There are a few ex-RAF engineers who are now pilots in my airline. These guys are now Captains, and the hiring regimes even 5 years ago was very different than it is today. My airline isn't hiring anyone, however.
Today, the airlines who are hiring in the UK have a completely different set of criteria, and it has got nothing to do with your educational background, or your experience. Engineers and supermarket cashiers are treated the same.
Most of the engineers will tell you that they would be earning far more money than they do as a pilot. The engineers (the contractors) are raking in the cash.