I did 6 months for DHL in the UK and they were an excellent employer IMHO. However, night freight just wasn't me and certainly wasn't for my wife and young kids.
Permanent nights, possibly up to four sectors, very similar destinations in and out of hubs to 'spokes' often the same each night, always having to pack your suitcase and check out of the hotel every night because even if you were due to daystop there every day you couldn't guarantee coming back! Body clock adjusting to nights and then coming home and being absolutely useless for another day and a half as you tried to get over the jetlag again. I was getting about 4-5 days off at a time which was fine, but some of the guys were doing 6 on 3 off, no good if you have a family. No food supplied, basic coffee and tea facilities (which was fine) smelly crew rooms (where you spend an awful lot of time hanging around) which were full of cigarette smoke, average 350hrs a year flying but just as many duty hours as charter (again it may suit you, but not me) good basic salary with slightly below average duty pay, excellent hotels (generally) with a vast difference in what deal they offered so if a 4* + and not a good discount your food eats most of your duty pay and if its -30c outside (Helsinki in winter) you don't really feel like getting up at 2 in the afternoon and then have to go trogging around outside to find a cheaper alternative. Possible downside is spending 6 nights with the same crewmember, who you may not hit it off with. Lots of days (and the odd night off downroute) where you are by yourself, so make sure you like your own company!
Lack of pax was good, you can pole it around the sky a bit more without fear of complaints from the back, always flying the a/c very light (bulks out before MTOW) which gives good performance, great bunch of people (with the odd exception) and pretty good backup and well 'looked after' (that indefinable quality where they don't question every claim form etc etc) DHL are a very stable employer and with the recent downturn in the industry they are one of the few employers where fear of redundancy is unknown, as is night freight in general.
This is a balanced view from my perspective so don't shoot me down in flames, it's horses for courses and I personally prefer charter, as do my family as I come home just about every day/ night, says he typing in a hotel!
PP