Hey guys, I'm 15 years old and want to join the RAAF as it is my dream ever since I've been young. At the moment I'm focusing really hard in order to get this except one thing I can't figure out is how to get life experience. I've talked to a guy who went through FSP a few months ago and passed and he said community service sort of things. Does anyone else have anything like this (except for sports)?

Thanks in advance!

I'd suggest any volunteer work you could get into. For example, Rural fire service, surf life saving, SES etc. Keep in mind some of these do have age requirements before joining.

I'd also suggest getting a job and join cadets if you haven't already.

Also, does anyone have any idea how many people are in the waiting pool for those applying for ADFA entry?

Have a good one,
Generate

Thanks a lot Generate I will definitely pursue and consider some of these options. I already have a job and I'm joining cadets next week so I've got that covered and I just have to work towards everything bit by bit.

Juicey.

Juicey, I was your age when I first stumbled upon this thread, and then I read it in its entirety from the beginning over the course of a week. I suggest you do the same and then come back if you have any questions.

Don't worry too much about the life experience thing. I asked a FLTLT about it who was running an Officer Selection Board information session and his response was that it basically referred to the breadth of experience that you had to draw from in answering questions put to you. I.e. one of the potential things he brought up was that I didn't have a lot of experience leading in an adult environment, and if I couldn't convince the Board that I could on the day and didn't have any examples to back myself up in the interview that I could, the Board may not have recommended me based on my lack of that kind of life experience (they did recommend me, however, so there you go).

I have no doubt that it varies, but ultimately I don't think you should worry. Read through the thread and work out for yourself what you need to do and get on it. And don't mind the dumb posts that I've made in the past. I was *learning*. :p

G'day all,

Wondered if anyone could possibly give me some insight into the process which is applied to applicants who have passed FSP and are waiting in "the pool", specifically in regards to how they are chosen to receive enlistment offers.

My understanding was that you are awarded a score after the OSB which reflects your performance throughout all aspects of the recruitment process and that this score dictates where you ended up swimming in the pool. When offers come up, the applicants with the best scores are simply called first.

However, I recently heard a different theory... That you are awarded a score, and then this score is multiplied by your submitted preference for a particular service, and that there are actually three separate pools (Army/Navy/RAAF).

Meaning that had you not performed as well as another candidate but had a higher preference than them for a particular service, you might still have a better chance than them at getting an offer for that particular service.

Anyone able to confirm or deny this at all?

Thanks for any help, and best of luck with your applications.

WHAT?? What trainee on earth would ever say that they didn't want to fly the F-18, either classic or SuperBug? Weed them out and send them to learn knitting and flower arrangment - to which they would undoubtedly be far better suited.

I believe that 'wusses' is the correct term in the Antipodean vernacular?

Student pilots who desire helicopters or ME more than fighters is not that unusual, in my experience. To each his/her own.

Does anyone know when is the best time to apply? Like the time when there will be the least amount of applicants (I presume its around April - June).

Sooner rather than later......

The whole recruitment process can be more than a year long, particularly if you live far away from a DFR office.

Ain't no time like the present to get the ball rolling....

Fair enough, but I am going ADFA so I don't think the time of year which I apply will make a difference anyways :P (I realised this about 15 minutes after posting).

GU.

Ryano is right and if your going for ADFA 2013 I think you have missed the boat

I plan on going to ADFA in 2014, this is because I plan to take a year off to 'mature myself'.

By the way, does anyone know what kind of questions they ask at OSB? Even the generic ones would be great, because so far in this thread (unless I've missed it) they say prepare for OSB, but I don't know the questions, so how can I prepare for questions I don't know right? ;)

Any other tips would be great for any part of the selection process.

I received an invitation to a FSP, however I have not received any paperwork from DFR saying I have been fit for board or passed assessment day. I know I passed the assessment day interview but I have some medical issues. Did anyone get any paperwork saying the are cleared for board or were you guys just told in person?

GU, mate, I'm going to say that you've missed it.... Try reading the thread with both eyes open!! There's plenty of questions you can expect to be asked buried deep right here. Go to page one and start from there. Time is on your side.

Dude, there are 117 pages in this thread. There is a very high probability that there are detailed answers to any questions you have. There is also a high chance that questions you havent even thought about, or other things that you havent considered are covered.

Life isnt always going to give you the answer on a silver platter, so invest some time in your own development and read the thread.

LongLats wrote:

Hi LongLats,

From my understanding (and please note that I'm not affiliated with the ADF or PSA, so this reply is open for correction!), you are still welcome to reapply to DFR. However, once you have done the initial DFR steps again, you will then sit only the OSB at Tamworth; you will not redo the flying phase. Once you have completed the flying phase of FSP, your file and scores are kept for any future application (i.e. you only fly at FSP once).

So, you will sit an OSB, psychology assessment, etc. at PSA but it will be your FSP flying scores from 2 years ago that will be considered in your new application.

Remember the flying you have done since (your CPL, etc.) will only be seen by the PSA as a sign of your personal attributes (e.g. determination and perseverance to fly). Only your performance at your initial FSP will be considered in determining your ability to learn in the air.

If your flying at your first FSP was up to scratch, you certainly won't be the first to be rejected, then reapply and succeed. By all means, give it a crack.

Good on you for keeping the dream alive and backing it up with a BSc too! You must have been really cut out making ends meet between uni, work and flying training. I'm sure the ADF would regard this highly in your new application. Best of Luck!

FLF

FLF, I was under the impression you could return to the FSP after a period of three years and re-sit the flying component? Could well be wrong!

Looks like we're wide open for correction... anyone know what the case is? CSD perhaps?

Thanks for all your help so far.

I've decided I'm going to go off to ADFA. Does anyone know how what the process is like to get into ADFA?

Thanks.