This will no doubt fall on deaf ears or annoy those who don't like hearing it. Check carefully that the grass is actually really greener on the other side. The private sector is in as much pain as the public sector.
The very experienced amongst you with tens of thousands of hours (especially as Captains) on heavy transports types will probably be fine but the rest maybe in for a nasty shock. The whole industry is in a real mess and the newer contracts don't pay anywhere near what the old ones did (BA, Cathay, Quantas etc. have all really changed). Jobs are very thin on the ground and many pilots with many thousands of hours experience are out of work.
If you think receiving special treatment for being ex-mil will be the industry norm, think again. Most airline HR departments know nothing about your achievements and will only be interested in whether you have a current type rated ATPL with enough hours on type.
Also BA's HR department apply little logic in their selection process and think 18 year old cadets make great airline pilots. Of the 800 they plan to take between now and 2016 only about 400 will actually be experienced pilots (ie. less than 100 a year) and there is extremely strong competition from large numbers of civi pilots, from other airlines and with plenty of hours on type for those jobs. Also, BA's seniority based promotion means that you could wait 15 or more years before getting into the left seat of an A320.
Worst case scenario for those without the right experience, you could find yourself spending a large chunk of cash getting the civi-licences only to find that you need to pay an eye-watering amount more for a type rating and then have to accept a pay cut for a contract outside of Europe (and maybe somewhere Third World). Worse after all that you may not even get a flying job - there really are guys out there with type ratings and 3-5000 hours but out of work for over a year or two.
I'm not mil aircrew myself (although I am ex-Army). For me, with my hours and experience (just a Frozen ATPL) there is virtually no chance at all. You guys maybe be able to make it but don't expect to earn more or have a smooth ride unless you have exactly the right quals/experience. Sorry to be gloomy but do be careful - I do regret leaving the Army.