gingerwig

Amnesia, do you have an ipod? If so go on itunes and subscribe to some of the News Podcasts that are available such as BBC Global News and Newspod. I find the information sticks in my head a bit more as your listening to it. Also you tend to get the stories that matter.

Hope this helps.

GW

airborne_artist

I think you are spot on - the questions you may get asked won't be current in the sense of last week's news, they'll be deeper/bigger issues than happen to have made headlines in the last seven days. Cramming will be of little help, and will be shown up pretty fast I think.

muppetofthenorth

Listen to how they word their questions.

I'm willing to place money on the fact that they'll ask "what, if any, news event from around the world/the UK has had your attention over the past 12 months?".

Assuming any item of news you've picked isn't wiped from the collective memory in the meantime, you'll be fine with learning things now and keeping them all the way through. Though it is always best to have at least one thing from the week you're attending OASC/filter interviews.

Amnesia180

As always, brilliant advice from you all.

Time to get my subscriptions to The Week and Economist started

gingerwig

A good way to keep up with current affairs is to use Podcasts.

You need an Ipod or even just Itunes and subscribe to some of the many News Podcasts that are available for free. They are updated twice a day and last for about 20-30mins. They have all the main stream stories and also some more interesting stories which may impress more in an interview.

Try `BBC Global News` & `Newspod`and also `The World Next Week`and Politics weekly. Just a few but there are many to choose from.

I put them on my Ipod and Listen to them through the day. I find the information sinks in better and the content is always relevant.

Hope this is a useful tip.

GW

Pontius Navigator

And in 2005, when the question was posed, the candidate's mind went blank. When prompted that something significant had happened in the UK the month before a further pregnant pause ensued.

They then asked if the candidate had noticed the general election!

muppetofthenorth

Works both ways, in an interview in August 06 a candidate was lambasted for not mentioning the London bombings of 7/7.

I'm not sure whether they were marked up or down for pointing out they were more than 12 months previous...

fastrobert

I went through the selection some years ago but presume that the same rules still apply. It's not so much your knowledge of the news they are looking for, but your ability to express a mature and considered opinion. If you can refer to a specific columnist and, for instance, give a reason why you would disagree with a certain viewpoint that's being expressed then all the better.

ScrumpyJ

I agree with the last post. They will not mark you down significantly for not remembering everything. Instead, once you have said several different current affairs issues or stories they will focus entirely on one, then probe your understanding of it in great detail. So my advice would be rather than learn lots, know several in detail. Also try to choose ones you are interested in, not ones you think they are. I was asked lots about Zimbabwe, the questioning was also interrogation like, very intense, quickfire questions. At the end I was asked how I would go about removing Robert Mugabe from power! It was intense but very good fun, just dont be nervous.

FNU_SNU

Hi guys. I was hoping you could clear something up for me. I've now been told that you get issued No.5 mess dress at IOT. I have also heard, and was always under the impression, that you had to buy this yourself and was only issued No.1 dress?
If you do have to buy I'll start putting away a bit more money (I'm saving for SNCO mess kit anyway , but the new grant will help with that!).

Mr C Hinecap

You'll get it issued. One initial issue of everything - including 5's.

Melchett01

Spot on. And don't just regurgitate what you have read in the papers, have some original thought to go alongside and an understanding of how the events you have picked out might be relevant to the UK or broader defence issues.

Now what I'm about to suggest takes planning and a fair amount of thought, but if you can pull it off it works a treat and results in either very impressed DS or slightly freaked out DS as you run rings round them:

Don't randomly pick your events / stories. If possible, pick events that can be linked together around the world ie something in the UK which links into a European topic which links into a Russian topic which links into a Chinese topic which links into an American topic which links back to the UK.

It is do-able but difficult, but if you can manage it, huge brownie points are all but guaranteed.

minotur

Hi,

I almost definatly want to join the military for various reasons. Im 22 and will hopefully have a degree in a few months(fingers crossed). Id love to be a pilot wether its FJ or not but unfortunatly im ever so slightly short sighted so im 99.9% sure the raf would reject me.
I have looked at the role as WSO but i have heard some very bad things being said, how they have a short shelf life, how all the fj's will soon be 1 manned, and how once your shelf life expires theres not realy any options available for you. Where as a pilot has civil aviation jobs available etc etc.
Ive read all this in various places including here but most of the threads are a few years old so i thought i would bring it up again.

Read some stuff about the FAA too, which my eyesight would be ok for but everyone has the opinion of "naval officer first pilot second". I realy would love even being in rotary though, But i think being an RAF officer appeals to me much more than being a naval officer.

Just want to know some opinions on the WSO role, is it realy as much of a dead end career as everyone says?

All opinions much welcomed.

Thanks

Bus14

To the best of my understanding, eyesight standards are the same for all aircrew roles and apply equally to the RAF, FAA, and AAC.

(Oh, and by the way, stand by for incoming flack from the spelling, grammar, and capitalisation police)

Bus14
Have fun. Don't crash

minotur

actualy i found this. Its a little outdated and i dont know of accuracy of the information but it states that the rn/army are not as strict as the raf regarding this.


http://www.assoc-optometrists.org/up...af_july_07.pdf

minotur

i woudlnt mind the role of a WSO as the raf would be my preferd choice but obviously by the time im trained there will be no place on FJ for a WSO but still i wouldnt be too disheartened by that im more concerned about in 5-10 years there wont be any place for a WSO in the raf and it would be a dead end.

i just made a post but it needs to be accepted by a mod i think cos i posted a link so ill just repeat what i said there (as this post posted without awaiting approval) basically on a pdf titled raf_july_07 it states that the army/navy requirements to be a pilot are not as strict as the raf. (has the numbers for eyesight requirements etc ) and i would meet the requirements for rn/army but not raf eyesight.

Obviously once again im completly aware that you must adopt the opinion of "RN officer first pilot second" and i would never join a force just to use it as a stepping stone to be a pilot which is why im basically trying to find myself a place in the RAF where i would enjoy but obviously im concerned about the future role as a WSO.

Pontius Navigator

Melchett has given a very good pointer and indeed if all wanabees use it at the next board that would freak them

I'll give one word to look up:

ASEAN

Pontius Navigator

You are right that the Tornado GR4 is planned to be out of service in 2020 or 11 years.

WSO slot in the Nimrod is secure but only a handful required.

Likewise directional consultancy appointments at Waddo will be scarce.

Also I would guess that there is sufficient remaining life amongst directional consultants that competition for a youngster like you would be very fierce.

I suspect there may be opportunities as RN Observer and, who knows, a reverse brain drain to the RN as happened when the RN lost its fixed wg 2-seat FJ.

Griz

Go for it. If you don't you'll always wonder "what if".

The GR4 is short of back seaters and is likely to be with us for up to 15 years. I've heard every suppposed out-of-service date from 2015 to 2025. My gut feeling is it will be nearer the latter. When did any aircraft ever go out of (or come into!!) service on time in the last 30 years?

foldingwings

I have to agree with Griz, 'go for it'.

I was a nav/WSO and had a 40-year career through all the scares of 'unmanned aircraft', 'the day of the manned bomber is doomed' etc etc. Never believe the published OSD dates for aircraft as new projects never arrive on time and the poor old Tornado will have to carry the can for many years yet, I suspect.

If I were your age again, I would apply for pilot with WSO as my second choice and let others make the decision about what my eyesight was good or not good enough for. Beware, however, that if you do go for pilot you need your application in, and to be in officer training, before your 24th birthday (WSO = 26). If you do go WSO, then if you work hard, you could be promoted beyond the cockpit before the Tornado is out of service and enjoy the fruits of a wonderful career.

Oh, and by the way, despite popular opinion the same rule applies in the RAF as in the RN - it's officer first! A display of any other motive at OASC or IOT will be your downfall.

Good Luck,

Foldie