How do i get some work experience on a RAF base???

[Rusty Cessna]

Hi there. I have decided to actually make something of my summer hols this year as my GCSE are now over, and i am sick of feeling anxious about gaining info. on how to be an RAF pilot.

In solution to both of these i have come up with the idea (with thanks to the people who gave me it) to try and visit an FJ base for a week. Basically i need to know about how to do this, who to write to, what it would entail and which bases to ask seeing as i live in Plymouth Devon.

Thanks in advance,

Rusty

[HappyChappie]

Rusty,
Nice to see your enthusiasm, however, as one respondant commented, only a few days ago you wanted to join the Navy!!

The overwhelming advice given was to go to Uni first, try to get into the UAS and then take it from there. Being in the UAS will give you the best kind of "Work Experience" you can get, as with your limited knowlege at the momment, a visit would probably just "Wow, you out"!!

If you still choose to ignore all this, then your best course of action, is to write to your local careers information office, explaining what you would like to do. Now, here's the problem: Hosting of a weeks long work experience will take someone a lot of time and effort, Not to mention the fact that someone will have to pay for it (Accomodation etc). So don't be surprised if you don't get very far. It's not that we don't want to, it's that everyone is so busy, that there just isn't people available to organise it.

Good luck, but don't be too disappointed if it doesn't work.

[This message has been edited by HappyChappie (edited 24 June 2000).]

[Alpha]

Phone up your local careers liason officer, who you can find from a military careers office or even your school careers staff. When I was back at school, they offered three places to do work experience at a local RAF base.

[Rusty Cessna]

Just to put the record straight, i do not wish to join the Navy first, over the RAF, but i was simply taking into the account of different avenues incase my application to the RAF was unsuccessful. I put the emphasis on the Navy so that people would not get me info on the RAF, i hope i did not upset anyone.

Thanks for the replies so far, i will look into them but i am looking for more in depth comments on how to do it "manualy", i am willing to pay board, and things like that, and i need to know how to aproach it and what bases operate FJ's and that are say within 3 hours of Plymouth.

Thanks Rusty

[Gimme300]

You can simulate RAF 'work experience' at home - just sit around drinking coffee, and have weekends and wednesday afternoon off!!! LOL(dont get narky brother Crabs, I am just having a laugh!)

As for FJ bases within 3 hours of Plymouth - well there are 2 - Yeovilton and Culdrose, but you dont want to join the Navy now do you!!!

[ChristopherRobin]

"RAF work experience"? Isn't that a contradiction in terms?


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Christopher Robin

[kbf1]

quite right to explore. Probably the best way to see a base with minimal drama is join the Air Training Corps (if you haven't already). I had some great camps at Abingdon, Akrotiri, Gutersloh, and Conningsby. Got to see lots of pointy things that go whoosh!

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Remember: all landings are controlled crashes!

[Rusty Cessna]

No seriously people pleas help, ok ill go anywhere and no i aint in ATC, GCSE took priority and i aint joinin now.

Thanks

R.C

[bignavbag]

Rusty C,
As for the FJ bases within 3 hours there is only St Athan at Cardiff, and that's only an engineering base that does the serviceing of them ( booring !!)but you do have sunny LYNEHAM within range of you. We have a thing called a community relations officer who handles things like this, and we are forever getting kids on the Sqn so it's a player. But if you want FJ then its north for you my boy!! We also have the brand new C130J which has loads of gizmo's on it, but no rockets ( outside at least ).
We are in the phone book so look us up.

And if anybody in a white hat askes you about PPRUNE you've never heard about it...

[T_Handle]

Dear Gimme300

"weekends and wednesday afternoons off"!!!!!

I think we must be in different air farces (oops, I do think I made a spooling mistseak)
My one manages to bugger my weekends about with great regularity!

Oh well - best go and take some more paludrin

[YakYak]

RC

I got some work experience with the Nav's on an RAF base (Lyneham) just by ringing up the place! Say you want some work experience, and they'll put you in touch with whoever you need to talk to (probably some bored holding officr with nothing better to do).

There's always RAF Saint Mawgan in Cornwall, but there's no planes there. Good laugh if you want to see the regiment though, they'll make you drink Guiness out of an upturned traffic cone though (so 've heard) - beware!

Another thing - stop trying so hard sweetheart. I was in your position two years go, and I know it's terribly frustrating having to wait until you're old enough, but if you put too much effort in OASC will tell you to go away and come back when you've cooled off! Slow down and have some patience, there's more to life than the RAF!

And if you're really keen, don't bother with University. It's just three years of debt and living in a dump, and you really don't need it because the RAF prefers youngsters who are nice and impressionable (like us), that they can bainwash into flying easier.

Hope that helps

YakYak

[This message has been edited by YakYak (edited 26 June 2000).]

[Ham Phisted]

YY

Have you actually read any of the posts regarding university from those PPRuNers who are actually in the RAF? If you had, you would know by now that the RAF regards well-rounded and educated candidates very highly indeed. I would suggest that your experience, or lack of it, has coloured your judgement.

RC

Ignore advice from anyone who thinks Lyneham is a NAV base!

[YakYak]

I would have thought that since you infer yourself as a 'well educated' person, you would have realised by now that you don't need a string of letters after your name to be regarded as well rounded!

Besides, although I have little experience of the RAF, I do have experience of OASC, and being in the same position as RC I think my advice is just as valid as yours. If it wasn't there wouldn't be such a thing as a direct entrant or an acting pilot officer, would there?

Just because you've jumped through the hoops already, doesn't mean you have to be rude.

YY

[Gimme300]

The RN has just realised that actually, grads are not value for money at all. This is because
1. They are already opionated, and thus are harder to for into dedicated whatevers.
2. They join so much later, and so require a much more convoluted career management to get them to the same spec as those who joined from school.
3. Grads have also been likened to guided weapons - highly intelligent but bugger all common sense!

As a result, the thrust of officer recruiting is now being done from schools ratehr than unis - as the kids of today want a degree, the in service degree is probably going to be introduced to compensate (sponsored by Kings I believe) This is where all the various elements of training are given points and when you have enough points you get a degree. Obviously you will need to do some later courses to get enough points, so it acts as a retention initiative as well.

[bignavbag]

YY

Can you tell us what a NAV base is ? I 've been at Lyneham for a long time and that's the first time I've heard this

Regards

BNV

[YakYak]

BNB

Been thourgh this countless times. The post (now edited) should have said: "I did some work experience with the Nav's on an RAF base (Lyneham)"

Problem is: I did the whole: accidentally-hit-capslock-better-delete-it-whoops-forgot-to-retype-it-properly thing, hence NAV is in caps. If you look around other topics I've been slagged for this loads already, in the space of a day. I apologise profusely for bad terms, upsetting people at Lyneham, RAF types in general, grovel grovel please don't sheet three me sir, etc.

YY

PS: check your email!

[Wee Weasley Welshman]

I am Archiving this thread in the Wannabes Archive for future reference.

I am placing most Military Wannabe threads there so that over time you guys can just point young hopefuls to the Wannabes Archive where they will find answers to all the stock questions.

This will free up space for non-wannabe threads.

Cheers,

WWW