Originally Posted by
Nil_Drift
The RAF wanted to employ those who reflect society. This is a reflection of society so should not be a surprise.
When I first joined the RAF and then married, my wife and I were a traditional family. We lived in a MQ and were initially kitted out with Barrack Store furniture. As and when we were able to afford our own furniture, we bought it and handed back the loaned furniture. If we couldn't afford things when I was a J/T we didn't have them until we could afford them.
Newly Commissioned, we bought our first house with a mortgage at 15.5%! We worked out what we could afford and bought within our means; the same with our cars.
True, all Service personnel have been ripped off by the Government in the past two decades and the AFPRB has not done its job properly. It should say "This is what the award should be ..." and leave HMG to say why it won't pay it rather than starting "We live in a time of austerity and we recognise that so take 1.5% as that's all HMG can afford".
Modern society has not helped today's younger generation. They want kids before they marry; they want to live in a 4 bed detached house filled with the furniture and goods that they see on TV; a new car; overseas holidays and a social life whether that be clubbing or eating out.
Part of me feels sorry for them that education and societal 'norms' have let them down but being in the military should be different. Personal discipline, support mechanisms, people-focused managers and a 'reasonable' income. I say 'reasonable' because I look at the job site "Indeed" and most jobs are at minimum wage or salaried at £24-26K. Now the Army is recruiting via Indeed and the starting salary is £33k. If Service personnel really need to go to a food bank, it sounds like personal mismanagement, for which they can get plenty of help to resolve both within and outside the Service.
I have just looked at the RAF Pay scales online and LAC to SAC earn 22-25k per year. This is the same as a cashier at Tesco, according to Indeed and Tesco's own site. The question I ask is, 'Is that fair?'. The SAC has joined to defend the nation, may go to war, and may not retuen based on the experiences of Iraq and particularly Afganistan. They will be told where to live, when to move, and may spend many months away from their family - whilst earning Tesco money. I do not dispute that the Army are recruiting at 33k, although I cannot find it. However, I can assure you that the RAF are not paying such sums. Add in appalling accommodation and a management structure that could not care less about you if you happen to be a white male, and it does not appeal as a career
I served from 1990-2018, pilot, no ground tours, no promotion, I just flew. I saw the steady decline in benefits, lifestyle and the increase in staff-speak, bull$hit bingo, and soft and fluffy wokeism in favour of being a credible fighting force. I should have left many years before I did and regret not doing so, the RAF told me that the grass was not greener outside, and I now know that to be a bare-faced lie.
My personal advice to anyone thinking of joing the RAF would be this - do it. Get in, get as much training as possible, gain every qualification on offer, then get out as fast as you can. The training and skills that the RAF will give you are hugely valued, in demand, and can bring significant compensation. But not in the RAF.