Some info about family life in the forces please

[rippatiggerboo]

Due to DH looking at possible redundancy we been looking at his life, (he 30 in feb) and what he wants to do with it. He joined the RAF at 17 but dropped out at week 17 of basic training as he wasnt there for him, his felt he had to go as everyone expected it of him.

Well now he thinking of going back, this time for him and he thinking the RAF police. But he has some worries. Near the top is getting through it all which I think he should be fine, he a very different person now to what he was at 17 (arent we all) but also, is family life when he is in.

Thing is we own our own house and I have my own full time job. Plus were in negative equity and it means we cant move so living on base is out of the question. So he would have to work away from home. I am wondering if he requested to work as close to home as he could would they take that into consideration when placing him? how possible/practical is it to drive to and from work each day? Or would it really be the 2 day breaks only (I would say weekends but I realise its not always going to be weekends)

Hope you guys can help, I know it would be hard but I want to try and help any fears he has. At 30 he is completely unskilled and I really want him to find something in life he could enjoy and it seems that something with an infrustructor like the forces would suit him as he works best with clear instructions.

Also, as starting at 30 but at the bottom basic, what should he know, be expected to have done, to get selected?

sorry to have rumbled on here. Hope you could help me at all and thanks for any replies

Jusr re your house - if you don't want to sell due to negative equity could you rent it out instead? Lots of people in the forces own their own house but most rent them out and still live in quarters

Recruitment has increased significantly recently so competition will be a bit tougher although I cannot comment specifically about the police.

I can however comment on family life and basically the answer to your question about location is no. They will not take into consideration where you are living when posting him and even if they do the first time in 2 -3 years time he will be posted and then posted again.

Drusilla's suggestion about renting out is a really good one and if you are serious about this have a look around at the rental market in your area, it will be worth it.

Also remember that he will be detatched for 4-6 months overseas.

Not sure what else to say at the moment but feel free to ask any questions.

If he was to get in then the job security in our current climate is priceless! Good luck!

You need to check the rules. There are some age limits re joining up and I don't know what they are - but careers office / a google should be able to set you straight.

My DH is in the Navy - and while you can ask to live near home, nothing is guaranteed. We are in London at the moment and hoping to remain here - but DH's next job (due a move in Dec) could be elsewhere...Plymouth, Scotland, the Falklands, Afganistan....so don't have unrealistic expectations.

Good luck.

PS We do what Drusilla suggests - our home is on the south coast (rented out) and we rent an MQ in London.

We rent out our house in Cornwall whilst posted abroad, so lots of people do it.

You'll have to get used to weekending; it has its advantages, especially if you manage to ring fence your weekends. On the weekends when dh was home from Brussels, I made sure all my marking and planning was done, so I could focus on him. The longest we've done weekending has been 4.5-5 years at a time. You do get into a routine with it though and accept it as the norm. Then the buggers come home on leave and upset your routine!!!

Here's the RAF page on joining requirements for a RAF policeman. The pay isn't that high when you join, but the housing is cheap, if you're prepared to move with him. However, he won't be eligible for a Families quarter until he's completed his initial training (not sure how long that his for).

DH is Navy, so don't know much about the RAF, but my dad is in the RAF, so I know a bit if you've got any questions.

A trip to a careers office will probably give him a good understanding of whether he's got a chance of getting in. Good luck.

Promotion prospects aren't great in the RAFP.
We rent our house out and live in quarters.

Thanks girls. With the posting thats kinda what I expected but you have to ask

Am not surprised about the RAFP but he doesnt have great grades, not even a C at gcse. So its ether gunner or RAFP. Anybody know anything about being a gunner? (Other then placement abroad is high)

Thanks for the tips on renting. We may have to eventually but mortgage companies wont let you move your mortgage from repayment to buy to let if your in neg equity plus theres my job and I hope to set my own shop up in the area.

Am sure we would get used to weekending. I doubt we would be the only ones.

I had a suspition we wouldnt be the only ones wanting to sign up in this climate. But it wouldnt be for a few months so hopefully it would calm down. (thinking april 2010, give him time to get fit and read up)

To join up in Apr 2010, he could well be looking at seeing a careers officer now. I know DH was a few years from his first appointment to signing on the dotted line (although there were additional delays, but perhaps there are for lots of people).

Tell him to start reading papers now

WRT to mortgage - we didn't change ours to a buy to let, we jsut wroat tot ehma dn said "we want to rent out for this reason" and that was it, they said yes ok, and we never changed mortgage types.

Sorry about spelling - hands very sore what it should say is

we didn't change ours to a buy to let, we jsut wrote to them and said "we want to rent out for this reason" and that was it, they said yes ok, and we never changed mortgage types.

Hum, maybe thats a thought then. Perhaps its different for forces? Am on moneysavingexoert alot and many people come on saying their mortgage company wont let them let because of neg equity. Certainly food for thought tho. (thats ok about typing, am just so pleased I got so many replies!)

Thanks about the career adviser, he wanting to make a choice by next week. He looking at his current job and knows its just stagnant, he would be doing it for the next 20 years here, theres no room for growth at all. So once he has I will look into that. I think it would certainly help.

I suspect a careers adviser would be able to give him all his options for roles with his qualifications, (what little there are) does anybody know about being a gunner? He likes to look of it, weapons training, bomb disposal (tho he thinks coz he married he cant do that). It seems very similar to the Army to me but I know he wants ether the RAF or navy, he not interested in the army.

Oh, does anybody know how the RAF feel about recruits who dropped out of basic training trying again? (it was over 10 years ago)

Would he really not consider the Army?

Fess up time - DH is an RAFP. However, he has his annotations - CI,ComSY, Atsy etc, so not really involved in the basic policing side of things.

If he considers the Navy there may be slightly more stability than the RAF and Army.

My DH is Navy and in the 15 years we've been together he has had ships based out of Portsmouth, so we have our own house and I have worked. He does get drafted every 2.5-3 years but as he is the one that goes to sea the children and I are fairly stable. We have been lucky I know, but really his drafting options are fairly limited to the ports ie Portsmouth, Plymouth, Scotland.

Whichever service he joins he needs to start applying now; the process takes a while. When I applied and joined (many years ago!) it took about a year from going in to the careers office to starting basic training.

He should visit the careers offices of the services he is interested in; they should be able to help him see what branch/trade would suit him best and what he would be able to do with his qualifications and experience.

If you say you are Forces, then the banks/building societies let you rent out unless it's Halifax who are bastards.

My db has never had a problem and has done it three times, and I remortgaged having moved abroad, said it would be rented out, and as long as I don't have any HB tenants, there is no problem. Mortgage is paid irrespective of rental income, and rent covers MQ rental, though we don't use it for that.

Like Sidge, we are Navy, but Plymouth based; we have always had our own place until we moved to Brussels. First time I've lived in an MQ since I was 7. Dh worked away or went to sea, and I stayed put, had career and ds. It works.

Also reference joining the RAF, you used to have to sit a number of tests and then they would tell you what sort of career in the RAF was open to you (if I also recall right, RAFP and Aircraft controller were at the top meaning you had to achieve a high score)....not sure if they still do this or not, so it would be best for him to get the ball rolling now.

I think in this current climate it is a good call.