Simi's RAF Officer Selection Status - updated!

[simi_av8r 0]

Hi All!!

Some news from my neck of the woods.... Received a telephone call around 1400 today and, according to the AFCO (local RAF office) where i was recruited , I was just a few marks short of the requirements they needed for Officer selection. I did however, get very highly recommended for ground trades (n other words a squaddie rank) in the branches i wanted, but that's not good enough for me - i went initially for officer placement, and i want to be an officer so i'll be reapplying in 6 months and back at the selection centre in 12, they wont keep me out!

Thanks for all of your support and good wishes...

... anyway, as the motto goes "Per ardua ad astra" - through struggles to the stars. I'll most definitely go for it again, so wish me luck!

[reef 3]

Sorry to hear you missed it by such a close margin. 12 months is not so long, will pass in no time.

steve

[mutley 4,495]

Hi Simi,

Sorry to hear the news, however a highly commended for service albeit a lower rank for now can only stand you in good stead for the future.

So you will start the ball rolling again in 6 months? good for you, nothing like the bulldog spirit! :vulc

Cheers

[simi_av8r 0]

Thanks guys, the kind words really are much appreciated, thanks :yes:

Hi Simi,

So you will start the ball rolling again in 6 months? good for you, nothing like the bulldog spirit! :vulc

If i can be an officer (and i was recommended to OASC by my afco in the first instance) then.. and no matter what it takes for me to get there... iI'll definitely give it my best at a 2nd shot. If I get turned away a 2nd time then i'll consider ground trades. Until my full debrief at the AFCO i'm as in the dark about what i lost out on as you guys are!

The question is, what do i do in the next 12 months!?! My current job feels like 'Groundhog Day',

[reef 3]

What is your current job ?

I'm a scaffolder and have been for 14 years. We do all kinds of work but also do ships. Scaffolding a fishing vessel tommorow that has crash damage and an Indian vessel over Christmas. Nice and cold out there too. Chin-up, could be worse :yes:

steve

[simi_av8r 0]

What is your current job ?

I'm a scaffolder and have been for 14 years. We do all kinds of work but also do ships. Scaffolding a fishing vessel tommorow that has crash damage and an Indian vessel over Christmas. Nice and cold out there too. Chin-up, could be worse :yes:

steve

Hi Steve,

well currently i work on Technical Support/Customer Enquiries here and having to deal with some customers day in day out who would probably have more luck walking into a lamp post than tying their shoe laces can get pretty dull at times.

i like to be given a challenge to work around every day, and at the moment im not getting that - so i thought it a perfect opportunity for the RAF to step in. Also, i've been told by my boss that because i was thinking of leaving for the RAF (i informed him about my plans out of courtesy) that the engineers course i would need to take to become a hardware engineer and work on the diagnosing/repairing the defective machines myself (as opposed to booking them in for inspection and letting the engineers do it) has been put on hold until i can confirm i'm staying with the company for the 3 years it would take to complete.

i have some very tough decisions to make, but first - as i said previously - i'm going to get myself debriefed and go from there...

thanks again steve.

[allardjd 1,853]

Simi,

 

Sorry to hear it. I know it's tough news. I had a similar experience a long time ago and still remember how it felt. Hang in there and keep working on it. If it's what you really want, you'll find a way to make it work out. You've gotten a pretty positive evaluation already and with a little seasoning, will most likely make the cut on the next round.

 

John

[ddavid 149]

Keep that chin up, Simi! You never know what Old Mother Fate has in store - I wanted to go into agriculture, like my grand-dad and uncles, but I was pointed towards engineering - took 15 years before I could get out of it and do what I really wanted to do. Like John says, don't give up - you've got the right attitude, which I'm sure will help you get where you want to be. Like Steve says, 12 months is a hurdle you can over-come, and when you return to the fray, your stamina will be recognised - go for it!

BTW, Ground Hog Day is really one of my favourites - just love Bill Murray and his dour sense of humour....

And thanks for keeping us up to date - Cheers - Dai. :yes:

[reef 3]

A job with no challenge......that would be Hell!

But i'm happy because the fishing ship was quite an easy job and i'm home early :yes:

steve

[simi_av8r 0]

Hi Guys,

Actually received my letter today following the phone call yesterday and it contains a rather thorough and, i hate to say it, depreciative review aof my performance. I was told to expect something like that from the AFCO, so not badly affected by it at all to be honest as i was more bothered to know where i stood!

From the tone of the letter, and some of the reasons they've explained for my failure on this occasion, I'm not sure there will be a 2nd round at OASC for me :sadblinky: However that doesn't mean there'll be no RAF for me at all, oh no far from it! Just because i get knocked down on this path doesn't mean i cant get up again and try the other routes (i.e. ground/non-commissioned trades) open to me.. and by golly will i try!

Thanks for sticking behind me fellas, it really is good to hear from you all and know that you'll be supportive of me.

Thanks again

SiMi

[contentd 0]

simi... Truly sorry to hear you didn`t make it this time round, hopefully you will get another shot. Just as a matter of interest if you don`t what would be your preferred trades/branches if you go for another route into the RAF. Is your burning ambition to fly as Pilot, or to join the service?

[simi_av8r 0]

simi... Truly sorry to hear you didn`t make it this time round, hopefully you will get another shot. Just as a matter of interest if you don`t what would be your preferred trades/branches if you go for another route into the RAF. Is your burning ambition to fly as Pilot, or to join the service?

Hi Contentd, thanks for asking.

I actually suffer from what's called "anomalous trichromacy" or colour blindness, as such it means i'm limited to what i can actually do in the forces - any of them! I've never really wanted to be a fast jet pilot, but i did start lessons towards my PPL way back when i was 15, although that fell through when i decided it was costing my parents too much and that i'd soon have to fund it!

As for my choices of career in the RAF, I looked seriously at a few and originally wanted to be an Aircraft Avionics Technician, but my colour blindness soon put an end to that... apparently there's too many coloured wires to be dealing with! So then i settled on (the very limited) choices given to me and plumbed for Supply Technician/Engineer (i.e. logistics worker), and also Administration (Secretarial branch) as my backup - its not as boring as it sounds you know! It was after doing well in the initial interview that it was suggested i try for commissioning as a Supply Officer - so followed the process and here i am now having been declined that privilege and again re-entering for bog-standard ground trades as a Supply Technician/Engineer, with the option of commissioning at a later date.

so, there you have it, the story so far. As you can see, you cant keep me down for long, especially when i'm as determined as i am to have the pleasure of an RAF career!

[Martyn 9]

pleasure of an RAF career!

You won't find that many members of the forces that still refer to it as a 'pleasure'. Constant cost cutting is seriously damaging the armed forces, it was actually depressing to see how much it had deteriorated since I was a young boy, dancing in the sergeants mess :mrhappy:

Apparently a lot of air crew going through Cranwell are actually leaving, pretty shocking when you consider how hard they worked to get there. To be totally honest, I think you would have more fun/enjoyment being non-commissioned. Although that very much depends on personality traits.

Anyway, good luck with the application. I suspect your persistence and devotion to joining will swing things in your favour when it comes to future interviews :yes:

[contentd 0]

I`m well out of the system now so can`t offer careers advice. What I do know though is that that time spent in the forces is rarely wasted from a career point of view, and you will almost certainly enjoy it irrespective of whether you are commissioned or not. I joined as a Halton apprentice but left after about ten years to pursue a civilian flying career. (The FJ thing wasn`t for me... nowhere to stub me fags out and put the coffee)

I recently attended a reunion of my apprentice entry (35 years....) and it was just like old times except for a few expanded waistlines and receding hairlines. A surprising number of colleagues are still serving and most are either Warrant Officers or Flight Sergeants and doing interesting work... Interestingly only a handfull sought the commissoned option despite having had the chance.

Colleagues that served their time and left are almost without exception doing very nicely and found their service experience much in demand on the outside.

As "techs" we had an almost guaranteed route through the ranks to SNCO level, and it is this aspect that I would want to know more about if I were in your situation. My question would be If I join as admin or logistics... how long will it take to make Corporal > Sgt. Is this guaranteed (subject to performance)

True the forces are going through abit of a bad patch... but it's not the first time and things change. The fact is that it is a very professional service and the divisions between commissioned and non comissioned service are probably a bit more blurred than they were in my day.

Good luck in whatever you decide....