RAF route
Hello Msaaim.
I am a serving member of the RAF and I am doing exactly what you want to do.
A1) you are NOT a technician after your initial recruit training I must stress you are only a spanner monkey lighting fires and kicking tyres so to speak. You will undertake basic at halton for 9 weeks learning to soldier, then 6 months learning to become an Aircraft Maintenance Mechanic(AMM) which is purely servicing aircraft depending upon the posting you receive. The new AMM's are spending anywhere between 18 months to 30 months before going back to cosford to embark upon 12 months of trade specific (avionic or Mechanical). You then get posted as a technician and begin working as a technician on a higher pay band, nearly half way through your career.
A2) I am also studying whilst working, self study is hard and with deployments i have undertaken I have found it difficult to devote time to myself, family and study due to work commitments. It is not an easy task as I am finding out. That said it is do-able!
A3) I am currently doing a B1.1 and I have a friend doing his B2 in civi street. He has worked the circuit as an avionic system tech and hasnt had any problems finding work unlicensed. That said having spoken to another friend who is a B1 he recommends both for a bit of versatility however, if you get the right type rating where either licensed engineers are in short demand you should be able to remain in a stable job situation. But working on aircraft for the last 7 years, I would advise working as either a B1 or 2 in industry before going for the other licence purely because of the amount of experience you need to become good at your job.
thats all i can offer, however in my opinion i think you would be best off staying away from the RAF with a mechanical engineering degree, i see it time and time again that people join up with degrees and are more qualified for the job than their peers! that said there are some highly skilled engineers in the RAF with alot of experience to learn from, it will take you the best part of 4 years to become a technician which you might find frustrating, like i did. If you want any more information i will give you as much as i can.
I hope this is helpful.