I used the search function of this website to find some threads that answer your questions. All of these topics are covered regularly here, and you can find answers quicker than waiting on people to reply to your thread. Check it out:

Alternatives to instructing:
best way to get hours [Archive] - Airline Pilot Central Forums
Anything other than flight instructing? [Archive] - Airline Pilot Central Forums
http://www.airlinepilotforums.com/pa...onal-jobs.html
http://www.airlinepilotforums.com/pa...uirements.html
http://www.airlinepilotforums.com/pa...ime-pilot.html

BEst regional:
http://www.airlinepilotforums.com/re...onal-best.html
http://www.airlinepilotforums.com/re...l-best-me.html
http://www.airlinepilotforums.com/re...-contract.html
http://www.airlinepilotforums.com/re...-regional.html

As far as the best schools, that's very subjective and depends on personal opinion. They will all get you your ratings, but if you must, there is an entire forum dedicated to the discussion of flight schools. Take a look at some of the threads there:
Flight Schools and Training - Airline Pilot Central Forums