Originally Posted by
muppetofthenorth
Process is basically identical, just with a few more gaps in it.
Apply online
AFCO responds (takes about 6-8 weeks after applying)
P2 presentation (a month+ later)
Filter interview (same again)
Medical (a month, possibly 2, then a huuuge wait for results because Capita are awful)
Fitness test (a month or so after medical results)
CBAT (another month)
OASC - now only 1 day (another 1-2 months later)
Then Fam Visit and on to IOT. Whole process takes over a year.
That's atrocious and no wonder I occasionally hear anecdotal tales of people dropping out or ending up in completley unrelated careers having lost interest / patience. I'm trying to cast my mind back to when I joined for comaprison. I had been on my UAS for the first 2 years of my degree, then applied at the end of the Christmas term in my postgrad year. Firstly it was a brief chat with the University Liaison Officer to get you on his list of interested candidates. Then I went to the AFCO just to jump through a few hoops, having been on the UAS I had a pretty good idea of most of what they said already. A couple of weeks after that I had a formal interview with the University LO who recommended me to OASC, with an appointment about 6 weeks later. All in all, from my initial approach to the University LO to getting my offer from OASC was about 3-4 months, so by Easter, and with an IOT start date in October that year 2 weeks after my degree finished.
If you make it through that lot then frankly you deserve an offer just out of sheer bloody perseverence. However, I would also say it's probably good training for the faff you'll experience when you do finally get in and are out in the real RAF!