Seriously, this is BS!
Personally I thought that pilots could read.
Take five minutes to read through this thread (less time than it took you write your post). Most of your questions regarding pay and conditions will be answered. Keg has even done the searching for you and given you links to the relevant threads. I posted a direct link to a website that lists the payscales. What more do you want?
Regarding the SO/ FO thing, everyone starts as an SO.