Ok here are the main things you should know or should do.
1.Get a check because u can change it into cash at the bank.
2.If you want direct deposit, i guess you can use paypal BUT you need to put in ur credit card infos and stuff.(Works with debit cards)
3.Paypal isnt that safe. Once your account email and password is recovered by someone else, they can purchase stuff online really quickly. They can't change your password because of your security questions but they will spend ALOT of cash as fast as they can and you wont be able to the money's back.
4.If you use paypal, you will sometimes receive FAKE emails from paypal asking you for your informations. REMEMBER paypal emails have a GREEN CHECK next to it so you know that it's from them.
My paypal was hacked once too and he used over $240 and i couldnt get it back.
I also heard of a story where a guy stole over $5000 from this guys paypal to his bank account in another country so he contacted the police and the paypal but they didnt do anything because it was in another country. So yeah...i dont think paypal is so safe..