welcome zig!
don't know where to start to give you advice, but i can safely say, assisting is *ALOT* of hard work. be prepared!
it doesn't matter who you work for, or how "good" or "bad" the photographer is....keep an open mind and treat everything, good and bad, as lessons you can learn from. that way, life would be more meaningful as an assistant
sometimes, you just feel like sh*t haha!
will be good if you can get your own jobs, shooting weddings or PR events.... this way, you can build up your own portfolio, learn how to interact with your own clients, and earn cash, of course. some studios don't shoot such events, so they sub the jobs out.
one more thing, but just as important, give yourself credit and don't accept jobs which you think is seriously underpaid for your standards.