muppetofthenorth

If and when you get to each stage you'll be given full instructions on what's coming. No point getting yourself in a lather now about the unknown.

Sky Sports

Apparently this is only for the 'priority' branches and doesn't include pilot. Pilot candidates will have to wait until the start of next year for OASC dates.

medod

Leaving covid and MFTS woes to one side, what is the process for applying and joining as aircrew today? Looking back on the early days of this thread it was all very clearly laid out. Perhaps the same could be done in 2020.

muppetofthenorth

Process is basically identical, just with a few more gaps in it.

Apply online
AFCO responds (takes about 6-8 weeks after applying)
P2 presentation (a month+ later)
Filter interview (same again)
Medical (a month, possibly 2, then a huuuge wait for results because Capita are awful)
Fitness test (a month or so after medical results)
CBAT (another month)
OASC - now only 1 day (another 1-2 months later)
Then Fam Visit and on to IOT. Whole process takes over a year.

WingsofRoffa

I did this a couple of years ago, can confirm that this is accurate.

I'll add that with single digit aircrew recruitment numbers, you will also probably go through a couple of sifts - if you are competitive at all - so add another 6 months.

18m overall I have found is average for aircrew.

Melchett01

That's atrocious and no wonder I occasionally hear anecdotal tales of people dropping out or ending up in completley unrelated careers having lost interest / patience. I'm trying to cast my mind back to when I joined for comaprison. I had been on my UAS for the first 2 years of my degree, then applied at the end of the Christmas term in my postgrad year. Firstly it was a brief chat with the University Liaison Officer to get you on his list of interested candidates. Then I went to the AFCO just to jump through a few hoops, having been on the UAS I had a pretty good idea of most of what they said already. A couple of weeks after that I had a formal interview with the University LO who recommended me to OASC, with an appointment about 6 weeks later. All in all, from my initial approach to the University LO to getting my offer from OASC was about 3-4 months, so by Easter, and with an IOT start date in October that year 2 weeks after my degree finished.

If you make it through that lot then frankly you deserve an offer just out of sheer bloody perseverence. However, I would also say it's probably good training for the faff you'll experience when you do finally get in and are out in the real RAF!

Party Animal

My thoughts too. My experience was measured in weeks. Initial interest in Jan, OASC in Feb, IOT in Apr. Although it was the 1980’s!

muppetofthenorth

Well, if anyone has routes into the higher echelons of recruiting to have a moan about this, feel free to use them.
Gaps and delays are inevitable, but it's the 2 month wait for the AFCO to get back to you that I find worst of all.

Sky Sports

Does anyone know how the socially distanced boards are going? I've heard they are only testing 5 candidates a day, which by my reckoning, is not enough to reduce the lockdown backlog.

muppetofthenorth

They're only doing branches that are in demand, so the next few MIOTs sound like they'll be pretty skewed.

Sky Sports

The RAF closed new applications for pilot earlier this week! They now join the Navy in not currently recruiting pilots.

helo425

Does anyone know what for the current OASC medical takes and includes. My son is currently going through the whole OASC process and has his ‘medical’ in a weeks time. Oddly though this is to take the form of a Skype chat.

clearly the whole process is being disrupted by Covid but what can be achieved with a Skype medical. He’s already a granted permission for his docs to be passed across.

any thoughts. He’s going RPAS first then Provost and Supply after that.

thanks for your thoughts

downsizer

They'll review his docs, chat about his medical history and if nothing requires follow up move him along. If he has medical issues they'll investigate further.

helo425

Excellent. Thanks

Sky Sports

Is this skype medical that is done after his OASC board, i.e. the full aircrew medical, or the 'filter' medical that is done pre-fitness test and OASC board?

helo425

Obviously Covid has scrambled thing a lot. He online applied. Then went for CBAT Then online filter interview with the AFCO. Next is the online medical as mentioned. There’s no fit test at the moment though he’s as fit as the proverbial butchers dog. Then to OASC for the final tests and hopefully an offer to follow on after that.

I’ve been informed that all branches other than control are closed, and after some digging that applies to new applicants not those already in the system so that should not affect him.

Sky Sports

Ahh, so his online Skype medical will be the 'filter' medical, pre fitness test, that only really establishes if applicants are potentially fit and well for service. If he successfully passes the OASC board, he will then have the much more thorough RAF medical at Cranwell, which is the final hurdle. This will involve blood tests, ECG, limb measurements and the like.

Interesting to hear that they have closed applications for all branches apart from control. I thought it was just pilot that was closed.

helo425

Agreed. There’s only so much you can do with a Skype medical.

fitness testing has been paused at the moment. Applications are progressed with out a fit test at this time. I assume they will still need to figure a Covid friendly solution for that.

All branches closed to new applications unless selecting control (ATC and ABM). But if you had a live application before the closure you application will be progressed.

Sky Sports

According to other forums, there are now candidates who are 18 months into the application process who have had 3 OASC dates cancelled on them. Sounds like a huge backlog forming that they hope to clear by closing most branches to new candidates.

Melchett01

If that is the case, unless individuals are determined that the RAF is the only thing they want to do in life, I wouldn’t be surprised to see the backlog clear itself. The only way it wouldn’t is if the economy tanks completely and individuals feel they have no other option. Neither is a great state of affairs.