Army: REME: Signing Up: Aircraft, Electronics or Avionics Tech?

I HAVE done my research and a friend of mine has spent even longer than me talking to different people in different trades and has concluded that becoming an Aircraft Tech is the best decision for him based on promotion, travel, interesting job structure and general quality of life. There's just a few things that I'm still unsure about and any help would be greatly appreciated.

What are the main differences between an Aircraft and an Avionics Technician?
Is there any benefit to becoming an Aircraft/Avionics Tech over an Electronics Tech?
Which is generally seen as the most respected trade?
I know the answer may be different person to person: but which trade would be the most interesting?
Which trade of the three is the most beneficial in terms of qualification?
Which is the best in terms of promotion rate?
Which would be the best in terms of travelling?
Which would give the most time for other interests? Sports, fitness, hobbies etc
Which gives the best chance of a Civvy job: post-service?
Is it REALLY worth going for Officer straight away as I do want to join relatively soon?

Unfortunately, I kind of want it all. I want to make sure that the job I choose:

- Is interesting (I don't have a SPECIFIC interest in Avionics but I like the general looks of that area)
- Has a good promotion rate, is well paid and gives me a good chance of earning decent money post-service
- Helps me see some of the world
- Makes me actually proud of what I do, I've spent too much time messing around already and want to knuckle down with something properly now.

General info about me:

I'm turning 21 next month, I enjoy playing Rugby although haven't played much recently due to working weekends. I train at the gym on a daily basis and am reasonably strong and fit, I enjoy the idea of working on Electronics although Avionics does interest me but I'm definitely more academic than I am hands-on. Apart from extremely basic electrical skills based around building a few computers, my knowledge is practically non-existent. I do however have 14 A*-C GCSEs and completed a Level 3 BTEC at the equivalent of A*A*A* A-Level.

Sorry for the extensive post, I just can't stress enough how important some accurate responses will be.

Thanks in advance!

Reply 1

Drewski

Original post by bhorsley

What are the main differences between an Aircraft and an Avionics Technician? Aircraft would include working on airframes and engines, avionics would not.

Is there any benefit to becoming an Aircraft/Avionics Tech over an Electronics Tech? only based on what you'd prefer
Which is generally seen as the most respected trade? They're the same
I know the answer may be different person to person: but which trade would be the most interesting? They're the same
Which trade of the three is the most beneficial in terms of qualification?They're the same
Which is the best in terms of promotion rate?They're the same
Which would be the best in terms of travelling? They're the same
Which would give the most time for other interests? Sports, fitness, hobbies etc They're the same
Which gives the best chance of a Civvy job: post-service? They're the same
Is it REALLY worth going for Officer straight away as I do want to join relatively soon? For you, no, as I'm pretty sure you have to have an engineering degree before joining to be an officer in the REME

Answers in bold.

One question though, if you're so keen on aircraft, why aren't you looking at joining the organisation with the most aircraft and most diversity in what you could work on?