Just my 2 cents.
I started out with CSA back in jan 2000... After some major baboonage and licensing issues I attended my initial sim training at a great resort town in Greece for 3 weeks. The instructors back then made sure we did 1 sim session every other day to maximize baking our nuggets in the sun (we were down there at the end of june). Debriefs included drinks and a dip in the Mediterranean.... sweet. The next 3 years were a blurred rattle from the Hamilton Standards attached to those PW 124's. Obviously some pipe was layed and chicks impregnated. Needless to say the beer is awesome and Prague is a great city to be single in. I went to right seat of the Beeing in 2004 and a year later upgraded to ATR captain. That was when Hair-lip was going crazy with fleet expansion and most all of us expats got a left seat post. Thanks Tvrdik, you moron. I'm trying to paint a nice picture to you AP because I had no regrets working there and would do it again in a heart beat. I met great guys like LE, click and bratko. We went big often. I brought back a beautiful CSA stewardess and a wicked little daughter. I've since moved back to the great white north and fly to sh#t holes like Fort Mac and Grand Prairie. Greasy parts of the oil patch that you seem to know.
I guess to answer you initial questions, the schedule isn't very efficient, as for your starting position, if you're a pirate go buy yourself an A 320 rating (can you still do that click?) and the pay..... well I consider myself to be one the best payed prop pilots on the planet when I left CSA. The flak jackets on boys (don't give me those ASIA or INDIA contact jobs because I'd imagine lifestyle must blow chowder when you have a family), as for lifestyle, I had to move back, because I would have harboured the clap or one of those nasty ailments at some point.
Try it out AP, it was worth every minute.
Checkster