Leslie

Stick to what you say without being objectionable, don't let them try to sway you into changing your mind. I was in the Service for a long time and would not have missed it. Good luck.

Les

[Edited by Leslie - 10/5/2003 12:28:10 PM]

Scooby_Loo

Ace,

I have been through the tests, passed them...... Then chickened out the day I was supposed to leave!

Was going in to take on the role as an Avionics Technician. The test (Ground Trades Battery Test) was quite simple, the only problem being the time given to answer each question (done the test yet?).

When you go in for your interview just chill, but try not to answer the questions so that the can read too much into them if you're not too comfortable talking about certain aspects of family life, school etc (which I did, got sweaty palms for the first time ever!). I'm not saying it is like interrogation or anything (I was 16 at the time and thought the guy was being a **** intentionally!), this will more than likely be the best thing you can do!

Good luck

Edited to say, just think of the pension!!

[Edited by Scooby_Loo - 10/5/2003 6:41:56 PM]

ace2002

Hi, half way through RAF entry process and wandering if any1 in here was (has been) in the RAF. I’m applying as an electronics technician, working on anything that is run by a computer basically (can't think of much that isn't now!) I've got my official 'suited and booted' interview on Monday and medical examination that day too.

Any1 got advice on anything, bearing in mind I’ve not had many interviews in my life, so any definite do's or don't?

Thanks

johnfelstead

yeh, dont discover you are colour blind. I did when i went to join the RAF. You wont get in for electronics if you are.

Good luck, its a great career.

ozzy

std Military medical is pretty basic. Check with your GP and they'll give you a quick run through if you're unsure. I did my Royal Marine medical last month. Should be the same for all the Armed Forces. Consisted of:-

eye test
read some lines off a Doctor's eye chart (one eye at a time) & read some small print from a text book

colour blindness test
identify numbers from pages of coloured dots - checks you can identify images from changes in colour

hearing test
sit with your back to the Doc with headphones on. They make some tones from different frequencies and you raise your hand when you hear the tone. Done one ear at a time.

medical history questionnaire
ask things like 'have you ever suffered from asthma'. family history of heart disease, etc..

The also take a urine sample, check your height and weight and just ask general questions about your health. If you have any injuries, my advice is don't tell them (unless it's very serious).

Shouldn't take any more than 10 mins.

As for the interview, I can't comment on the RAF, but most are just looking at the person. They'll ask you basic questions on the RAF to see if you have a basic understanding of what they do, what sort of aircraft they use. If you read up on their literature you should know everything they're likely to ask.

Other questions are just to see what's motivating you to join (so don't tell them you want to start killing people ) and if your parents know what you want to do.

Unless you've sat one already, you should get a basic entry exam. I sat the std Navy one. Just two papers covering simple science and arithmetic (addition, subtraction, number squences, fractions, etc..)

Good luck,

Stefan

[Edited by ozzy - 10/5/2003 1:01:10 PM]

[Edited by ozzy - 10/5/2003 2:58:15 PM]

ace2002

Yeah I've sort of planned out in my mind what’s going to happen and what questions are gonna be asked but it's hard when you've never been that situation before.

I've never had a medical before either so I'm worried that my dodgy eye and dodgy ear will fail me, but my other eye and ear are nearly perfect so just got to wait and see. Other than that there's not really been any problems with me or running through family.

I had my AST (Airman Selection Test) a few months ago and did very good on the bits that where important (EG - Electrical knowledge) but not good enough for the less needed bits. I was told to wait for my GCSE results to come through and apply to enter as qualified. I needed at least C in English, maths and science. I got A in English, B in maths and A in science so there's no problem there.

bladerider

Good luck with your interview. I was in the RAF as a Ltech AF(r). It was definitely the best years of my life. I still regret leaving. Don't let the basic training put you off. Too many people have left because the couldn't take the discipline during the first few weeks.

ScoobyKev

I would love to of joined the WAF after graduating Uni, but cus of my asthma I was frightened of failing The asthma is not that bad but I think I would get my hopes up if I tried, you know what I mean. Whats the max age nowadays to join the WAF..?

Kev

ace2002

I think the max age is 30 or 40, depending on what you apply as.

Take a look on www.rafcareers.com

Thanks for the advice ppl

P130J

I'm a serving RAF pilot and would agree with a lot of the advice given above.

Read up on what the RAF does, what aircraft they fly, where you as a techy might end up serving, what jobs are open to you and things like that.
Have a troll around the RAF website and try and glean as much info as you can on what the RAF is about these days.
Try and prepare yourself for questions like "why do you want to join the RAF?" - might sound noddy but a lot of folk bone up on all the RAF stuff and the news etc and then mumble their way through the basic questions. Think through your answers beforehand so you sound intelligent and switched on in the interview.

Good luck with it all. Be yourself, be confident, enjoy it and if you go in well prepared and focused you shouldn't have any problems.

PS. If you know something about computers then perhaps you can come and work in my office......I haven't got a clue what's going on...

ace2002

LOL

Bullet Proof

Ace2002

Also agree with the general consensus. P130J has a lot of good points.

Basic training is a nause but stick with it...common sense does return when you get out and into "the real!!" world. Have a lot of friends in the service and they love it! Infact I am loving it too!

Keep your options open, the recruiters have to fill a number of slots for various jobs but try not to let them sway you away from what you want to do if they offer the job you want.

Always helps to be friendly.

Good luck!

tuffer

Having spent 12 years in the RAF I can think of only 1 thing good about it......Some of the lads I served with. As for the rest of it, underpaid, lead by muppets, about 20 years behind the times and if you are a junior rank you will get treated like ****e. Their are no longer any decent postings as they have closed the majority of overseas stations, you will end up either away on detachment all the time to some crappy place like Kuwait or on guard duty, anyone who tells you basic training is hard has lead a very cushy life, RAF Halton is a playground. The RAF is run by Officers for Officers, the junior ranks are there to make up the numbers.

If you think this is sour grapes....you are right! I waited 8 years to get promoted (no I wasn't crap, I was the first person in my trade to get promoted in over 5 years), just after promotion I realised what a joke it was and left. My wife was also in the RAF and when her "boss" heard I was leaving she was treated disgustingly and forced out. Best decision we ever made, I now earn more than double what I was on in the RAF, I have loads of free time, I live where I choose to live, I go overseas when I choose, I do what I like when I like and life is far rosier.

Oh yeah and as for all that nostalgia bull****....that went in the same skip as my No1 uniform, medals (plenty) and all my photo's/memerobilia.

But it's your choice just don't believe everything you read on a BBS.

ace2002

Well I have heard of quite a few horror stories from newsgroups etc but I would personally have to experience it to appreciate it. If I decided not to go in but had the option there I would be living the rest of my life wondering what would be different!

Well I'm leaving in about 1 hour so wish me luck!

Thanks everyone for your comments.

fatherpierre

Have to agree with tuffer on many of his points.

I did 12.5 years and although I enjoyed the majority of them I'm SOOOOOOOOOOOOO glad I PVR(ed) and got the hell out.

It's a boys club where the senior ranks enjoy all the perks, and the junior ranks are pretty much treated like crap.

I wouldn't worry too much about being rejected as they take on pretty much anyone these days.

Some of the guys I was in charge of in my last few years would struggle to serve burgers in McDonald's with any amount of professionalism.

It's good for:

meeting people
sport
not working very hard
money's ok for what you do
cheap living
coasting your life away

Bad for:

travel (honestly)
progression (dead men's shoes)
crap living quarters
being sent to **** holes for 4 months at a time
being messed about
treated like dirt when junior
self developement because you rely on it and it makes you scared to say 'fukc it, I don't like this, I want out.

It can pidgeonhole you and make you think that there's nothing else out there.

I left in February after biting the bullet and now earn £10k more and have a life!

Good luck, anyway

Just don't let it become a personal prison for you as it does to many.

fatherpierre

Oh, and the pension is crap and you have to do 22 years to get it.

It's not enough to pay 1/2 of most people's mortgages and you have to reach Cpl to do the 22 years.

BOB.T

I applied to get in but failed the medical, the doc grabbed me by the nuts one minute and then was surprised I had high blood pressure the next!

Good luck

neilp

Was in for 10 years, B4$ your medical don't go and and get pi$$ed as you will fail due to protien in your system being too high! had a great time as such, but as already posted all I can remember about it these days are the lads I served with. Don't really see it as a career these days - my 2 pence worth. Don't let basic training get in your way, the real RAF is nothing like it. was a ground elecronics guy then (AF), believe they changed to eng tech el but not sure what they are called now (worked on radars on the airfield etc)

Best of luck it's worth doing just the management are cr4p

ace2002

FAILED!!!

I got there early of course and waited to be interviewed, he asked me about family, school, sports, general sort of stuff to get to know me then moved on to training. I weren’t up to scratch on the basic training as I couldn’t tell him all the stuff that goes on in there cos its been 6 months since I saw the video explaining it all, so he gave me a chance and accepted that.

Then he asked me about trade training but all I had was the basic trade sheet to give an overview of the job, they never gave me the more detailed version that told me where I would be training and more detail on what to the job involves so he gave me the benefit of the doubt on that. By that time I thought I’d blown it but then he just basically said that next time I have an interview (providing I pass the medical and mod accepts me) he wants me to have a training program and to know more about the training.

Anyway, I have to wait about an hour before I go down to the local doctors for the medical and then nurse asked me basic health questions for me and family, checked blood pressure, weight, height (which I was told I might be under the limit, that they also never told me) then hearing and eyesight. 15 mins later I go to see another doctor and then the bad news came, my eyesight was not good enough! I already knew that it wasn't correctable cos I've been to opticians plenty of times before. It never really sank in until I left and was walking down the road back to the afco, literally made me feel sick and just purely gutted. Then I went sat in a room with one of the staff and he gave his sympathy.

Now I’m just going to have a day off and think through what I want to do now, still early in life so I want to make the right choices.

Again thanks for all advice and comments.

midget1500

sorry to hear that man, but remember it was meant to be!

BOB.T

Never mind, summat'll turn up, it always does

Wurzel

iTrader: (1)

You could always try the Army as a REME technician the entry apptitude test is not as hard and if you already have civvy qualifications and do well on the test things look more favourably.

I spent 5 years in the army and had a great time.

fatherpierre

Ace,


Bad luck, mate. This may be of little compensation at this time, but you may have been spared a wasted few years.

ace2002

Yeah I'm not gonna let it get me down, there's always gonna be other options open. You know what they say "one door closes, another opens"

I'm not sure if i want to phone the army just yet, think I might just take things as they come now.

:-)