I am a Liberty Franchisee so will be biased
Liberty and Block both offer excellent training. The cost of the course varies depending on the area you are in. Contact the local stores to find out. Having hired some ex-Jackson Hewitt people I am not sure I can speak of their training. My personal suggestion would be to focus on Block or Liberty.
Block does break their training course up into two sections (at least this is my understanding). The second half is invitation only and you are required to sign a non-compete before attending it. Libert teaches the entire class.
Job pays varies by state and region. Call the local franchisee or corporate store (Most Blocks are corporate stores while my Liberties are franchisees). It is usually a base hourly rate with a bonus though make sure you understand how Block calculates their pay. Visit the finance.yahoo.com site and search for message boards on HRB. You will find many who will tell you all you want to know.
I think it is excellent training and will give you an all new insight into taxes. Most accounting courses cover only the bare basics of taxes. You won't learn everything but working for one season is a good way to find out if you really like it. Some people love it and come back every year. Some people hate it and don't make it through the season.
The cultures are the three companies are very different. Before going to work for any of them, call them. Talk to the owner/manager. They make more of a difference than you can imagine.
Send me a PM if you want to discuss it further. I am always happy to talk taxes.
