Can I put a word in for the other types of aircraft engineers that didn’t go for the licence but instead went for the Design/development side of aviation (not maintenance)?
There are amazing amounts on this side of the fence that are not form the commissioned either. Just like the B1 &2’s we have had to get our academics up to scratch. The companies in this field do look at those with HNC,D or BEng/BSc over those without and in my experience its ex-service people doing a lot of the deciding. There are a lot of jobs out here for this type of engineering BUT even though, I get the impression that there aren’t enough people to fill all the tasks they are still being choosy. So coming out armed with some form of academic qualification to back you r decades of experience will tend to give you the competitive edge.
On that note listen-up; RAF types are up against it. There are a large amount of Navy and Army who at the end of their ‘Tiffs course go on to do a top up degree that is accredited by a professional body; e.g. RAeS. Should you choose to go into this side of things then be prepared for a fight with the other services... they are very good with their aircraft knowledge and skills! (plan to leave years before you leave by getting qualified)
There are loads of contractors but here you have to have prerequisite skill to get a job that a company won’t pay a perm’y to do. So things like benefits and training don’t always come with the job.
That said there are lots of jobs associated to both military and civil sectors around this country. One of the things that I have found is that the larger company s have a core of people and invite in lots of smaller contracting companies so if you are looking for a job don’t just look at the big manufacture/design organisation, look for the smaller associated suppliers that place people on long term contracts inside companies. This will tend to give you greater flexibility and choice in what you do in all cases and these companies may pay for further/continued professional development.
As for pay you are going to have to fight for it! It’s not impossible to get what you’re on now you just have to know how sell yourself – it’s true that some companies take into account your pension but think about this:
• You earned that with the last outfit you were in and it’s nothing to do with them!
• If they are going to quibble with your pension then I take it they are going to quibble with the new CEO ‘s golden hand shake from their last organisation?
• A company has to appeal with you as much as you have to appeal to them...are they worth it?
In short I’m loving it on the outside - but there again the military life had run its course with me so I jumped a few years back, just as the banks started to collapse. I still found plenty of opportunities at the time and I am having plenty more put in front of me now as my experience increases.