OFFICER and AIRCREW 'CANDIDATES' PLEASE READ THIS THREAD FIRST!

[OASC]

OASC Bulletin 16

In the last bulletin, John had completed his medical examination and was declared provisionally medically fit to serve as a pilot. However, he fully understood that he would still need to wait for the results of his electrocardiogram, his blood test and receive confirmation that there was nothing out of the ordinary on his GP records before he would be given a full medical clearance to serve in the RAF. Despite knowing that this process would take a few weeks, John prepared himself for his interview.


John returned to Medical Reception feeling quite relieved about the result so far regarding his medical fitness. However, he couldn’t relax because he knew his interview was due any minute. After a short wait, one of the 2 officers who would interview him entered Medical Reception and called John’s name. John walked over to the interviewing officer and introduced himself. After pleasantries were exchanged, they both started to walk towards the interview room. On the way, the interviewing officer explained that the interview would be split into 2 parts and would last approximately 45 minutes in total. The first part would focus on John’s life to date and the second part would focus on his motivation for joining the RAF, his knowledge of the Service and his chosen branch. The interviewing officer also mentioned that the 45 minutes would pass extremely quickly and that, because there was a lot of ground to cover, John should not worry if the interviewers cut him off in order to move on if they had enough information. Additionally, he mentioned that if John was not able to answer a question, he should say so straight away rather than try to make a guess and waste time. As they approached the interview room John was asked how he was feeling and whether he had any questions before commencing the interview. Although he was feeling slightly nervous, John wanted to get started.

John walked into the interview room where he was greeted by the second interviewing officer who started to ask the Part 1 questions. He probed John’s life inside and outside of school between the ages of 11-18 years, followed by what he had been doing since he had left school. John endeavoured to relax and appear calm, and spoke clearly and concisely. There was one question that he didn’t quite understand, so he asked them to repeat it before giving his answer. John tried hard to sell himself, giving clear and brief evidence and dates of the times that he had held positions of responsibility, what differences he had made in various situations and his levels of involvement within the various team activities that he had participated in. Before he knew it, Part 1 was complete and the other interviewer took over.

The interviewing officer then asked John questions about why he wanted to join the RAF and specifically why he wanted to be a pilot. John gave very clear answers to these questions, including reasons why he had considered, but decided against, applying to the other Armed Services. Then John was questioned on his knowledge of the training he would undertake if successful at the OASC, from Initial Officer Training through to him becoming a front line pilot. He answered in as much detail as possible. Next, he was probed on his knowledge of the RAF and air power, what operations the Service was currently involved in, what roles it undertook and how they fitted into the bigger NATO picture. John had researched this area very thoroughly through speaking to various people on visits to stations, by looking at the RAF website and keeping an eye on the newspapers. Next, he would be questioned on current affairs; this was the part that John dreaded the most. However, he maintained a clear head and announced a variety of global and national topics that had caught his eye over the last year of research. The Interviewing officer then chose 2 of these issues to discuss, one global and one national, to see what John knew about them and what opinions he had. A couple of rounding off questions and the interview was over. The 45 minutes went past very quickly as promised.

John then returned to Medical Reception again, feeling quite pleased with his performance, and waited until he was called forward for his selection fitness test.

Next week, we will follow John through his fitness test.

For more information regarding any of these areas highlighted, please contact your AFCO and they will be able to give you more detailed information regarding specific cases.

Please note that, although OASC will endeavour to answer generic questions that arise, we will not be engaging or commenting on individual cases. In those cases, the individual is advised to contact their nearest AFCO who will be able to deal with any queries. All information published is for information only.

Information regarding a career in the RAF can be found at http://www.raf.mod.uk/careers