RAF Careers Officer coming to school

[Culio]

Hey guys :)

There's an RAF Careers Officer coming to my school on Wednesday and I was wondering what to expect in the "interview". Will he ask me about my extra curricular stuff or what?

Even though it has nothing to do with me being recruited into the RAF, I want to make a good impression to the officer (well, it IS what they deserve :ok:).

But yeah, just a query to ask any tips maybe. I do realise it's nothing important at all, but it means a lot to me.

So, thanks :)

C.

[taxydual]

Be yourself. Don't try and 'pull the wool'. Oh, and have a look at the Wannabe's thread on Military PPrune.

Good luck.



ps Don't mention any contribution to PPrune!!! I enjoyed your earlier 'ripostes' re the Tornado's in Skye. However, you may get a saddo who marks you down as a 'reactionary'!!.

Enjoy the chat, ask questions and learn things. Again, good luck.

[TonkaEngO]

Taxydual I applaud you!

1st time that I've witnessed a youngster asking for advice on here and not getting shot down in flames by some sanctimonius arse.

well done mate

[airborne_artist]

Culio - it's unlikely to be a formal interview, unless you have requested it. Far more likely to be the RAF selling themselves to you and your school-mates. Have some sensible questions, don't laugh too long at his jokes, and you'll be fine.

[Wader2]

1st time that I've witnessed a youngster asking for advice on here and not getting shot down in flames by some sanctimonius arse.

Not quite a first. A number of sanctimonious arses have reacted because of the obvious lack of care that the poster has used.

Where the questioner has demonstrated a reasonable graps of the protocols the answers have usually been in the same vein. It is interesting to note the complete lack of response, good or bad, on the wanabee's thread for a message posted two days ago. One may wonder why.

[taxydual]

There's comment about a wannabe on this site. The guy wants to fly SAR. OK, the lad has an advantage or two.

1. He has already got Wings (without the 'advantage' of OASC).
2. He has already had a play with the 'toys' and, apparently, has shown that he has the ability.
3. He has a 'service' background.
4. He's already got a commission, (OK, it's Army, but you can't really hold that against him).
5. His Granny is the 'boss'.

All I say is, good luck to him, and also good luck to anyone who wishes to follow a career in which, I believe, the majority of Military Ppruners have enjoyed, have benefited from, had good times as well as bad. And (bad grammar, I know) would do it all over again if the chance were there.

We get the Armed Service we deserve. For someone to express the desire to be a part of that Armed Service, I applaud your ambition and wish you well. You have a hard act to follow. (The Ppruners will be watching!!)



Culio, let us know how you went on.

[Culio]

It is interesting to note the complete lack of response, good or bad, on the wanabee's thread for a message posted two days ago. One may wonder why.Because maybe people decided to keep their worthless opinions (take yours, for example) to themselves?

If you ain't got anything useful to say, don't bother.

And to everyone else in this thread, thanks. :ok:

I'll let you know how it went.

[taxydual]

Steady Culio, be careful who you slag off. You never know who's on the Commissioning Board.

Mate of mine, years ago, got into a 'discussion' with a chap on a train regarding who's booked seat it was, (my mate was in the wrong).

On arriving at Biggin OASC, the first guy he met was the guy from the train!

Funny old thing, my mate didn't pass selection.

[unclenelli]

More likely to be a SNCO.
Maybe even a Cpl, but I seriously doubt it'll be a comissioned type - they tend not to mix with "Enlisted Trash", so why should they bother with "The Great Unwashed"

[taxydual]

Ah, someone's fishing!

Just for clarity Uncle:

SNCO Senior Non Commissioned OFFICER
JNCO Junior Non Commissioned OFFICER

Oh, 'commissioned' has two m's, not one.

[Pontius Navigator]

And just to seal it, schools are visited by Schools Liasion Teams. Oddly both officers and enlisted trash come from the same schools. Even more curiously, enlisted trash often get commissioned.

[Culio]

Just to clear things up, he was a Squadron leader :)

And a very nice one at that, chatted with me at the end about good ol' aircraft :ok:

But yeah, 'twas the usual jiffy, asking about health, career aspirations etc.

Went well really.

[advocatusDIABOLI]

Culio,

Glad things went well, press on if you still like the idea. Personally, getting the 'Best Job in the World' (RAF Fighter Pilot) is worth any amount of effort!

Don't be distracted by some of the people on this site, some haven't got the right to comment, and some are just a bit generally angry with 'stuff'. The vast majority of serving RAF folks would be behind you in your efforts!

It's still a great job, but with a lot of responsibility. Consequently, it's up to YOU to find out all you can, and make the best effort you can in any further interviews or applications.

There is great advice on the 'wannabes' site. But my advice would be 2 point:

1- Be Yourself and honest
2- Research

Best of luck Chap, hope you make it! :ok:

Advo

[Zoom]

enlisted trash often get commissioned

And at least one became CAS, in the 80s.

[taxydual]

But yeah, 'twas the usual jiffy

Whoa, not a good comment Culio. What do you know about 'the usual jiffy'? If you want to go into a grown-up's career, you should be able to filter 'the usual jiffy' to suit. I'd be surprised if the Sqn Ldr gave you 'jiffy' in the first place.

If you want a Military Life, go for it. Any, and I mean ANY doubts, go somewhere else. That's no 'jiffy'.

Good luck in whatever you decide.

Regards.

TD



addendum. Ahh, Advo's post and mine 'crossed in the ether'. I agree with his sentiments.

[side salad]

Can I get some Jiffy from stores, or is it all going to places sandy and hot?

[taxydual]

I don't think there would be much use for 'Jiffy' in sandy places.

condoms - durex condoms cheap, buy condoms online in UK (http://www.johnnysinajiffy.com/catalog/)

Hmm, but the RAF being resourceful, maybe not.

:ok::ok:

[Strangelove PhD]

Just to clear things up, he was a Squadron leader

Must have been a very posh school... All we got was Sergeant Bitter & Corporal Twisted.

[taxydual]

The term jiffy (or jiffie) is used in different applications for various short periods of time (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time); in informal speech it means any unspecified short period of time, but it also has more precise definitions. The word is believed to have originally been thieves' cant (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thieves%27_cant) for lightning.[1] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jiffy_%28time%29#cite_note-0)


Well. I learnt something from that.

[Culio]

Ok sorry, maybe Jiffy wasn't the correct word to use :O

What I meant was, he asked what I thought he would ask, and there were no unexpected questions I wasn't prepared for. Things like, "What do you do in your free time?" and went through all the medical questions, "How's your eyesight?" "Perfect" "Do you have epilepsy?" "No" "Dyslexia?" "No" "Diabetes?" "No" "Ever had a major operation?" "No" "Ever arrested?" "No" BLAH BLAH BLAH lol :)

Strangelove - Well, it's a private school and there are some posh t***s in the school, but I wouldn't say it was wholly posh (I mean, hell, I go there :P)

[taxydual]

So you answered the questions you expected to answer. Did you not manage to ask questions yourself?

No disrespect Culio, but, to me, it seems a strange sort of prelim interview. Was the Sqn Ldr a medic?

Or, perhaps, after pregnant pauses, was he trying to draw you out into conversation?

Squadron Leaders ain't daft (oh, watch this space), they are there to glean things from you. I gather you are not a black, lesbian, disabled, single mother, but were you erudite enough to impart that fact to your interrogator?

To be the best, first you have to show you have the ability to be the best.





Apologies to any black, lesbian, disabled, single mothers who frequent Pprune. I do not wish to be disrespectful at all and apologise unreservedly if I have offended any one.

Oh, shut up Shorty, I didn't mean you.!!.

[Pontius Navigator]

What I meant was, he asked what I thought he would ask, and there were no unexpected questions I wasn't prepared for.

Well done, you got all the key words there. no unexpected and prepared

The job, all along the line, is to find out about you. You know the answers so really it's a piece of wee wee. The fast ball is to test depth of knowledge and in some it can be more like Morcambe Bay - shallow.[/QUOTE]

As for Sgt Bitter and Cpl Twisted, I was on a resettlement course with Staff Sgt Bitter. The trainer asked what he did - recruiter - did he like the Army - no - didn't he feel he was being deceitful in trying to recruit people?

Bottom line, he would not employ the Staff Sgt :)

Good luck Culio.

[parabellum]

Nice to hear that recruiting teams are still allowed into some schools, the hard left teachers union have tried to get them banned in many schools:uhoh:

[ProM]

Maybe thats for the best though parabellum. We all know the most interesting things are those we are not supposed to want to do.

Good luck Cuilio
(though remember that there is flying in the other 2 services, and that the army-navy rugby game is by far the most important of the 3 inter-services game for a reason)

I will now don my nomex suit, respirator and pick up the fire extinguisher

[Culio]

taxydual - I asked many questions myself, also expressing my interest in becoming a Legal Officer if I fail the aptitude, he said he was pleased that I would still try and enter into the RAF.

I have to honestly say, there were no pregnant pauses :) We kept talking and talking, and it wasn't just a one way conversation.

And the Sqn Ldr was not a medic, he was a Careers Officer. He filled in a form about my details, my desired field, my interests, health, career aspirations etc. I'm not sure what he will do with the form however :\

I don't know why, but I said at one point "For me, it's not about being a pilot, it's about being in the RAF". He seemed very pleased but afterwards I was worried he might think I was just going for aircrew for the hell of it...which of course I'm not :)

At the end of it, we ended talking about aircraft and I mentioned I watched the XH558 at Southport Airshow and all of a sudden we were in very chatty conversation about some good ol' plane spotting. He mentioned a time when he saw two Herc's flying over his house in formation, I wouldn't have minded seeing that.

By the way, thanks for the many votes of confidence guys :ok:

[taxydual]

Well done.