continued......
2nd of Sept
It was a strange feeling knowing it was the last day that morning and that we were going to leave and maybe never see each other again as we had certainly bonded a lot since the start. Once again we were in our overalls and this time it was the individual problem solving task, where you are taken to a room and are given a set amount of time to crack the problem and come up with a solution, these are generally a bit more simple than the group ones (in other words, less information to digest). Then you are taken to the syndicate room and have to explain your solution to the boarding officers without your notes and a large map (here you just have to give a very simple account of your plan). That part wasn’t as daunting as I thought because I felt I had a decent plan. However, the next part was tough as you then have to sit down in front of them and they will hammer you with all sorts of questions, such as ‘what group are you part of’ and ‘how far could the bike go if you used that’ etc. Here I feel I didn’t manage to put enough information on my notes so that I could answer the questions quickly, so I stumbled once or twice with a couple of questions they threw at me. So make sure you get as much information as possible down on paper so that you don’t trip up on any the questions they ask. Try and get into the habit of writing down as much information as possible as quick as possible, but remember be neat in what you write so it’s easy to read and get your information from. Once your done here you head down to the waiting room again and wait for the rest of the guys and gals to finish. Once everyone is done then it’s onto the leadership task.
This is definitely the grand finale. Here you are given command and you get a couple of minutes to look over your task while the others are in a small enclosure waiting for you to call them. I’d seriously recommend using all of this time to test things out, like does that piece of wood reach to the barrel and how heavy is that item etc, as there is nothing worse than basing your plan on something that doesn’t work, that’s when you begin to flap. Next you have to stand at the other end of the task and brief your team on it all. It goes like this: what the task is, what equipment you have, what rules and special rules apply and how your going to execute your plan. After doing this I ran over to my syndicate and asked them if they understood what I had said and then asked a couple of them questions to make sure they really did understand. Then it’s down to your leadership. I delegated the jobs and gave everyone something to do while I watched and made sure it was being done correctly but also constantly motivating. I found being quite vocal and praising people a good way to go about it, especially when they had thought or done something of value, but always remain the leader and make sure that no one tries to take that from you. Try and take your time when explaining what you want done as it is easy in the heat of the moment with the adrenaline pumping to miss out important information and get it wrong. I think the key to this exercise is to show good leadership qualities, which involves staying at all times in control of your syndicate and motivating as much as possible to keep them revved up for the job at hand (not so much on completing the task). Make sure your voice can be heard easily but without shouting also. I felt my lead went really well as I had a good group of guys and gals who worked really well for me and each other, which helps massively, and if you do manage to do well in this it will leave you on a major high and make you work extra hard in the tasks when you are not leader. When you’re a team member and someone else is leading then make sure you are the god damn best team member you can be and do anything your leader says, because if you haven’t led yet, then you want them to do the same for you as you did for them, whereas if you don’t listen or try and take over their lead then they will certainly not want to help you when it comes to your turn. It’s all about working for each other here and giving the guy or girl who is leading the best chance to actually lead. If you don’t you will also be marked down for certain by the boarding officers for not being a good team member which is equally if not more important. Just use common sense! Once this is all over, you will probably be shattered but there is one last very brief interview, where they ask you about your branch choices to make sure they are in the correct order of preference, and stuff like ‘ what did you find the most difficult’ or ‘ what if anything did you learn about yourself here’. So there is nothing to worry about here, they aren’t suddenly going to barrage you with questions again about RAF equipment or anything like that! Once this is completed then that’s it, its all over, you have probably just finished the most challenging 4 days of your life. It’s a very weird feeling knowing it’s all over. I for one was quite saddened by it as I had also enjoyed myself a lot and made some good friends even though it being such a short time. We all then got changed and had lunch together and said our goodbyes and then head off in our different directions, back to normality. Like I’ve said before, anyone who is thinking of going through that or is about to go through it or even more so, been through it, then I take my hat off to you as it was an incredible experience which requires dedication, training and motivation like nothing else I had crossed before. I certainly felt slightly different from that experience. In a way more experienced and more confident, knowing that even if I didn’t get in and had to follow another career, I would never have to go through anything as tough as OASC. Good luck.
Possible Improvements
Although I worked extremely hard in preparation for both filter interview and OASC, I still feel I could of improved on a few things. I could of got in a couple more station visits, as I think especially in the interview this shows great commitment, and these visits can be very useful and informative. I also could of joined the ATC as a civilian instructor earlier, it just came to as a brainwave one day, just wish I could of thought of it earlier, as once again its looked upon as commitment and a contribution to the community and to the RAF and its great fun and an excellent experience. In the interview my sporting and adventurous activities were extensive but I feel I lacked slightly in other areas, such as being able to play a musical instrument or other certain hobbies that don’t come under sport. If you do something like this then it makes you seem a much more rounded person and therefore much more desirable for selection. Try and take something like this up if its possible, if you don’t already. Even though I felt that my group discussion went well, and I got my point across fairly well, I still believe that if I had practiced a bit more debating at home or with friends then I would of come across even better, which is always the aim. Also, like I said before, in the group leaderless task, I wish that instead of chatting and trying to work out possible ways round problems, we should have just got on with giving it a go. So don’t pussy foot around it, if you have got an idea then just say’ right gang, lets give this a go’. Lastly, in the individual problems solving I could of got down a lot more important information, so that when the boarding officers do ask the questions, you can readily answer them which always feels good. Other than the things I mentioned, I do feel it went really well and was told so by some of the guys there, which was nice and a great confidence booster, but there is always room for improvement, so you should always look at what you are doing and think how could I improve on it or make it better, I feel that doing that, confidence and preparation is the key to success, especially when it comes to trying to get into the wonderful world of the Royal Air Force.
Good Luck
I’ll keep everyone updated on how I get on as I’m now in for the big wait.
Well I waited for 2 weeks exactly and didn’t get the news I was hoping for to be honest. I wasn’t at home when the letter arrived but knew it wasn’t a straight yes as I asked what size was the envelope and it was a normal small one (if it’s a large one like an A4 then its good news, as it has all the forms you need to fill in). I was gutted and was really down and angry with myself when I was on my way to pick up the letter. I felt like I had put my heart and soul into it and it wasn’t good enough for the RAF. I didn’t like failure, never have! Anyway when I had the letter my hand was shaking even though I kind of knew it wasn’t the news I was dreaming of. So I read the letter and it said I had been put into competition for the October review and will be notified on the outcome. Along with it came the debrief of my OASC performance. The selection president was ok in his comments but the selection board gave me a glowing report and said things like ‘emerged as the natural leader’ and ‘ his physical ability and contribution was commendable’ etc, so I was very pleased with all that but still didn’t change the fact that I wasn’t being given a date for IOT which I had been so excited about. I honestly thought I had done enough. I know that may seem big headed but I just thought things had gone my way and worked out well and all the other candidates kept saying things that really boosted my confidence. So I was quite down about it all and analysed the letter time and time again trying to find all different types of meanings to it. Whatever you do don’t do this, as it will drive you potty! Im sure I drove everyone around me mad going over it again and again. What I didn’t realise that when your in competition, they have actually accepted you and want you to become a commissioned officer but just need to find a job for you as there are so few (or something like that) I was even told by a source that there are branches that they will either say NO, come back in 12 months, or your in competition. They don’t seem to want to give out right yes’s because if you think about it logically, they want as many people as possible to pick from so they can get the best of that bunch so they put candidates in the competition pool and so the numbers grow, see where I’m going with that one. Makes sense to me.
Anyway, after about a week or so of being a moody bugger I finally convinced myself that I wasn’t going to make it this time and was going to have to reapply next year. I’m not usually a pessimist at all I just really didn’t want to be let down again. So I kind of forgot about the whole thing apart from around the end of October when I knew the review was going to be, that’s when the niggling thoughts kept creeping back. Then whilst away working in America for a friend, I received a txt from my girlfriend saying ‘ I’m going to ring you…… pick up the phone!’, now that scared the crap out of me as I thought it was 1 of 2 things. Either a death or something like that within the family or the RAF had got back to me! My heart was going like the clappers! Anyway after waiting…. Oh at least 20 seconds I decided I would ring her (on my mobile, ouch!) and after much ringing I got thru but on a terrible signal and I could hardly hear a word she was saying. However, I manage to pick up that I had a letter from the RAF (OH MY GOD! But also phew lol) and I immediately asked was a big or a small letter…….. The line went dead!!!!!!!!!!!! I could not believe it. It was like out of a bloody movie. After that I couldn’t get a signal for ages! I could not believe my luck! Eventually after about 20 minutes of cursing and very close to losing my insanity I got thru. Straight away I asked ‘ what size is the letter?’ she replies (and please no laughing or take this the wrong way lol) ‘ its humungous!’ YES YES YES! I couldn’t believe it. This was honestly the last thing I was expecting as I had just set my mind for a long wait and then having to go thru it all again. I had even been planning what I was going to do in the year wait to make myself more attractive to the RAF and how I could improve on my performance at OASC! Crazy eh?! Then my girlfriend asked ‘shall I open it?’ Now don’t get me wrong here, I love my girlfriend very much, but what kind of question is that?! Its like saying ‘ you have got a winning lottery ticket, shall I cash it in or not? Hahahaha. I very quickly replied ‘ please’ in my most polite and calm voice I could possibly do at the moment. Then after a few moments which felt like time had stopped, she finally read out to me ‘ dear rogue (not really that) we are delighted to inform you blah blah blah that you have been selected for commissioned service with the RAF’ I went absolutely nuts! I couldn’t talk for about a minute, and I have to admit that there was a tear or two running down my cheek at the time. What a feeling, what a rush! My start date is in May 2006 so im on the 3rd new IOT. I can’t wait for it. It has been 4 days since I found out and im still in America and it definitely hasn’t sunk in, probably because im not at home and I haven’t even seen the letter yet! Could all be a major wind up lol! Now that wouldn’t be funny, I think there would be murder done hehehe. Anyway I suppose there is a moral to the whole of this story and that is, if you give it absolutely everything and I mean everything, the lot, blood, sweat, tears then your in with a fighting chance, in fact more than, because a lot of what there looking for is commitment and if you have done that then it will show and they will see it, believe me, those guys are the best at there job and the British armed forces selection boards are known throughout the world as been the best and toughest selection processes in the world! Remember, if it’s your dream and you want it bad enough then go out and get it as it certainly won’t come and get you!
Well done to all who have made throughout my whole time thru it and good luck to those who are going for it, whether it is your 1st, 2nd or 3rd time. Take care guys
Over and out
Rogue
cheers!!!!!!!!
--------------
hey kspin, sorry about that first time on this one and thought that if im goin to do a full diary including oasc and iot then there wasnt really a place to put it. does that make sense?
cheers
rogue