positive military feedback!!

[Grimweasel]

After much negativity on this 'ere forum over cuts, Jaguars etc I thought we sholud maybe address the balance and have a topic geared toward positive feedback.

To the young who wish for a career in the forces, a visit to this page would surely put them off for good. Let’s focus on the plus points of a military career such as not standing on a production line and a cracking good pension compared to the civil sector. Never quite knowing what the day holds in store or women yearning for you because you wear uniform (well, sometimes!!)

.......

[LoeyDaFrog]

Grim,
Whats the best bit about working for the mob....
easy, the people I get to work with. Admittedly, there are some idiots, like veryother walk in life, but on the whole they are a top bunch. I have the time of my life over the last seven years and am looking forward to the remaining nine, despite the best efforts of El Tone and his croonies, all because of the people.

[The Swinging Monkey]

Chutley, me dear Chap,
Has your brain got stuck in a time warp?
I remember all those things you point out, but...
that was the mob I was in about 20 years ago!
Things are most certainly NOT like that now I deeply regret.

Kind regards
The Swinging Monkey

[flipster]

Fine sentiments and I agree the RAF I joined was just the ticket for me. sadly, I am leaving with a heavy heart as I will miss the people most - along with the type of flying we do. However, I joined in the Cold War era when signing up seemed the honourable thing to do with the Red Bear threatening across the Iron Curtain. In those days also, loyalty was a 2-way street. Of course mil flying is and will remain, great fun - but being a politico's plaything ins't so great.
I would not stand in the way of my kids wanting to join, as long as they appreciate it ain't the 'Service' any more - its just a job - ideally until 38/16. All the value-added stuff alluded to above are slowly disintegrating - I haven't been adv trg for yonks - just not the time anymore!
Still, mil life is great fun and we get to do some exciting things and it gives you some excellent trg (just about still true) but if anyone is thinking of joining - please do so with your eyes wide open, expect a 'wild ride' and...... enjoy.

[BEagle]

My personal 'Cut too far' came about 4 years ago when a so-called 'management initiative' single-handedly destroyed the work of the previous 16 years...

What had been a joy became a drudge. Out came the pin in the black-and-yellow........

[Roghead]

Agree with all the above, more or less, but find it hard to believe that there are no good points left. So, how about it you "youngsters" still serving - Give us some of todays positives.

[mbga9pgf]

Good standard of living, loads of disposable income living in the mess (for someone only 24 months out of uni, £1500 take home after tax, food and accom is pretty good), fantastic parties (how many get to go to summer balls such as Cranwell CHOM, bentley Priory and Halton House?). Oh yeah, if you serve 16 (on the old scheme) a pension that throws sand in the eyes of anything offered anywhere else (apart from MPs perhaps).

Undertaking flying training without a doubt is THE most exciting, rewarding experiences you could get paid to do. Again, with a great bunch of people and enthusiastic instructors. Working in a relatively stressful environment is also something I thrive on, and you get plenty of that.

And if you can get time off (plenty of that in the holding system at the mo) you can get paid to go Parachuting, Gliding, Sailing, Shooting, hang gliding. . . The list goes on. Courses respected by civvie street; Flight safety management, AT qualifications, all bulks out your CV to make you highly competitive when you leave.


Of course, THE thing for me will always be the people I work with; simply second to none. Things get done. People do not gash-stack at 5 PM if a job needs doing, its in all of our natures to get on with it, as opposed to put in the minimum. Which, when things are working, gives you a terrific sense of pride in what you are doing. Try and find any of our honoured qualities in Civvie Street. And for £30 billion, the treasury gets far more return in terms of a highly capable, skilled workforce leaving the Armed Forces than it ever could do by investing in universities and education. Dont get me started on social secutrity.

Simply put, the Armed Forces is an excellent choice for hard-working youngsters. of course, later on, wife, kids and a large mortgage generally will shift your priorities, as is expected. As will do that third unaccompanied tour in the middle east.

[Mobile Muppet]

From a non flying (and young) chap, I would like to say that I have enjoyed every minute of my time in the Air Force.

Since i joined up I have had the luck to do an overseas posting and tours at a number of different bases. My job at the moment is probably the best one in the Air Force for an airman and despite the many months a year i spend away this is compensated by a good wage, a high standard of living and some very good friends.

With the doom and gloom lurking around the corner for us all its easy to dwell on the negatives. Luckly for me I know i'm safe and happy in my job, but there is no doubt all the cuts will effect me in my work place. Who knows how I will feel in a year or two.

But at present i'm a happy chap who is proud to serve, and for those who are not, with a good laywer and a job lined up in civvy street you can be out in a month.

[Mad_Mark]

What needs to be remembered is how long you have been in for.

For us old farts the RAF is nothing like as good as it was when we joined. :( As has been mentioned above, 90% of the good things have gone and we are working much, much harder than before and (depending on trade/branch and aircraft type) spending far more time away from home than ever before. Things can only get worse with reduction in aircraft and manpower but no reduction (and possibly for some even an increase) in tasks. We have been around long enough to see the good times vanish and morale plummit.

For the new, younger guys, the RAF they join today is all they know. They see the current RAF as it is, not as it was. They don't understand why we moan about it and how it has declined into the deep pit it is in today. So to them the current RAF IS a great job. BUT, give them a few more years of cuts, increased demand on the few resources and manpower we have left, and more senior officers popping into hospital to have their spines removed, and they too will soon be harping on about their 'good old days' :ok:

It's never as good as when you joined up. But at the moment it is $#!t :mad:

Mad Mark!!! :mad:

[Jerry Can]

We get to work/socialise with some great people. The money is pretty good. I get paid to go flying. Free medical/dental. Detachments, rates, free gym, AT (It's available even if you can't get time off!!) and the pension, as already mentioned in relatively good.

It's not a 9-5 job and that's why I like it. I was a Royal Marines Commando and that was a good laugh, but the food and accomodation in the RAF is better and the money too! I don't like the hat though!

I was a civvy for a couple of years too, in the IT industry. The money was good but it is 9-5, quite mundane and you still have to work for the 'yes' men/women. I was doing pretty well for myself but I was bored rigid and frustrated by my masters.

The military is changing rapidly and perhaps not for the better, but it's still a good life in my opinion. A great job, working with very capable professional people in what is still without doubt the best Armed Forces in the World.

Cheesy eh! :yuk:

[The Swinging Monkey]

Chutley,
Fear not old chap, leaving is not as bad as you might think. I was desperately sad to leave, but it was very much a case of leave or I would end up doing something silly! I simply could no longer stand being a part of a team that was being ****** about by a bunch of incompetant fools. The CAS was NOT running the Air Force, a Cpl rockape, together with a Cpl PTI, an SAC Scribbly and a whole big bunch of other numpties were making decisions about who went to war in Afghanistan, GW2 blah and I could simply take no more!
I now lead a far better life - not as much £££ but my quality of life has gone thru' the roof!! it's great to be able to plan my life more that 24 hrs in advance!!

So, fear not old bean, you will cope admirably, and the pension aint that bad is it?

As for you youngsters, yep, I would agree that you are still in the best flying club in the world, its just that ours' was even better!!

Kind regards
The Swinging Monkey
Caruthers, send Chutley a large bottle of Grouse, there's a good chap!

[Mobile Muppet]

Mad Mark

I've been in long enough to remember the days of Asension, Hong Kong and Germany and my liver holds testiment to this.

[6foottanker]

I am all too often reminded how spoilt we are. I am of course referring to a month's worth of bar credit for around £100, when in the real world that covers about 1 1/2 nights of typical friday night debauchery! Hic!!

I do however, think that the enthusiasm shown for flying training (pgf) is without reference to the 2 years of holding which has once again returned to haunt many a stude in the system.....so now it's 30 grand for playing computer games while they wait to do something useful, as their service time ticks by unproductively.
Great!:confused: :confused:

At least most of the old boys that are still around seem to have some enthusiasm for the job...bodes well, despite years of gvmt-funded moral destruction, which isn't likely to end very soon....

[JessTheDog]

Yup, £100 a month on the mess bill for getting lashed most nights, that is a plus! Also, the very-cheap-by-comparison house! 90% of the people you work with are excellent, I've almost always enjoyed my work.

It's the clouds on the horizon that bother me, if the pension scheme isn't sacred, then nothing is.

My advice to anyone considering joining would still be to do it, but to look at it as a short-term career and to consider having a different long-term aim. Some initiatives such as the enhanced learning credit make it easier to look to a change in the long term - after 8 years of service, £2K a year over 3 years will help with tuition fees, along with whatever you save.

[BEagle]

And therein lies the rub. Between 1968 and 1989 I thought of leaving the RAF but once - when I was lied to by a desko who had earlier promised me the posting I wanted and instead sent me to CFS.

But having done my 3 years teaching practice at a UAS (plus a brief session in GW1), I was as keen to stay to 55 as ever. Never had I considered a 'short term' career, just wanted to do the best I could until 55.

Then came more and more cuts, panic cost-cutting, enforced changes without post-change validation, all stick and no carrot, "I hear what you say (but will do nothing to affect my career chances) from above", more and more embug. gerances.......

It was time to pull the handle. Since then I've heard that much of that which I warned about has now happened - and things have got worse and worse.

Good luck - you'll need it!