I PVR'd 4 years ago. I left a RAF totally different from the one I'd joined. In the early days we "worked hard, played hard", with the savage reduction in our numbers, it became "work hard, er, work hard". There was no fat left in the system to allow people the time off to experience the aspects of service life ( sport tours, expeds, education courses). We were badly paid but didn't seem to care because the benefits of service life, the Esprit de Corp; opportunities to develop yourself made up for it.
I'm not saying the RAF of today is better or worse, just different. If I was joining today, I'd accept the loss of " service life benefits" but they'd have to pay me a heck of alot more money. More and more they're introducing civilian practices. EWT, JPA, PAYD, talk of removing MQ's....Well let them give you civilian equivalent wages. That would cheer up aircrew and Air Traffickers!..maybe not map makers tho'
