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After the Lion Air crash the Ethiopian pilots would almost certainly have been aware of the MCAS feature and should have been aware of how to disable the system.
Then you get in to the Air France problem in that there's a chance that the pilots will not diagnose correctly in the limited time they have.
Howard-
Good NYT article on what the Lion Air pilots could possibly have done to avoid that crash here:
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/11/16/world/asia/lion-air-crash-cockpit.htmlIf you look at the altitude graph I don't think I'd fancy my chances of correctly diagnosing the problem and dealing with it as the aircraft plunged rapidly towards the sea...
Fox
Pilots do have to get a new type rating to fly a new plane, but the MAX is considered similar enough to previous 737s to not require a new type rating. Not having to train your pilots for a new type approval saves airlines a lot of money, so only one is required for the 737 family and I think it's the same for the Airbus A318/9/20/21.
Pilots do need to do a 'differences course' which is normally delivered online. Ryanair are taking delivery of their first MAX 737s next month (or were meant to be) at Stansted and are/were planning to do the same thing.
The problem here though is that as @fussballclub said the MCAS system wasn't covered in the differences course that the Lion Air pilots would have done. So they didn't even know the system was present, never mind how to disable it.
After the Lion Air crash the Ethiopian pilots would almost certainly have been aware of the MCAS feature and should have been aware of how to disable the system.