You can pay for a month at a time if you want. You don't have to remain permanently subscribed once you start. It's much more complicated to play than a normal FF, but that's just because it's an MMO. You can also play old content without the most recent expansions, but if you buy an expansion ALWAYS only buy the most recent one, because it includes ALL of the previous expansions. For example, if you were to buy Shadowbringers, you'd also get Heavensward and Stormblood.
As for your question about jobs, yes, you can access all jobs on one character. Unless you plan on spending a ton of extra time to level multiple jobs up during the story, you'll end up playing one throughout it, as new missions require a minimum level to undertake, and you'll be that level if you stick to one job.