It's only for the very elite, public signs no contracts, ordinary staff is usually on a few years contract. Time served in exchange for auditing and training.
You said that at the lower levels people were still being helped, do you think this is still true?
Yes. There are several scientology courses that are worth doing. (if one could only avoid the church in the process!) The communication course, study tech, knowing the tone scale are all useful. Life repair, some of the lower grades processing, and the first 10-50 hours or so of dianetics will pretty much handle what's bugging a person.
The Ron-is-God thing, so Ron incarnated as a human to do what, show how to get rid of theatans? Or did Ron just realize he was God?
I don't recall Ron ever claiming to be God, or even a god. His more fanatic followers AKA 'Rondroids', make such claims to each other in whispers...