There is no such thing as a secure route to a flying job in the UK. All wannabes who start down this rocky road have no guarantees that there will ever be a job for them at the end of it and, sadly, for many there isn't.
This is not a field to enter for someone who must get a job at the end of the line - as several contributors here can tell you! The risks are such that it's inevitable that most in training are young, single and have no commitments beyond feeding themselves - except for the lucky (very) few who have made their fortunes elsewhere before entering flying. Sponsorships are only available to a very small group of people who, amongst other qualities, generally must be less than 27 years of age when they enter training. Such sponsorships as there are still require substantial financial risk from the student.
My advice would be that you should avoid going down the commercial flying route unless you have very clear goals, and you are prepared to undergo whatever hardships may befall you on the way. For every success story you read here, there are many failures that you rarely get to hear about. If failure would cost you or your family too much, your course is clear. For those who can accept the risks - and can deal with failure - come on in! For those who succeed, it's still a very rewarding career. For the rest, recreational flying can be a great deal more fun than yet another early MAN-ALI!
Scroggs