Navy or RAF at 16 or 18

[moshmoshi]

My DS, 14 nearly 15, really wants to join the RAF or the navy. His dream is to be a pilot but he does realise that is very competitive so he would be happy to do another job if pilots weren't recruiting or if he didn't get selected.

He's now considering joining at 16, straight after GCSEs, rather than do A Levels or a BTEC/T levels. His reasoning is that he could train in something he found interesting and be in the same position as an A Level entrant 2 years later. He also thinks that he could apply to pilot training from within the navy or Air force. The areas he'd be interested in would be engineering, communications and intelligence.

I'm not sure if his reasoning is correct as we have no armed forces experience. If I spoke to a navy/raf careers office would they give honest answers or tell you what you want to hear?

He is very academically capable (7s, 8s and 9s expected for GCSE) but does not see the point in learning for learnings sake. For him it needs a practical purpose. He is quick on the uptake and I think he would do well with a forces apprenticeship, I'm just not sure what would be the best thing for me to advise him- would there me more/better opportunities for him at 18 with good A Levels or would the experience and qualifications he would get from 16-18 in the forces put him on the same footing?

Is there anyone with more knowledge/experience who could advise me?

Have name changed for this, obviously!

To be competitive in applying to be an RAF Officer, a candidate has to pass aptitude & fitness tests and medicals, as well as getting through a rigorous and highly competitive selection process. The filter interview assesses confidence & resilience, oral communications, evidence of leadership, responsibility, teamwork, social awareness, commitment, and spirit of adventure, as well as awareness and understanding of what the RAF does at home and overseas, Air Power, the history and changing role of NATO, the training involved, challenges they’ll face, their understanding of daily life in the RAF and the particular role for which they’re applying, and some current affairs knowledge. That’s even before you get to the Selection Centre mentioned by a PP! (The Navy selection process is quite similar.)

He’ll need at least A Levels on the academic front, but to get all the rest of the criteria to make him a well-rounded candidate he needs to be looking at what else he is currently doing with his life - voluntary/charity efforts, team sports/clubs, opportunities to lead others and challenge himself etc. If he could bring himself to go to university and join a University Air Squadron it would be great experience for him. If he wants to join up as an Enlisted Aviator and apply for Pilot further down the line that’s not impossible, and he could join a Flying Club and pay for flying lessons (discounted rate) or there’s a Junior Ranks’ Pilot Scholarship Scheme that he could apply for (also highly competitive, pays for flying lessons but he’d still have to apply through the commissioning process to actually become a pilot).

Hope some of that helps!

...suspect RAF might still teach it.

Navigation is mostly if not entirely a pilot function these days so it will certainly be part of their training.

OTOH the need for specialist navigators plotting lines on maps pretty much disappeared years ago. The RAF kept the specialist branch going but most navigators who graduated in the later years ended up being to almost all intents and purposes functioning as weapons systems operators (WSOs) in their day job, so ultimately the Nav branch went.

You need A levels for pilot training.