I'm getting slightly concerned with these new courses that promise you qualifications that are like A-Levels but aren't actually A-Levels.

If you are looking to do a course that is the same level as A-Level, why not just do the A-Level course? It prevents you from having to explain what the qualification is to a confused recruiter whose getting lost with all of these new super-duper qualifications.

Get your A-Levels in decent subjects (i.e. Physics, Maths, English etc.) and then if you really fancy doing a Mechanical Engineering course why not go to College or University to study an HNC/HND/Degree in the subject that way you have universally accepted qualifications?

Good advice Aerouk, the rules and regs always take time to catch up with new fangled ideas. Not only that, but do your HNC/HND or whatever after you enlist and the Services pay a chunk of the costs. In addition, once you gain that qualification you may also get an advancement in your pay scale.

P_N & AeroUK, thanks for the responses.

I have spoken to my college, and they will allow me to take the Engineering Course along with two A levels.

This for me is brilliant, because I am more of a hands on (practical) type of person.

The Engineering Course focuses mainly on Aerospace / Aeronautical Engineering, and it is worth about 2 AS levels.

NDW,

What qualification is the Engineering course though?

WSOp Hearing
 

Hi all!

I recently applied to the Royal Navy for Pilot and Observer. I have completed my RT, medical , pjft and sift interview and am therefore awaiting FATs. At my medical I had a really bad cold, and got H2 hearing, which the doctor was pretty certain was because of my cold, i was passed as medically fit so this will be retested at my aircrew medical. I am aware that H1 is required for Pilot and Observer, but what about RAF WSOp? Whilst it isn't a commisioned position like I wanted, if it turned out that I couldnt be a pilot/observer in the RAF or FAA, I would defiantly look into it. So do I need to have H1 for any of the WSOp positions? Also is there a possibilty of commissioning as a WSOp later in my career?

Thanks in advance,

Will

Thats brilliant thanks! Sorry about the spelling, I must have missed it out when I read through it. Anyone got any information on the hearing standards? I've tried using Google, but no luck so far!

Cheers

Will

On the hearing test you are put into a sound booth and wear a headset. Tones are then played in each ear in turn, at different pitch and reducing amplitude. I think those are the right terms.

It starts easily and you confidently press a button when you hear the tone. As it gets harder you then start to imagine the sound and start to press the button almost in desparation. You may imagine that the repetition interval is uniform and press the button when you think you hear a sound.

Mistakes and cheating do not work. The test is actually repeated and they look for consistency not an absolute. When your job does not depend on it and you are permitted to see as well as hear you would be astonished how accurate it is.

One last point. While the booth is soundproof it is necessarily air tight too. So remember the person following you and no beans for breakfast :E

Raf Questions
 

Hi there,


I'm a 16 years old working towards my solo for fixed wing. I'm an A student, I play U16A water polo and rugby. I am keen to join the RAF in about 2 and a half years time. I am a British and European national. I live in South Africa with my parents who are British citizens.


I just wanted to ask a few questions regarding the RAF airwing:


1)Do you do basic training, if so how long is it?


2)How long is it until you begin flying?


3)Do you do an officer's course before or after flight training?


4)How many hours do you do before receiving your wings?


5)After flight training what are the options regarding the different aircraft you can fly ie: helicopters, cargo, jets, etc...


Any other information would be great!


Thanks!


Damian King

Damian

Go back to the Pprune Mil Aircrew homepage and look at the second thread.

Look also at the RAF interweb site.

Thanks for pointing me in a direction. But please any further help would be much appreciated. What I looked at of the other thread it didn't seem to be answering the questions I want to know.

Thanks anyway, and once again any further information much appreciated.

Right now your biggest problem about joining the RAF could be your residency. You are normally required to have lived in the UK for five consecutive years immediately before applying. See link

The rest of your Qs are easily answered by reading the RAF's careers web pages, and looking at the old and new OASC threads.

I never knew residency was an issue for applicants with British Citizenship, seems largely irrelevant and inflexible, ah I've answered my own question!

Another problem is that we are likely to be still in the midst of a big shrink over the next 2-3 years, so give some serious thought to University which could help with some residency and gives you plenty of time to answer all of those questions ;)

Good luck Damian

If you are an A student then the UK Armed Forces won't take you until you have completed your education to its highest level.....Unless you insist. If you pitch up with 10 GCSE's (Or equivalent) they will turn you away to sit your A Levels (or equivalent) and likewise...if you pitch up with 3 good A levels they will tell you to come back after Uni.

Talk reaction is correct.... now is not a good time to join.... go and get a degree and join then.

I think the residency issue is only if you are not British.

From this page Nationality and residency - RAF Careers

"Nationality

The nationality requirements for each job are given in each of the job files on this website.
To apply for any RAF job, you must be a citizen of the UK or the Republic of Ireland, or have been a Commonwealth citizen since birth, or hold dual UK/other nationality.
For security reasons, there are stricter nationality requirements for some jobs. For a few, you must have been a UK citizen and UK resident since birth.

Residency

You must have lived in the UK for the five years immediately before you apply to join. For a few jobs, the qualifying period is 10 years."

Given that the RAF has plenty of UK residents applying, I'd have to wonder whether they'd bother for long with someone who does not meet the residency rules.

The residency issue must be for non-nationals. Otherwise it wouldn't make sense.

Which is why Australians, Kiwis and the like can join. Therefore as a South African you can walk straight in.... Just get a degree first.

vecvechookattack, if you turned up at the AFCO with 10 GCSE's and wished to apply for pilot, you would be told to go and do your A levels in order to fulfil the minimum requirement for making a P2 application. The AFCO would NOT tell you to go and do uni of you turned up with the required qualifications. (Unless you wanted EngO or other professional branch of course). If you are half way through a degree, we may ADVISE you finish it, but we would never TELL you to do something that wasn't required for entry. We tell potential applicants what their options are, it is always entirely up to them which path they choose. As far as being the right time, of course pilot is very competitive, but always has been and always will. What I can say for certain is that applications are being taking for pilot and if the candidate displays the correct attributes at OASC, then they wouldn’t have a problem.

As was previously mentioned, as an overseas applicant, you WOULD have had to have spent the last 5 years living in the UK in order to apply. The only exception to this rule (currently) is students taking a gap year. It has been made quite clear to AFCO’s that no other circumstances will be accepted.

Yes you are right. The RAF wouldn't encourage him to get a degree.

As a South African though, he shouldn't have any problems getting in.

The AFCO wouldn't NOT say "You are qualified to make an application but you need to go away and get a degree". We would say "You fulfil the requirement to make your application, this is what you do next..." You DO NOT NEED a degree in order to make an application for pilot, therefore why would we turn a suitably qualified potential applicant away?

With regard to residency, we could not accept a Briish Citizen living in South Africa as he does not fulfil the residency requirements. He needs to have spent the 5 years prior to making his application living in the UK. As previously mentioned, the only exception to this rile (currently) are students taking gap years. This was clearly stated in a recent Weekly Recruitment Brief which are issued to AFCO's detailing the latest policy changes and the like.

I personally dealt with a case of a potential applicant who was a British citizen but decided to live in Australia for 2 years after doing his A levels. As this was not a gap year, he was ineligible to submit an application under the current regulations.

....They join as Lateral Recruits - who already have skill and Qual when they are in short supply. There are restrictions on jobs that they can be recruited to do.

RAF Water Polo
 

Damian

Always keen to see young polo players, so if you do join up, make sure you contact us. Details at:

RAF Swimming Association - Water Polo

N Joe

Seems a bit hard, the residency requirement. My parents emigrated to Oz when I was five, and we returned when I was seventeen. The only thing I ever wanted to be was a pilot in the RAF. I applied as soon as I could, was accepted, and enjoyed a career. According to the rules, I wouldn't be allowed to do that now. Sad.

Its all to do with the rights and privileges of being a commonwealth citizen. If you are a citizen of the commonwealth then you have the right for a free visa in commonwealth countries, you have the right to work and of course you have the right to enlist in the British Armed Forces providing you meet the criteria. In some countries you also have the right to vote.

I'm also surprised that there isn't some sort of allowance for any Crown servant parents serving overseas ? Surely if I'm abroad in an official capacity working for HM, my kids would be able to apply to join HM Forces, even if they hadn't been in the UK for a couple of years ?

BTW, just did the Personality test on the RAF Careers (apparently I have one...a personality, that is....not a career....;) )

Says I should be a Flight Ops Assistant......

vecvechookattack, I have no idea why you wont accept the RAF policy on recruiting but it is there in black and white. They are the regulations we follow at the AFCO as stated by Gp Capt Recruiting.

FFP, if under 18 and abroad with parents, the rules are different. If with you on an overseas assignment, they would of course be able to apply.

That figures. Cheers for the confirmation.

Hi all,

I was wondering if there is anybody with professional flying qualifications have applied or is applying to the RAF non-pilot jobs? (non-pilot, because of age or eye sight limitations)

Thanks

LB

"I have no idea why you wont accept the RAF policy on recruiting but it is there in black and white."

Just so you know, I didn't meet the residency criteria, but got accepted by both RAF and RN.
As with everything, the people who make the rules can waive them.

I'm Spartacus! I had spent 17yrs in southern africa before coming to London and walking into an AFCO - 3/4 months of security checks and I was in.

Damian, when ready, get yourself to the UK and take it from there. Regulations are for the guidance of fools - British citizenship requirement aside, market forces, and the calibre of the person applying, will dictate whether or not an individual is successful in joining the RAF.

A great career, good luck.

S4G

Hmm, Residency
 

After almost 20 years of being in the RAF (having joined from a Commonwealth country) I still occasionally encounter 'nationality' issues, in spite of having a British passport. It's generally to do with access to particular information, again irrespective of having the appropriate clearances and the requirement to access that information, and the immutable fact I was born 'Abroad'.

However, Captain King Damian, follow Sand4Gold's advice and don't take no for an answer from the Careers Office. Get yourself over here and show grit and determination - as well as an oustanding aptitude to do the job. There are other routes (such as joining the British army for a few years) that would soak up this requirement - just make sure that you have plenty of head-room to apply before you get too old.

Good luck

WP

Thanks guys,

One thing about the residency, we know of someone who lives in South Africa, and is a British national. She went over and applyed fror the RAF, either last year or early this year, and her application was accepted. She had been flying in SA with 43 Air School.

Can anyone account for this?

Also if some of my other questions could be answered it would be much appreciated.

Thanks a lot!

We won't do your research for you. If you want to get in as a pilot, you're going to need to know all that information and more to make it through selection.

Go to the RAF Careers website, go to thestudentroom.co.uk and use google, you will easily find all the answers. But it's your job to do that, not ours.

The 5 years is mainly to make the SC process easier, I've heard of it being waived if you can easily get previous nation police reports, however anything that makes the process more complicated isn't going to help you when the rest of the country are currently applying.

Mr Womble is correct, waivers have been granted in the past. However, in these times of reduced recruitment and budgets, waivers are EXTREMELY difficult to gain at the moment. I am not saying that is will forever remain the case, but at the moment, no waivers are being granted. The AFCO's have been specifically told as much.

I just wanted to ask a few questions regarding the RAF airwing::confused:

Me too!

Jack

PS Go for it CaptainKing - and don't forget the Royal Navy "airwing":ok:

Hi everybody, I have a question about a question that might get asked in interviews. The question might be: "Your mission is to bomb an enemy target (e.g. a bridge, factory etc) and you are told that civilian casualties are possible. How would you respond to this? Would you feel guilty about accidently killing civilians? Could you live with yourself if such an event arises?".

What would be the best way to go about answering such a question? If I was being completely honest I probably would feel guilty (I am human after all). Would saying such a thing be bad?

How do real fighter pilots deal with such issues?

Q: "What would be the best way to go about answering such a question?"

A: The only way that matters: honestly.

:ok:

[Not rocket science!]

Fighter pilots don't drop bombs.

I'm just trying to save you an expensive trip. I am an RAF Recruiter it is someone like me you will be talking to upon walking into the Careers Office. You WILL need to have spent 5 years in the UK prior to making an application.

El Supremo,

The question of how you feel about killling people, civilian and otherwise, is fundamental to your application to the military. You are joining an armed force whose role is to find, fix and kill the enemy to achieve the political aims of the government. Therefore you should have thought long and hard about your feelings about this and come to some expression of justification/rationalisation of taking life.

After such consideration, when the question comes up you should be able to give a measured, considered and above all honest answer. The military do not want sociopaths blind with blood lust, nor would conscientious objectors likely to get very far through the interview process but in the end the individual must be able to press the trigger when required.

Of course to actually get as far as being asked this question you do have to actually walk in to an AFCO and make an application.........;)

I think this video pretty much answers El Supremo's answer:

Ministry of Defence | Video | VIDEO: RAF pilot spares Taliban commander to save civilians

At the end of the day, hearts and minds are still a huge part of Afghanistan and any other war.