Dh is looking at joining the RAF, advice from those who have been there/done it please.

[OracleInaCoracle]

dh is 32 and has an interview with the RAF tomorrow. i suppose i want to know what we are letting ourselves in for. whats it like being a forces wife? will i have to give up my degree? we have a 4yo ds, how will it affect him? where will we live? any help gratefully recieved!!

Get himself as fit as possible.

Be bang up to date on current affairs all over the world.

Do some research into the RAF and it's history. Make surehe knows a bit about the aircraft they use and what they're used for.

Make sure he knows his CV off by heart.

Time speed distance calculations use to be very popular I seem to remember - do some brain training

couldn't remember if your dh was army or RAF. how long has he been serving? lil bro is currently serving in afghan, goes to germany the end of the month for 9d then home for a bit.

mcdreamy, thats fab thank you! is there anything which would be a huge no no for them? any requirements aside from age/fitness etc?

DH is just finishing his 22 years lissie.

DB has done 32 years in the RAF, working up from a airman.

will you continue cm-ing?

and did you cm on base?

Yes Cm'd on base, they are always crying out for them, but no will not carry on, I am applying for Nursery manager jobs as we speak.

Lissielou; I mostly echo Mcdreamy's points. He needs to start working on his fitness NOW...the fitter the better. General world affairs knowledge but also a few issues in depth i.e pick 3 big issues from around the world, and three from domestic affairs and feel comfortable discussing them in depth.

Role of the RAF around the world and the aircraft it flys. Know where he will be doing each stage of his training, and the specialism available to him within the Logistics branch when he has completed training.

Have a clear understanding as to WHY he wishes to join; and what he would do if he was offered another branch. He may get asked about how he sees his family life fitting into the military.

He will be asked a lot about what he has done at uni/work and they are keen on 'rounded' people i.e whilst at work he also organised charity work/helped run a sports club/did adventurous travel exploits. The scoring takes lots of things into account, so if there is a period of time where he did not do as much because he had young children, then that will be accepted....however if it covers an entire decade they may raise their eyebrows!

Smart dark suit and no comedy ties. Smart hair cut and polished (ideally dark) shoes. Lace up better than slip on, but not essential!

notyummy, he waa made redundant not long after ds was born and spent the time looking after me (i had severe pnd and several mc's, not to mention the ep) he has been at uni the past 2y though. will they accept that do you think?

They may....I will be up front with you (and him) and say that they will expect him to have worked part time at uni/or have some demanding and challenging hobbies i.e ran a Club whilst at Uni/raised £x for charity. Things that show initiative, drive and leadership. They will expect more from him at 32 than they would expect from a 21 graduate.

They may probe him on whether he feels that his family are sufficiently robust for him to be away for long periods of time, given that he was needed so much fairly recently that he was unable to work.

He needs to think about how he wishes to present that VERY carefully. The forces are generally pretty good at looking after people who fall on hard times whilst they are serving (i.e someone husband or wife/children are ill)....they are much less keen on recruiting people that are already in that position.

He has listed on his application that he is a qualified football coach with over 1000 hours of practical experience coaching after school clubs and Curriculem Support. He currently runs his Sunday football side. This on top of over 10 years purchasing/project management including a stint in Malaysia. However he is worried that he is applying a year into a law degree (which was an option to him during the period after we had DS and when I was very ill)

will need to be very clear about motivations and why he has made different choices etc...

so he is dropping out of law degree?

yes, its really not for him. which is a shame, but theres no guarantee of a job at the end of it and he's not been totally happy on his course tbh

Hope it goes well. At least you'll get a better bigger MQ if he's an Officer

ok - he will need to be able to discuss freely why he thinks his decision to join the RAF is different to his decision to study law though (ie is it something he's going to change his mind about next year when it gets a bit difficult during training etc) - i know that sounds harsh, but he will have to be confident and able to discuss his motivations and why they haven't worked out in that instance, but are likely to this time around. i'd steer away from the 'guaranteed a job at the end of it' in interview though lol. i'm sure he's got bags more motivation than that.

(just to put your mind at rest a little lol, i dropped out of uni after two terms and direct commissioned, so it is possible , i was a bit younger though, so he should expect some tough questioning...)

hope it goes well!

thank you all so much. he has a formal interview on 23rd april at officers recruitment day. he was v open with the chap today at the local office and he seemed v positive, even said that dh may be able to continue the business aspect of his degree if he wishes. so looking ok so far

well done dh!
hope it goes well in apr.

thank you, and thanks for all the advice. it really helped prepare him!