Royal Navy, RAF Advice?

[Catalyst]

Right, where to start really? I'm currently thinking of joining the RAF or Navy, I did apply to the RAF back when I was 18 but my application was terminated due to the budget cuts. After this I decided to work full time in a call centre to get some savings behind me and get some experience of full time work, I actually enjoyed it for a year or 2 and i was earning good money. I earn £18k a year plus commission but the company is changing, commission is being capped and I've had too many false promises made to me regarding promotions and pay rises.

I'm now 22, been in the job for 3 years and to be perfectly honest I can't stand it, every morning I get up feeling depressed and stressed out. My main hobby is the gym so I'm physically fit and strong, I have nothing to tie me down to where I live so being able to see the world is appealing. I hate sitting on a chair in front of a computer all day, I'm not particularly good at anything mechanically but I'd love to do something hands on. My dad is/was an aeronautical engineer so that's always really interested me.

Just looking for pro's and con's for both the RAF and the Navy, any suggestions or advice? I'm at the age where I feel that I was meant for more than sitting in a dead end office job, in terms of qualifications I have 5 GCSE A*-C's and at college I passed a BTEC National Diploma.

Cheers
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|--Previous--|:2007 Aprilia SX50...--Current--|: 2007 Kawasaki ER-6N
SlimRick - I can cook really well - but it's a useless skill, as I'm not a woman and it's their fucking job!

[scorps]

you want to work for a "company" that is forcing long term qualified staff out to make way for new recruits being trained to do pretty much the same jobs. the armed forces are constantly cutting staff in huge numbers, my daughter says she cant wait to get out now. her husband was one of 3000 turfed in the last cut. he stillhasnt found a job on civvy street.
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Do not presume that I am male.

[LockyUK]

'Wake up feeling depressed' I have to be honest with you, you do not sound like the right candidate, I was discharged from the army for a similar reason (well since been diagnosed with a personality disorder) if the 'bit depressed' is solely because of work, go for it, gcses are not the be all and end all but if you have them, great, all about your fitness and aptitude, aim for 1.5 miles in 8:30,

The military is a great career but also the ultimate sacrifice, but good money after you earn a few stripes. Travel all over the world, keep fit and be a part of a huge family and command respect

Cons, family life and relationships.

You are still young, if ambitious I say go for it and best of luck! I for one have huge respect and admiration for our military

[Tungtvann]

Join the Army, Int Corps, you won't be made redundant unless you're a fucking spanner.

[scorps]

[/quote]If you don't mind me asking, what trade, rank (and how long served) was he?[/quote]

RAF SAsomething or other with nine years impeccable record, daughters a rigger, higher rank than hubby made and just passed her 12 years but they do have a nice house
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Do not presume that I am male.

[Rizzix]

I've been in the raf for 5 yrs now, and while it has its ups and downs, I still feel like it was the best decision I made when I was 20.

Are you dead set on becoming an aircraft engineer? There are quite a few trade options.

Quick run through of pros and cons:

Pros
Good money
Get to see the world
You move around the country every 3-5 years so it doesn't go stale
Good banter
Awesome welfare chains
Cheap accommodation and food
Funding towards future learning ie degrees etc
Lots of leave days
Massive pay rises each year

Cons
There's a lot of BS you have to put up with sometimes (it ain't too bad)
Promotion can feel like a lottery
Extra duties can often take up some of your spare time

In my eyes the pros outweighs the cons

I'm tapping away here on an iphail so it's hard to go into detail.

I'd be happy to advise you further and help with the application stages if need be. Also, if you are near Yorkshire, I could even sort out for you to visit the station and see what goes on maybe?

[Rizzix]

[Tungtvann]

Oh, and don't be a fanny, join the army. We don't all get shot at.

The thing with the forces now, it's no longer the military of a few years back, where they would take anyone on, you'd always be in a job, you couldn't get fired (within reason) and you could be a complete mong for years and years and still end up as a Corporal on over 30k a year and leave with a nice fat pension after 22 years.

The forces are streamlining, if your trade isn't needed so much, you risk being cut, if you're not progressing fast enough, you'll be cut to make way for people who can fly through the ranks. It doesn't always seem fair, yes some good guys are lost, but the forces can't afford to be what they were over the last few decades.

[scorps]

thats the one Riz an armourer
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Do not presume that I am male.

[scorps]

[Rizzix]

[swampy]

[Tungtvann]

[scorps]

there seem to be more civvies in the forces than soldiers, airmen and sailors nowadays
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Do not presume that I am male.

[Rizzix]

[Richy CB1000]

Navy all the way. Ex Tiff during the late 70's to 80's.

No better life until you get into a serious relationship then forget it.

Would I do it again....yes.

[scorps]

my ex husband was a CPO mech eng on the Polaris subs and a total dick, this will have had nothing to do with him being in the forces though he was a natural arsehole
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Do not presume that I am male.

[Rogerborg]

[Lord Percy]

Military life is glorified and biased by MOD adverts.

I'll join when there's a real threat to the home front.

If you want to do something good, join the Navy. They do plenty of brilliant non-war things. Prevention/deterrence of serious organised crime and drug trafficking, disaster relief, oceanography, meteorology, etc. I'm sure the others do similar, but the Navy has the lions share of those things. Although for those roles the waiting lists are much longer. A lad I know suddenly disappeared into the Navy. No-one saw it coming, but it turned out he'd signed up to be a Hydrographer (ocean mapping, weather, etc - nothing fighty!) about two year earlier.

Unless you don't care about that and are only sold on the adverts, so you'll sign up to get what you saw on tv, and in the end will just be a grunt with a weapon, because, aside from the fact that many roles are highly specialised etc, you will, in the end, be part of a very big political weapon.

Why do you want to join? How will you feel about that decision when you retire? What will you have achieved in your life?

[LockyUK]

from a job perspective, the navy would probably be the safest bet, we are an island after all!

[Matt B]

Why don't you try the RAF Reserves before you make a decision? Give it a go, see if you like it, earn a bit of extra cash. If you don't like it you just resign and leave.
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stinkwheel: He had an animated .gif of a cat performing fellatio. It's not socially acceptable. It can have real life adverse effects on other people.

[cimbian]

I've a son in the Navy and another in the RAF.

Ignore the TV ads.

Son in the Navy is PO and soon to be CPO, single and loves the life, never been in harm's way.

Son in the RAF is SAC, two tours of Iraq, PTSD after the first tour, glowing reports every year, passed-over for promotion every time despite being acting corporal and recommended for promotion (again). Now married and a new father, hates the life and is leaving next year after his 12 are up.

Best thing is to actually meet some guys from both and ask them.
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22PlusY
Current: Moto Guzzi 1100 Breva. Previous: Honda XL650V TransAlp
Bearded, Balding, Born again Buddhist Biker

[unitynotsocri...]

a matt B says,see how mostly boring and uninteresting military life could be.Class wise...generally...The raf will let you clean and maintain em but not fly em,the Army will punish you for showing inititive .
At the end of the day,join the forces for a trade,thats risky enough,you could still die being an army/raf chef,mechanic,medic,supply driver.

apart from recent illegal wars of slaughter for resources,as ever,you run a very high risk of dying in a training accident.......

the system has no respect for injured squaddieess.

if you want to see the world..be carefull.With manpower at severe limits,joining the raf could easily have you end up in some stupid little sand fort with a few machine guns and light mortars and rifles ,being shot at by a load of crazed smacked up junkie bandits on chinese CG's.
The navy looks cool,but remember the isolation,years of wanking at sea ,and the limited 'area of ops',like pirates in gulf,fishing duties,combined international exercises,smugglers,generally there's not enough nuclear missile/radar button pushing jobs for most applicants and when you leave for 'civvy st' there's not many jobs in it.Nuke technician would be a good un,electromechanical,radar chef,psycology,diving good prospects if motivated.

As an army family/person 5 generations I would sadly say dont join up.You'll be sacrificed by politicians who have surrenderd national foreign and domestic policy.All the recent gulf/afghan wars are mostly unpopular,unvoted for....not a real war...a theatrical/symbolic war to validate the american expansionist economic policy,which is spread chaos,let the natives kill each other and infrastructure,then move in a saviour,get the contracts and arm the USA favourite local gangstas.
You might get to Belize/Honduras,australia and jungle and cold training in commonwealth countries but whether army or raf

you have to consider 'why' join the forces.A long tradition is that it gets you away from high unemployment and poverty,like they say of old,you can sing or fuck or fight your way out tha ghetto.

are you desperate or lazy to get on with a trade/skills and think the forces,(Your mother) will do all the organising?
If you get some decent gmpg and panzerfaust training you could earn better money for less risk with better terms conditions,working as security on oil tankers in the gulf.
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[drzsta]

Anything I wanted to do is poorly paid in the forces. My answer was to join the reserves.

Best of both worlds IMO.

[Tungtvann]

Seriously, join the Int Corps, I get to post on here all day.