The Royal Air Force, as part of the British Armed Forces, is one of the strongest air forces and the oldest in the world. It has withstood battles from history and has provided superb air force men all throughout the years. With a public service that can provide jobs to forty thousand men and women, joining the RAF may be a great idea to build a career path.
Many think that the Royal Air Force is just about the pilots when there are over fifty other jobs that do not involve flying a plane. The RAF accepts whatever race, religion or cultural background its applicant has as long as he/she passes the requirements.
To be an official Royal Air Force member, certain qualifications are looked for in a person who wishes to join. Majority of the roles accept men and women but there are certain areas for combat that only accepts men. The primary requirements for joining are nationality and residency, age and fitness.
British nationality can be categorised as British Citizen, British National, British/Dual National, Commonwealth Citizen, and Irish Republic National in order to be eligible to apply. If the RAF applicant doesn’t belong in any of the category he/she will automatically not be accepted. On the other hand, there are stricter nationality conditions on selected job areas. The best thing to do is consult the area individually if the applicant wants to pursue.
Nationality alone doesn’t suffice the requirement of being an official air force member. The residency of an individual is also considered seriously. Each applicant must reside in the UK for a set of years. Aside from that, there are certain residency regulations that has its exceptions and varies between situations. The RAF will also need to look for certain documents such as birth certificate, passport, educational records etc.
Nationality and residency aside, the age of the applicant is also an important factor. To be accepted as an Airman, one must be fifteen years and nine months old the least. When it comes to being and officer, seventeen years and six months old is the youngest age that can be accepted. There is also a training program that trains children from thirteen to eighteen who wants to join.
Last but not the least, fitness. The rigorous training and challenging job of being in the air force needs someone who is fit and healthy. Aside from the three primary requirements, every kind of job at base involves minimum academic requirements.
