Career Advice
 

I'm currently serving on a short service commission as an Engineering Officer in the RAF. I'm starting to think of where next I seek employment after I leave the forces. I've got a BEng in Mechanical Engineering and of course my RAF experience. Ideally I'd love to work as a line officer (or equivalent) for an airline or aircraft maintenance company but lack the knowledge of how the civilian side of aviation tend to run things and how best to get my foot in those particular doors. Has any body got advice they can give me or know of others that have left the military looking for similar jobs?

I'm guessing you're currently in a JEngO position or similar.

Airline maintenance management tends to be by people with the relevant licences themselves who have come up from the shop-floor - the nearest equivalent to what you know would be SNCO posts. So, the odds are against you there unless you've got civil licences.

With a degree and RAF experience, I'd suggest that your best bet is to get your CEng before you leave, and aim for an analytical type management role - for example product support and development with somebody like BAE/WHL/L-M, or areas like maintenance support / QA in an operating environment.

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