maxwolfie
23rd Apr 2008, 12:06
Well, I must say the ADF staff were very friendly and helpful, moreso than I expected. They did quite a good job at giving overviews on all the different possibilities, avenues and benefits of being a member of the ADF. I went in with the intention of pursuing a career as a pilot, either combat or cargo, in the RAAF. My main reasons for wanting to join the ADF were:
1. Most importantly - The challenge. I'm one of those people that needs stimulation all the time. My current job is the opposite of that
2. Very good training
3. Travel opportunities
4. Benefits (accommodation, super, loans etc)
5. Teamwork and friends
The quick medical check was very short lived, I just had to state my height and quickly do a colour blindness check - In and out in 20 seconds. The computer based test was reasonably straight-forward, most questions obviously being geared towards assessing basic logic and understanding. However it got a little tricky towards the end, as I found COS/SINE questions and trigonometry questions - So here I had to think back to my school days. The interview also went well, it's good how they select the most appropriate interviewer each applicant, in this case a currently-serving pilot. It was also fairly lengthy ,or at least longer than I expected - About 45 minutes.
Anyways, on to the point - I have a few questions:
i. The interviewer put me down for the following, in this order:
1.) Pilot - DEO
2.) Air Traffic Control
3.) Aircraft Technician
Just wanted to confirm that "DEO" is Direct Entry - Officer. I will need to do more research as to the benefits and requirements of being an officer as opposed to entering in the General Entry category. Any input on Air Traffic Control, or Aircraft Technician? Or going for a career as a Pilot, of course.
ii. I am currently employed at the moment, and wish to keep "employment security" as I have things that I will need to pay for. I think I will find it difficult to juggle full time work, whilst requesting multiple weeks of leave for training, interview etc purposes. If I do not succeed, I would still like to be able to continue at my current place of employment.
Has/was anyone here in that position?
iii. Choice of base placement - The interviewer briefly mentioned that there was a choice in fleet, or the type of plane that I'd fly. Is this really so? I would have thought that I'd be assigned this type of thing by someone else of a higher ranking.
Any input here? I am currently living in Sydney, and the reason why I ask is because I would prefer to be based either in or around Sydney, or in Melbourne.
iv. The best way to study for the next test - The interviewer basically said that it's a harder version of the test that I sat today at the JOES session, with more content related to the specific field I have chosen - I.e. a pilot. What sources, websites, books etc will be of assistance? How in-depth is it?
v. Are you in a relationship? How has it worked? Or not worked? Married/Single/De Facto? Any travel for the other half? How often and long do you spend time together etc
vi. The pay seems to be quite.. low.. to start off with anyways. I'm willing my make sacrifices though. I'm currently 22 and on a 65k+ package, that's 46,000 a year speaking for the money side of things only. Dropping to $30k will hurt. I will have to eat rice and and drink water for a while as I have other debts that will need to be paid (loan etc). The bottom line is that I'd prefer to get paid less and enjoy my career then get paid a packet and hate it.
Has anyone struggled at all with this pay? What are you on now? What are you doing specifically? Would you do something different?
vii. And the final, and probably most important question - How do I know that I will enjoy being a pilot? I know that this question cannot really be answered, but really, it's a bit of a catch 22. You can't fly without being trained, but yet it's difficult to go ahead with 5+ years of training for something that you are not completely sure of. I do enjoy flying in passenger planes, I love being in the air, and I spend a decent amount of time playing flight simulators - But when it comes down to it, a game is always very different to the real thing. I also love technical things, getting out and about and doing extreme things.
How were YOU sure of wanting to be a pilot? Being a pilot has NOT crossed my mind until the last 6 months or so.
EDIT: After trawling through some of the posts, I saw that someone mentioned that you cannot become a pilot if you've had corrective eye surgery (I.e. Lasik)
Is this true?
*
The guidance on refractive surgery is contained in Health Bulletin No 11/200. This Bulletin gives guidance on what is acceptable for joining the ADF.
*
Before proceeding with surgery, members or candidates need to check the rules on what will be acceptable. While the advantages in these areas are acknowledged, it does not mean it will be acceptable for entry or continued service in the military.
I've been trawling the defence website and googling various terms with no luck. I suppose if no one here can enlighten me, I'll make a call tomorrow
1. Most importantly - The challenge. I'm one of those people that needs stimulation all the time. My current job is the opposite of that
2. Very good training
3. Travel opportunities
4. Benefits (accommodation, super, loans etc)
5. Teamwork and friends
The quick medical check was very short lived, I just had to state my height and quickly do a colour blindness check - In and out in 20 seconds. The computer based test was reasonably straight-forward, most questions obviously being geared towards assessing basic logic and understanding. However it got a little tricky towards the end, as I found COS/SINE questions and trigonometry questions - So here I had to think back to my school days. The interview also went well, it's good how they select the most appropriate interviewer each applicant, in this case a currently-serving pilot. It was also fairly lengthy ,or at least longer than I expected - About 45 minutes.
Anyways, on to the point - I have a few questions:
i. The interviewer put me down for the following, in this order:
1.) Pilot - DEO
2.) Air Traffic Control
3.) Aircraft Technician
Just wanted to confirm that "DEO" is Direct Entry - Officer. I will need to do more research as to the benefits and requirements of being an officer as opposed to entering in the General Entry category. Any input on Air Traffic Control, or Aircraft Technician? Or going for a career as a Pilot, of course.
ii. I am currently employed at the moment, and wish to keep "employment security" as I have things that I will need to pay for. I think I will find it difficult to juggle full time work, whilst requesting multiple weeks of leave for training, interview etc purposes. If I do not succeed, I would still like to be able to continue at my current place of employment.
Has/was anyone here in that position?
iii. Choice of base placement - The interviewer briefly mentioned that there was a choice in fleet, or the type of plane that I'd fly. Is this really so? I would have thought that I'd be assigned this type of thing by someone else of a higher ranking.
Any input here? I am currently living in Sydney, and the reason why I ask is because I would prefer to be based either in or around Sydney, or in Melbourne.
iv. The best way to study for the next test - The interviewer basically said that it's a harder version of the test that I sat today at the JOES session, with more content related to the specific field I have chosen - I.e. a pilot. What sources, websites, books etc will be of assistance? How in-depth is it?
v. Are you in a relationship? How has it worked? Or not worked? Married/Single/De Facto? Any travel for the other half? How often and long do you spend time together etc
vi. The pay seems to be quite.. low.. to start off with anyways. I'm willing my make sacrifices though. I'm currently 22 and on a 65k+ package, that's 46,000 a year speaking for the money side of things only. Dropping to $30k will hurt. I will have to eat rice and and drink water for a while as I have other debts that will need to be paid (loan etc). The bottom line is that I'd prefer to get paid less and enjoy my career then get paid a packet and hate it.
Has anyone struggled at all with this pay? What are you on now? What are you doing specifically? Would you do something different?
vii. And the final, and probably most important question - How do I know that I will enjoy being a pilot? I know that this question cannot really be answered, but really, it's a bit of a catch 22. You can't fly without being trained, but yet it's difficult to go ahead with 5+ years of training for something that you are not completely sure of. I do enjoy flying in passenger planes, I love being in the air, and I spend a decent amount of time playing flight simulators - But when it comes down to it, a game is always very different to the real thing. I also love technical things, getting out and about and doing extreme things.
How were YOU sure of wanting to be a pilot? Being a pilot has NOT crossed my mind until the last 6 months or so.
EDIT: After trawling through some of the posts, I saw that someone mentioned that you cannot become a pilot if you've had corrective eye surgery (I.e. Lasik)
Is this true?
*
The guidance on refractive surgery is contained in Health Bulletin No 11/200. This Bulletin gives guidance on what is acceptable for joining the ADF.
*
Before proceeding with surgery, members or candidates need to check the rules on what will be acceptable. While the advantages in these areas are acknowledged, it does not mean it will be acceptable for entry or continued service in the military.
I've been trawling the defence website and googling various terms with no luck. I suppose if no one here can enlighten me, I'll make a call tomorrow