Bad Form
On a more general point, reserve recruiting and regular recruiting are two very different beasts.
Data shows that those seeking to join the Regs are far more at home making contact via social media, than coming into an AFCO. Walk-in custom is quite low. Indeed getting them to answer a phone call to tell them start dates or the like can be a nightmare.
Conversely the reserves have an older demographic, and would probably be much more comfortable with face to face dealings like what we all had when we joined up.
Data shows that those seeking to join the Regs are far more at home making contact via social media, than coming into an AFCO. Walk-in custom is quite low. Indeed getting them to answer a phone call to tell them start dates or the like can be a nightmare.
Conversely the reserves have an older demographic, and would probably be much more comfortable with face to face dealings like what we all had when we joined up.
Every day is a school day, I had no idea you couldn't just go to the AFCO to join the Reserves; it does indeed seem counter intuitive not to have some form of central coordination across the regions.
However, I'm not surprised to hear things are still shambolic despite the aspiration and intent not to be so. A couple of tours ago one of the SNCOs on stn asked if I would help a family friend who was interested in joining up as an Airman. We got her in, showed her round and talked to her about various aspects. She was a bright young lady with potential but unsure of where she might fit in. In the end she plucked up the courage to apply for a commission. She's now in the RN after the RAF careers bungled her application so badly that after her last encounter with the RAF she went to the RN desk and they welcomed her with open arms. Sad to see things still seem to be as bad; I mean it's not like we're under strength and over stretched or anything.
Incidentally, I echo the earlier point - Air Cdre Luck is a top chap, I'm sure he would be interested to hear about this.
However, I'm not surprised to hear things are still shambolic despite the aspiration and intent not to be so. A couple of tours ago one of the SNCOs on stn asked if I would help a family friend who was interested in joining up as an Airman. We got her in, showed her round and talked to her about various aspects. She was a bright young lady with potential but unsure of where she might fit in. In the end she plucked up the courage to apply for a commission. She's now in the RN after the RAF careers bungled her application so badly that after her last encounter with the RAF she went to the RN desk and they welcomed her with open arms. Sad to see things still seem to be as bad; I mean it's not like we're under strength and over stretched or anything.
Incidentally, I echo the earlier point - Air Cdre Luck is a top chap, I'm sure he would be interested to hear about this.
You have to either apply online or over the phone first then you get handed off to an AFCO. (Believe it or not that is what the research says the target demographic prefer, seemingly being met by a uniformed recruiter at first can seem intimidating)
One of the improvements that is being looked at is for Candidates to complete the online application in the office with the help of the recruiter, then they could apply at the AFCO....but DII prevents this at present and cost prohibits the workaround.
You have to either apply online or over the phone first then you get handed off to an AFCO. (Believe it or not that is what the research says the target demographic prefer, seemingly being met by a uniformed recruiter at first can seem intimidating)
That said, anybody who finds a careers office intimidating, isn't i would suggest, cut out for a career in any of the forces. If they find the sight of uniform intimidating I wonder how intimidated they might be by operational life?
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In 1949, knowing I was due to be called up for National Service and having read in "Flight" or some such that NS pilots were being trained I went into the recruiting office at Haven Green, Ealing and expressed my desire to aviate. A couple of months later I pitched up at Padgate to be told "wait over there" and was amazed to find that they knew about me. (And I didn't even have a number at that point!) But I am sorry to say that from then on the RAF seems to have gradually deteriorated, certainly judging from comments in PPrune.
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I suppose expectation can play a part. Passing my A Levels and having grown up in a town which had it's own army RO and already observed several friends literally walk off the street to chat to a recruiting Sergeant, I was somewhat put out to be told I had to ring the RAF AFCO in Sheffield and then spend two hours on a bus to get there just to make an initial interview appointment let alone OASC.
In the end, I knocked it back and took the university place I'd been offered instead.
I eventually joined the UAS and went DE on from there.
In the end, I knocked it back and took the university place I'd been offered instead.
I eventually joined the UAS and went DE on from there.
Thread Starter
downsizer......on her second visit to the RO (first visit got her nowhere), she was promised her details would be passed to the squadron concerned and that she'd get an invite to the open day. She also got an apology for having to chase things up! Nothing came of her second visit! She rang the station and left two messages.......nothing!
My question to you is, is this some kind of initiative test? How hard does it need to be? All seems pretty disjointed to me. My own experience was completely different......turn up at RO......take care of the formalities......voila........rail warrant to OASC lands on my door mat.
Like I said.......bad form and I'm not impressed........come to think of it, nor is Dr Gorgeous!!!!
My question to you is, is this some kind of initiative test? How hard does it need to be? All seems pretty disjointed to me. My own experience was completely different......turn up at RO......take care of the formalities......voila........rail warrant to OASC lands on my door mat.
Like I said.......bad form and I'm not impressed........come to think of it, nor is Dr Gorgeous!!!!
Which Squadron? PM in you prefer.....
I can only apologise.
I understand the reasons for going to the AFCO, makes perfect sense to me. However the system is no longer geared like that. If she'd have registered with the phone number on the website I can assure you she would have received an invite to the open day. Doing this creates an audit trial and the persons interest and progress can be tracked through the system. She should have been told this as well.
What failed, well I can't say for sure, the recruiter may not have passed the message or the Sqn may have never got back to her; either way not good enough.
If she has any interest left, please do implore her to register on 0345 606 9069 and she will get an invite to an open day.
I can only apologise.
I understand the reasons for going to the AFCO, makes perfect sense to me. However the system is no longer geared like that. If she'd have registered with the phone number on the website I can assure you she would have received an invite to the open day. Doing this creates an audit trial and the persons interest and progress can be tracked through the system. She should have been told this as well.
What failed, well I can't say for sure, the recruiter may not have passed the message or the Sqn may have never got back to her; either way not good enough.
If she has any interest left, please do implore her to register on 0345 606 9069 and she will get an invite to an open day.
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I am confident that the systems that are put in place, are genuinely designed to attract and welcome potential recruits.
My recent experience. My 15 year old wants to be an officer/pilot. At a recent country fair, the RN are there with the recruiting bus. Up we pop, I introduce him to the two guys, one in camo, one in RN uniform. We then spent probably the most excruciating 15 minutes I can remember, as these two plonkers, set about demeaning not only my son, but the service. At one stage CAMO asked, can you do, or do you know, what, a proper press up is? He then , obviously proceeded to show us. Then, which actually turned out to be the final straw, was when Mr RN, with a very large belly sticking over his too tight RN trousers, spotted something on my sons wrist. What's that? I explained he had a small bout of excema. Game over was the actual reply from Mr RN, followed by Camo echoing the, "Game over". He will not pass the medical. Bye, Bye.
Not many times I am left speechless. This was one.
So, as I started, I am sure the system is not meant, nor designed to be like this. But something ain't right in the recruiting game
My recent experience. My 15 year old wants to be an officer/pilot. At a recent country fair, the RN are there with the recruiting bus. Up we pop, I introduce him to the two guys, one in camo, one in RN uniform. We then spent probably the most excruciating 15 minutes I can remember, as these two plonkers, set about demeaning not only my son, but the service. At one stage CAMO asked, can you do, or do you know, what, a proper press up is? He then , obviously proceeded to show us. Then, which actually turned out to be the final straw, was when Mr RN, with a very large belly sticking over his too tight RN trousers, spotted something on my sons wrist. What's that? I explained he had a small bout of excema. Game over was the actual reply from Mr RN, followed by Camo echoing the, "Game over". He will not pass the medical. Bye, Bye.
Not many times I am left speechless. This was one.
So, as I started, I am sure the system is not meant, nor designed to be like this. But something ain't right in the recruiting game
