You can't possibly agree that the RAF will be more beneficial, it will take so much longer to achieve the exact same position.
Say you started your flight training this summer (as an example) and 3 years later you have just achieved your fATPL using a Modular course that you have been paying as you go. Most people on this forum have said they waited around a year for their first job, which means in between that you have been a flight instructor building up loads of hours.
So on the year 2011 you have your fATPL hours, your flight instructor Hours and the possibility of getting your first job within the next months. You then get into Easyjet (as another example) and your flying 600 hours per year until 2014 (by which time you would be leaving the air force) you would then have:
- 200 Hours in Training by the end of your fATPL training
- Flight Instructor hours
- 1200 hours from your airline job
OR
Join the RAF, come out in 6 years with your PPL (probably) and information on how to re-build a tornado. Have to start your flight training for 3 years which by this time your other career has a HUGE amount of hours still building.
As I said, if your dream is to become an airline job, go for that dream. If your dream is to join the air force join the air force, but don't use the RAF to get an airline job as you will be wasting time.