Hi Bra,
I've done both sides of the house, been in the RAF at Airfields and Area units, and have now transitioned into the civilian side of control.
Like Wee Jock says,
The move now (if you choose NATS) is better, except for a couple of small things:
1. There
WILL be a drastic paycut to start at the college of ATC, be warned.
However the financial rewards will more than make up for this.
2. Even though you would have a military ATC licence, you will still have to do the training. And this would only be towards 1 validation (be it Aerodrome, Approach or Area).
I actually prefer the civilain ATC, purely from a numbers point of view. I find it more of a challange. I get a bigger buzz with the number of planes i control (at the same time) now than the fast pointy ones i used to control (only in large numbers if it was a formation!!).
I can't tell if your thinking about which way to go or are about to leave the RAF and are testing the water? Whatever you decide will be the correct one. Both are good careers, but both have their downsides too!