RAF recruitment - no vacancies
 

My son went to his local RAF recruitment office today to be told that there were no vacancies except for Dental Nurse and to try again in the new year.

Its due to the recession apparently and people are joining up because there are no jobs.

Good for the RAF I suppose.

It is rather more complicated than that (as is to be expected these days!) and is due in part to the increasing requirement to make savings. The relatively recent surge in RAF recruitment has been quite successful (I am not based at IofR but live in the 1960s fun palace across the road) and we are currently experiencing that surge in Phase II training. However, it has been decided that pretty well everything is "on the table" savings-wise and recruiting targets, having been successfully met, can now be reduced (stop-go, stop-go etc). The recession has also had an effect on retaining personnel who might otherwise leave but such things are not always that easy to measure. I understand that this situation regarding recruiting is only temporary but, given the rumours that abound in the public sector regarding savage cuts etc, I am sure other Ppruners can provide a more accurate answer. Retention isn't an issue with me personally as I start my resettlement at the end of November. :ok:

Surely you can get a job in uniform with the pongos? Then you'll have done all three services in one lifetime :ok:

The RN has for some time been running waiting lists of 10-20 months for some ratings specialisations, a far cry from my application process, which took about 20 weeks from filling in the first form to marching up from the Higher Ferry.

AA: Oh no; it is far worse than that. I am (if PPPA get their act together) to become a Burnham Lecturer so I will be blunter than I am now, indeed blunter than a blunt thing in Bluntland. However, as there will still be RAF aircraft flying around the circuit outside my classroom window and the students will all be RAF officers then I won't have cut all my ties with the Military aviation world after too many years to mention (but not as many as some of the old sweats frequenting this forum).

But going back to the thread, there are definite moves afoot to try and avoid RAF students holding between Phase 1 and Phase 2 trg (it is expensive but not always wasteful to the student if the "hold" is worthwhile) so this is also bound to result in reduced recruiting whilst the trg pipeline is adjusted yet again. That said people are leaving all the time and recruiting will improve again - at least I hope so Saintsman.

similar situation
 

I was in a similar situation, though i applied when they where open i then found out that once i passed my first test that i would have to wait because it had been closed, i am still waiting almost A year later and may have to resit the first test again if i am waiting over a year.

I heard a rumour that 140 students will pass through IOT this year! :eek:

There were 120 odd on my IOT back in the day!!!!!

When I went through IOT each entry consisted of 2 Sqns of 8 flights, each of which had about 10 cadets, so a total of about 160 cadets on day 1 of the course.

Al_Berr

I don't know but wouldn't be surprised - it's a small organisation, and it is likely to get (potentially quite a lot) smaller. It begins to beg the question of whether we should - like the Aussies, though whether the university bit is required - go down the route of a single officer training academy.

S41

A friend of mine was selected for the apprenticeship scheme about 11months ago, he still hasn't had a start date.

And the rest. Due to the surge courses being 'successful' and the re-introduction of no.2 mess, an IOT course has about 150 people on it usually, so on the basis that around 130 average will pass the course, and the graduation is every 11 weeks, probably around 500 a year? Its 9 courses over 2 years they work on. JATCC (air traffic course) is backed up but due to the amount being re-coursed, more and more people are on hold than most places can deal with. We had 3 holding officers at once and we just couldn't do anything with them. The FOTC (flight ops officer course) is backed up by a year on their course as they only train 9 people on its 14 week course. Saying that, our branch is STILL massively undermanned and to top it off, air command keeps sending more and more OOA.

14 weeks FOTC? That long how to learn to be obtuse and push a pencil? wow......

I always thought that being obtuse was the required aptitude for Flt Ops Off's. :E

Nahhhh

doesn't "FOTC" = Failed Other Training Courses

...... only joking guys 'n' gals ......;)

teeteringhead,

I demand you retract your vicious and barbed comments. Several of our Ops Officers have been fluent with staplers and photocopiers, showing a far greater aptitude than the aircrew on the Sqn's. Some have been known to progress onto chinagraphs, under supervision from the Cpl or SAC of course.

MGD

No disrespect, but why would you want your son to join the current RAF? Having been in since Pontious failed his first nav test, I'm glad my kids have gone their own way.

Failed Officer Training Course ;)

Its usually full of officers that have failed pilot, nav, air traffic or fighter controller (sorry, battle space manager)

Saintsman - On the bright side, your son now has the oportunity to get it right and join the Army!

In 1959 I went to the RAF recruiting office, hoping to be a pilot, and was told I might make a good loadmaster! I went straight to the Army recruiters.

Forty two years later as I finished my final flight I got to the top of the airbridge and looked back at the beautiful B747-400 I had just left and thanked the RAF recruiter for his insight!;)

Dagowly,

If you are going to apologize at least get it right; FC now = ABM Aerospace Battle Manager.

Its a c**p name if you ask me.

G8D

Won't be long
 

Don't worry Saintsman it really won't be long before it picks up again. If my time in has tought me anything it's once we have slow recruitment they realise we have too many people in, announce a round of redundancies and let too many people go. Then the recruitment picks up again, doesn't explain how all the work will still be expected to be done by less bods but ours is not to reason why.....

It's to sit and wait on the redundacies!

14 weeks for the phone-answering course?

"Station Operations, Plt Off Useless speaking, how may I be of annoyance?"

shortly followed by "Err, Corporal, could you speak to this person please"...:hmm:

Yes, 'tis banter. But when they retire, they can always work in call centres, I suppose.

And if FC = Fighter Confuser or (in AWACS) Flying Clot, does ABM = A B£oody Menace?

Aerospace Battle Manager......:yuk: Whoever dreamed that one up?