Australian in the RAF

[An-225]

With my eighteenth birthday approximately twenty-four hours away and the conclusion of my senior education in sight, I figured now is the time to ask questions.

Unfortunately, I've lost the lottery of life with regards to both birthplace and nationality - I'm an Australian citizen. Furthermore, neither of my parents have British nationality. Regardless, I'm determined to join the RAF as a pilot. Yes, I understand that my timing is incredibly poor, in the wake of the SDSR. I also understand that the RAF is not taking pilot applications at this time. I've read through the OASC thread, and seen others in a similar situation, although they were in their mid-twenties.

I've considered studying in the UK...that would take me through a considerable portion of the RAF's residence requirements, and I would be under the age of 26 for IOT at Cranwell. My only concern is that, given how tentative the date for the resumption of pilot applications is, there would be a possibility of missing an application window while I'm halfway through my studies (and halfway through my requisite period of residence).

Would it be possible to acquire a waiver allowing me to join without a full five years of residence in such a scenario? If so, at what point would I need to seek said waiver? Prior to application at a recruitment office? Also, as I understand it, the five year residence is a feature of officer service across all branches of the military in the UK - and, as one is an officer first, airman second, I would face similar problems that would preclude me from service in the FAA or AAC.

Alternatively, would it be possible to transfer to the RAF from the RAAF? I know that there is an RAAF Lateral Recruitment program for induction of RAF pilots, but I'm struggling to find a reciprocal.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

[foldingwings]

An-225, well you've certainly done your homework and that earns you plenty of plus points on this forum - usually wannabes are heckled off by those less considerate than your average RAF aircrew mate!

I am, however, more than that as I have had significant insight (running Cadet Wing at DIOT; now OACTU) of the training and selection process for those wishing HM Queen's Commission in the RAF. In my time, we had cross-overs from the British Army, Canadian Air Force and RAAF but never a newbie straight from Oz without any direct connection to the UK. However, in my 40 years in the RAF I knew a significant number of individuals who joined straight from the 'colonies' and had fulfilling careers but things are significantly different now.

The best advice I can give you is to take a look here FAQ - RAF Careers (http://www.raf.mod.uk/careers/faq/index.cfm) if you haven't done so already and if this cannot answer or guide you then you can do no worse than to ring the number (remember the time shift and stay up late one night) provided and see what their special career advisers have to say on the subject.

If you can't get through on the 0845 number from Oz then PM me and I will give you another private number that might assist!

Well done and good luck. When I joined, I adopted the principle of never taking no for an answer and it paid off in the end! My route, however, was a bit more straight forward than yours!

Foldie:D

PS. Happy Birthday, young man!

[Melchett01]

An-225 (quite an appropriate name given your post),

As Foldies said, fair play to you for having done a fair bit of legwork to start with, a rarity these days. I'm sure you will have seen a similar sort of question recently covered in the Wannabes thread. Whilst I'm not a recruiter and therefore can't answer your specific question, if you do think you have lost life's lottery by arriving on this fair planet's southern hemisphere, have you considered maybe applying for a place at a British univerisity and getting a degree here whilst clocking up the time needed to satsify residency requirements?

I don't know anything about the Australian university system, so don't know the relative strength / weaknesses compared to the UK system, but, assuming you went to a decent institution doing a decent subject that would stand you in good stead, when the time came for pilot recruitment to re-open it might be an indicator of your determination to make it. Just a thought and I know if I were involved in the recruiting system and saw the file of a young man who had upped sticks and moved half way round the world to be in with a shout they would have grabbed my attention as being worthy of a closer look in a competitive field. Just Melchett's thoughts mind.

Oh and happy birthday - I do hope you plan to spend it getting legless with a bevvy of Aussie beauties. If we see a reply from you on here within the next 24 hrs, we might have to have second thoughts about our initial opinions!

[BEagle]

Given the relatively large number of modern aircraft in the RAAF inventory and the hugely better weather factor and lifestyle options in Oz, I do wonder why on earth you would want to move to cold, wet UK with its crumbling military infrastructure and ever fewer flying opportunities......

Good luck, nevertheless!

[Bob Viking]

Way to go. He's young and keen. Not old and bitter. Let him have his dream and bloody good luck to him. The RAF isn't quite as bad as you like to think. At least not from where I'm sitting.
BV:cool:

[BBadanov]

Yes An-225, good luck.

I joined the RAF from the RAAF many years ago for an 8-yr PC of continual flying on RAF fast-jet units. I had a ball, very glad I did it (even though I worked with Foldie part of the time !!) and it was the opportunity of a lifetime.

Things are different now as everyone points out, so it will be hard as you are coming without the attraction of prior training and experience. But it's your dream, so slog away and keep knocking on their door.

Boris

[NutLoose]

Whatever the outcome, dont let your dream die, nothing in this world is insurmountable and never let anyone tell you otherwise.

[Doors Off]

Great to see such research and vigour, good luck with the process. I served with the Australian Army as a pilot and transferred to the AAC (not a British citizen) as a pilot as well. The place is full of Colonials and the attitude towards the Colonials is commendable, unlike the Tall Poppy syndrome attitude of Australian's towards the laterals in the ADF.

I had an absolute ball, the conditions of service were not as good, the pay not as good, the weather was ****e however, I would not change it for the world. A great country with great people and when I was serving, a great focus towards operations. Wonderful leaders who have a great culture of being professional Gentlemen and Ladies first, none of the supposed "egalitarian" bully style culture of the Australian Army. You will always be able to come home to the Colonies as an Australian citizen but not always able to go the UK to join a pretty special organisation (I know it is having trouble, it was when I was there as well, but everything is cyclical).

You come from a great country with great people, but it is not the only country like that, experiencing another will stand you in good stead. Just keep your head low for another 12 months (they damn well kicked our butt in the Olympics and like we would do, they will let us know about it for a wee while yet). :{

Good luck and Happy 18th.

Cheers,

Doors Off

[Andu]

Best advice so far comes from foldie - don't take no for an answer. Good luck with your dream - and remember, 90% of "luck" comes from being in the right place at the right having done an enormous amount of work getting as many ticks in as many boxes as possible, thus putting yourself "in the right place at the right time".

If I may offer one piece of advice, (along the same lines as that offered by Beags) - if you haven't done so already, endure* February in the Old Dart before discounting the weather factor. After spending February in the UK, I can see why they colonised the world. :)

*I chose that 'endure' word after some consideration.

[Arm out the window]

Unfortunately, I've lost the lottery of life with regards to both birthplace and nationality - I'm an Australian citizen.

While I understand your desire to make it into your chosen career, this quote makes me question your attitude somewhat, not so much in that it comes across as a bit of an insult to the country of your birth, but in its negativity.

It sounds like you're not considering joining the RAAF. Why, I wonder, or am I just misinterpreting your statements?

Many Aussies have served well with the RAF over the years, but it seems like an inauspicious time to be trying to follow in their footsteps what with the big cuts going on.

[fergineer]

Agree with you Arm...... The Australian Armed Forces would be a far better bet for any aspiring Military type, at least they still have a fair amount of manpower and hardware, what will the RAF have in years to come. Unless many many people leave there will be a surplus of pilots so recruiting will only go to the cream. Not saying there will be no chance but slim chance is really what you will have.

[Pontius Navigator]

You also need to study the university system too. I don't know the system myself, but as a foreign student you may find the fees too prohibitive. You need to research that aspect as well.

[dostum]

I'm also scratching my head as to why you wouldn't want to try out the RAAF first. The RAAF is chronically short of fast jet drivers. If you are good enough you'll go there. By the year 2020, the inventory will consist of F18, JSF, P8, C17, C130J, KC30...plenty of opportunity there.

[An-225]

To everyone who replied, thank you for your support! At this time, studying in the UK seems like an enticing route to take, even if it's not particularly pragmatic fiscally. It would certainly be a privilege to study physics at Loughborough, or languages at Birmingham.

Oh and happy birthday - I do hope you plan to spend it getting legless with a bevvy of Aussie beauties. If we see a reply from you on here within the next 24 hrs, we might have to have second thoughts about our initial opinions!

I hope a 26 hour degree of time separation will suffice. ;)

While I understand your desire to make it into your chosen career, this quote makes me question your attitude somewhat, not so much in that it comes across as a bit of an insult to the country of your birth, but in its negativity.

It sounds like you're not considering joining the RAAF. Why, I wonder, or am I just misinterpreting your statements?

Many Aussies have served well with the RAF over the years, but it seems like an inauspicious time to be trying to follow in their footsteps what with the big cuts going on.

In retrospect, my statement may have been a bit terse. It was certainly not intended as an insult to my country of birth, nor was it meant to interpreted as overly negative - I merely resent the added hurdles I have to face in order to be afforded the opportunity to apply (not that I'll let them deter me, or that I don't understand the rationale behind those restrictions). I haven't ruled out the RAAF - it would be wise to keep as many options on the cards as possible at this stage.

[MrBernoulli]

Hmm. I am sure I have seen precisely the position laid out by An-225 somewhere else here on PPRuNe, some time ago ..... under a different alias. I, for one, am not so laudatory of the motives displayed. The residency rules are the rules, and asking here about possibilities of getting around them is not very likely to provide clear answers.

The motives seem pretty weak, particularly for an individual who hints at joining the RAAF merely to use it as a springboard for getting to the RAF. That doesn't display any loyalty whatsoever. :hmm:

I merely resent the added hurdles I have to face in order to be afforded the opportunity to applyYou resent them? On what basis? Do you resent the age/residence/educational requirements? Or is it just the fact that the UK doesn't fling open it's doors to all and sundry, yourself included, just because that is what you want?

[Pontius Navigator]

Hmm. I am sure I have seen precisely the position laid out by An-225 somewhere else here on PPRuNe, some time ago ..... under a different alias.

We had a South African who wanted to join a foreign air force too. Age and nationality etc were differnt :)

. . . an individual who hints at joining the RAAF merely to use it as a springboard for getting to the RAF. That doesn't display any loyalty whatsoever.

I am sure there have been many who took this route. One I know, not sure if he was Kiwi or Oz, but he joined the RAF with one purpose in mind - to visit the mother country. In that, for 16 years, he was thwarted as he served in Germany and only then did he come to UK to serve in the V-force.

[An-225]

Hmm. I am sure I have seen precisely the position laid out by An-225 somewhere else here on PPRuNe, some time ago ..... under a different alias. I, for one, am not so laudatory of the motives displayed. The residency rules are the rules, and asking here about possibilities of getting around them is not very likely to provide clear answers.

I assure you, this is my first time posting on this website. I've heard of past instances of waivers being issued to those not fulfilling the residency requirements, and I simply wanted to see if there's any substance to those rumours - I've searched high and low for further information with little success. I am certainly not looking for a dishonest way of circumventing those residency rules - any such waiver would surely be officially sanctioned.

You resent them? On what basis? Do you resent the age/residence/educational requirements? Or is it just the fact that the UK doesn't fling open it's doors to all and sundry, yourself included, just because that is what you want?

Please don't misunderstand me. I feel it's a perfectly reasonable/natural response to feel resentment towards an obstacle (in this instance, my residency) preventing me from reaching my goal. However, as I said in my previous post, I understand the rationale behind such requirements.

[Andu]

Or is it just the fact that the UK doesn't fling open it's (sic) doors to all and sundry, yourself included, just because that is what you want?Expect a few comments along the lines of "The UK wasn't slow in flinging open its doors to 'all and sundry' from the ex-colonies willing to take the King's shilling in 1940", MrB.

I know, I know, 70+ years ago, ancient history and all that...

[Father Jack Hackett]

While I should be cynical being 15 years in and about to leave next year, I would still commend it to anyone. Sure, the new terms and conditions suck and it's become a bit of a cottage industry recently, but I reckon you'll still have opportunities to do cool stuff you wouldn't do anywhere else. Just go into it with your eyes wide open and keep your options open for a career post-RAF. However, you never know, you could be a future Air Chief Vice Commodore of Her Britannic Majesty's Royal Air Force! I know at least one colonial who's doing well in that regard right now....

Post-Afghanistan and the 2015 Defence Review there is inevitably going to be a fundamental remaking of the RAF. Whatever falls out of that, there are still going to be some pretty awesome multis, helis and fast-jets to pole about and you're fortunate to be young enough to bide your time and get in on the fun.

In the words of Sir Thomas Beecham: try anything once, except incest and folk dancing.

[Yeller_Gait]

It would certainly be a privilege to study physics at Loughborough, or languages at Birmingham.

It has been a while since I was in Birmingham, but pretty sure you do not need to go to university to study languages there.

Y_G