Sorry but I was in a similar situation after graduation; I am an aero grad with experience in industry, frozen ATPL/part time instructor, I was also very fortunate to be offered a job where I was in due course to fly as an FTO; however from the outset it was made very clear there was no way I would ever transition to the LHS. Infact the pay cut I took from contracting meant I would not have been able to afford to renew my ME/IR, so I quickly returned to contracting. My experience if of course limited to the UK(I see your location is South Africa), and I think in the US there are cases where civil FTOs have transitioned to test or production test flying for civil manufacturers. My experience is very few airlines with give you any credit for having worked in as an aero engineer and very few if any aviation companies seem to have a requirement for a dual qualified engineer / civil pilot. The only test flying pilots with a civil background seem to be involved with in the UK seems to be at the PFA level. Personally unless you join the military your chances of test flying are minimal. I respect the experience of the people above but if you want to fly; your best bet is to go for the money.
Nevertheless good luck with whatever you choose. The real problem highlighted is permanent staff salaries and graduate salaries for the aerospace sector are low compared to other sectors.
Last edited by portsharbourflyer; 5th Feb 2007 at 18:07.