sumps
- what is "Tech Serv's"
Think of CSDE at Swanton Morley. Defence Standards, Reliability, Modifications, schedule development - that sort of thing.
Military experience in this area is not worth much as, although the technical aspects of the work are similar, the key difference between civil and military lies in the rules and regulations.
An AME licence isn't so much a technical qualification as a certificate that the holder knows the civil certification processes and is competent to apply them. Technical Services people aren't necessarily licence holders (though many are) but to be on an equivalent salary to the LAE they need to hold approvals too - for example to produce a repair scheme beyond the SRM, a Technical Services or Development Engineer must be an approved person working under their employer's CAA design approval.
So, the end game is that you have to be prepared to gain the required civil experience, do the exams and advance under your own merit. In my own case I only worked as an unlicensed 'tradesman' for a year and a half before I was licensed and approved, certifying my own and others work on B747s and B707s. It was a substantial reduction in pay and I needed a second job as a mini-cab driver to make ends meet for two years, but I consider the effort was worth it.
Good Luck with your future career - you're on the right track and asking the right questions