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Old 9th Dec 2022, 20:30
  #3762 (permalink)  
VHOEG
 
Join Date: Nov 2019
Location: Australia
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Hey Dashy,

I'll try and clear up the commitments for you. I'm just a bloke online so none of this is guaranteed to be correct.
As all Officer Aviation (OA) (i.e. Pilot) roles are officer roles, general entry isn't an option.
OA candidates can enter the ADF via either:
  • Direct Entry Officer (DEO) or
  • The Australian Defence Force Academy (ADFA).

Regardless of your entry method, if you successfully pass pilot training for the RAAF, you will incur a 9 year Return Of Service Obligation (ROSO). This kicks in the day you graduate from your operational conversion (OPCON) (i.e. the day which you become fully qualified to fly a front-line plane like the Hornet or Hercules). It's backdated to the day you started your OPCON though.
To clarify, let's say you begin your Hornet OPCON in January of 2027, and you graduate (complete) it in July of 2027. When eligible to graduate, your ROSO kicks in, but it's treated like it started in January of 2027 instead. This means you have to commit for a 'slightly shorter' period of time to the RAAF.

Keep in mind that your ROSO only begins well-into your training, so you will have likely spent several years at different flying training courses and Officer training as well before this even kicks in. So in reality, your time served may substantially longer than your 'commitment'.

Currently, the above system for ROSO means that if you have no other commitments and are unsuccessful in the pilot training pipeline before being eligible to graduate from your OPCON, you could theoretically leave the RAAF with no further commitments. I have been told that this doesn't happen however, as people choose to stay and pursue other roles instead due to the great deal of satisfaction within the RAAF.
If you go to ADFA, you will also incur an Initial Minimum Period of Service (IMPS). OA candidates can only do three-year degrees at ADFA. The IMPS begins immediately upon joining the RAAF and immediately begins counting down. Currently, this is seven years long (calculated as the length of your degree plus another year. I.e. a three year degree means you return three years plus one (i.e. four years) of service). Currently, there is a two-year grace-period for RAAF Officer Cadets, meaning you can leave RAAF up until the second year of ADFA and have your IMPS and any other commitments waived if you find it's not for you.
To clarify, let's say you join the RAAF via ADFA in January 2025. When you sign the paper, your 7-year IMPS begins counting down. You finish your degree in December 2027 and begin flying training (in a perfect world) in January 2028.
At that point, you'd have four years of your IMPS left, and zero ROSO because you haven't completed an OPCON yet.
If you have an IMPS and a ROSO simultaneously, they will both count down at the same time, independently of each other.


Hope this clears it up.

Keep an open mind about ADFA as well. Younger applicants tend to be pointed towards ADFA to help them mature personally and as leaders given the different environment at OTS compared to ADFA. You also get a degree of your choosing fully funded and earn a salary while studying. It's an extra commitment but long term, it may be good to have that degree and extra experience.

Also, as someone who's been through the process, the recruiters don't want to see someone who's itching to leave as soon as possible and solely focused on fast jets. Fast jets are extremely hard to be selected for, and you cannot choose to go to them, it's based on your performance throughout flying training and a range of other factors. Keep up the research and keep all of this in mind and consider whether RAAF is the right pathway for you given your interests.

All the best.
VHOEG is offline