Sponsorship approval varies among embassies. Some only accept employer sponsorship. Probably easier for your father to "lend" you the 500k for the application and apply yourself as you have a remote job.
Yes, there have been approvals with new jobs. Where are you applying? I got my DTV from Taipei they would not accept a new job I had as they wanted to see payments in bank accounts. I would avoid applying there. Many other places will be fine
There are a lot of Laos approvals in the threads which will help. Many accounts detail the interview as brief, you will need to show your 500k in your account on your phone. Approvals are quickly given post interview.