Originally Posted by
Just This Once...
Good to see such optimism but the 'most brutal, austerity driven, defence review ever' followed a set of economic metrics that now look like small change compared to the current and enduring economic impact of CV-19. Anyone making a prediction for the next few years probably has cabin fever.
Having joined and served with LJ my considered professional opinion is that I have no idea what the next few years will look like.
Yep, but I for one would sooner be facing that uncertainty on HM’s payroll than anywhere else right now. Choosing a recession-proof career wasn’t in my thought process aged 19 but it has certainly been a huge benefit over the years. RAF redundancies have *almost* all been voluntary and I dare anyone to look for sympathy from Joe Public for the relatively small number of compulsories that there have been. There are more recession-proof choices out there - doctor, nurse and undertaker spring to mind - but anyone contemplating a career in aviation in the near term should be moving the military a long way up their preferences, unless of course they fancy shelling out tens of thousands on ATPL training before taking their chances competing for jobs with the hundreds of type-rated airline pilots who will be underemployed for the foreseeable.
[Please don’t start with the “we don’t want those who only want job security” stuff. If people who wouldn’t otherwise have contemplated a military career are encouraged to do so by economic circumstances, like what they see, and *get through the selection process* then I would be very pleased to have them. It might even find us some talent that would previously have gone elsewhere: people who aren’t dazzled by the immediate attractions of the job and have a long-term outlook. The kind of people we want as future leaders...]