yourself, know why you want to join the company and be very presentable. this isn't SQ, so leave your red nail polish at home since red nails are a representation of prostitutes in japan's culture. don't cross your legs too.
something about the company that i think all wannabes should know before taking the plunge. this is a japanese company. everything is about going by the book regardless of how ridiculous some of the rules may sound. and with all asian carriers, being a junior means you have to respect your seniors. the japanese crews are the "superior" ones and we get "bullied" by them at times. of course, you still meet nice crews every now and then, but i'd say the first 6 months of your flying life will be rather difficult to be dealt with. once you know your work (after a year), nobody will touch you.
the singapore base is a rather small base so if you happen to be condemn because of your attitude etc, word gets around the office pretty fast. so you've gotta learn to play your cards well.
then there's always some plus points about being in jal. the thing with foreign base crew is that your command of japanese language isn't that good, which means you can get away with certain situations. and our responsible isn't that big compared to those in sq etc. galley work is so much simpler. and since we get an average of 2-3 long hauls a month, we earn our per diem and allowances easier. although the layovers are long, compared sq where you are required to be on duty at least 4-5 days a week, which works out to 20 days of working on average, at jal, you can earn relatively the same amount with only 10-12 days of duty. for example, if you have 1 new york, 1 sfo and 1 osaka flight in a month, you can earn about $3k. most of the flights we're doing are like 'business' flights, the passengers aren't the touristy, demanding types. meaning less vomits to deal with too.
friggin long post but hope all this helps.
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