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The Ultimate OASC Tips
Hi, i returned from OASC a week ago (OSB [Flt Ops]) and have a very honest account of what it is like in a few paragraphs, along with what i believe to be the best bit of advice that i received before making my way to Cranwell.
Well, i stumbled across this forum during my preparation and although found most threads interesting and sometimes useful, i think that OASC has been blown completely out of perspective. Yes, it is challenging - but it will not be the toughest thing you will ever do in your life. The general atmosphere is very relaxed and although formal, the various parts of OASC are not oppressive.
I was apprehensive during my preparation (in fact i was almost s***ing it come the morning of travel) but let me assure all those who are due to attend - RELAX! IT'S NOT THAT BAD! I see posts on here of people discussing, in detail, about Joint organisations the Harrier belongs to, and how many people ,to the nearest squaddie, are in the Air Force, Army and Navy. It is completely overdoing it, and sweating over facts like that will only hinder your performance in other key areas.
That ultimate tip i have referred to? No, it isn't to know what squadrons are based at Conningsby, nor is it to speak in a posh voice and talk about current affairs all week. In fact it is quite simple - RELAX AND BE YOURSELF.
Yes, of course you must prepare, but the Boarding Officers don't expect you to know everything - no one ever will. They are looking for POTENTIAL to train you to become and officer, so by having a basic knowledge and the necessary experience in leadership and responsibility coupled with a genuine reason for joining, you have nothing to worry about.
Overall OASC is great fun - especially the hangar exercises. You must remember that the Boarding Staff are only human and want you to succeed.
So by all means use forums such as TSR to give you a guide of what to do in terms of preparation, but do not let it worry you if someone is bragging about how tough it was and how most officers fit a stereotypical profile - the most notable quality the Boarding Staff will notice about you is your personality.
Thanks and good luck!
P.S. Still no letter yet, but fingers crossed for the result i passionately anticipate.
Well, i stumbled across this forum during my preparation and although found most threads interesting and sometimes useful, i think that OASC has been blown completely out of perspective. Yes, it is challenging - but it will not be the toughest thing you will ever do in your life. The general atmosphere is very relaxed and although formal, the various parts of OASC are not oppressive.
I was apprehensive during my preparation (in fact i was almost s***ing it come the morning of travel) but let me assure all those who are due to attend - RELAX! IT'S NOT THAT BAD! I see posts on here of people discussing, in detail, about Joint organisations the Harrier belongs to, and how many people ,to the nearest squaddie, are in the Air Force, Army and Navy. It is completely overdoing it, and sweating over facts like that will only hinder your performance in other key areas.
That ultimate tip i have referred to? No, it isn't to know what squadrons are based at Conningsby, nor is it to speak in a posh voice and talk about current affairs all week. In fact it is quite simple - RELAX AND BE YOURSELF.
Yes, of course you must prepare, but the Boarding Officers don't expect you to know everything - no one ever will. They are looking for POTENTIAL to train you to become and officer, so by having a basic knowledge and the necessary experience in leadership and responsibility coupled with a genuine reason for joining, you have nothing to worry about.
Overall OASC is great fun - especially the hangar exercises. You must remember that the Boarding Staff are only human and want you to succeed.
So by all means use forums such as TSR to give you a guide of what to do in terms of preparation, but do not let it worry you if someone is bragging about how tough it was and how most officers fit a stereotypical profile - the most notable quality the Boarding Staff will notice about you is your personality.
Thanks and good luck!
P.S. Still no letter yet, but fingers crossed for the result i passionately anticipate.
On the issue of speaking 'posh' I have to disagree with you. I spoke my 'normal' way, which is Mancunian but I am still accused as work of being 'posh'. Well, to the RAF assessors I was considered 'gauche', so if you are from a northern city I would probably advise against acting normally unless you are a truly exceptional candidate!
why should an accent matter anyway? i thought it was the person they were employing not the accent!!
Ubiquitous and I spoke about this at the time. However, the issue with very strong accents is that, for jobs such as Aircrew, ATC, FC where use of radios is a large part of your job, the two don't mix. Accents can get so distorted over radios that you messages are very hard to understand. Anyone who's had any r/t training will have been told about maintaining a steady voice modulation, pace etc strong accents have their own variations on these.
As to style of speech, or gaucheness, OASC have to be confident that you can adopt the necessary style of speech for an Officer. An Officer who has to give authoritative briefings, day to day orders, life and death orders, reprimand people older than them, interview people, and often as Orderly Officer etc, inform people of serious injuries and even deaths in their family. Obviously all this can be learnt in time, but sometimes OASC would rather you made progress in your own time, so ask you to 'come back in a year'!
As to style of speech, or gaucheness, OASC have to be confident that you can adopt the necessary style of speech for an Officer. An Officer who has to give authoritative briefings, day to day orders, life and death orders, reprimand people older than them, interview people, and often as Orderly Officer etc, inform people of serious injuries and even deaths in their family. Obviously all this can be learnt in time, but sometimes OASC would rather you made progress in your own time, so ask you to 'come back in a year'!
yeah i can imagine some cockney git using rhyming slang to tell someone their son /daughter has died lol - u gotta love em
I would post something, but 3PD's made all the points I would. There's no attitude towards class, but what you may consider to be a "posh" accent is just clear.
Unfortunately, that's important, which means someone with an impenetrable Hebridean accent or a Brummy one with a massive overuse of colloquialisms comes home presuming they weren't selected because of some ridiculous class issue. It's not the same.
To echo the OP's advice, I performed exceptionally well at OASC because I forgot I was being assessed and just enjoyed myself. I had a great time; and when I got the chance, working at OASC some time later, to do some elements of selection again, I leapt at it.
Unfortunately, that's important, which means someone with an impenetrable Hebridean accent or a Brummy one with a massive overuse of colloquialisms comes home presuming they weren't selected because of some ridiculous class issue. It's not the same.
To echo the OP's advice, I performed exceptionally well at OASC because I forgot I was being assessed and just enjoyed myself. I had a great time; and when I got the chance, working at OASC some time later, to do some elements of selection again, I leapt at it.
threeportdrift
Ubiquitous and I spoke about this at the time. However, the issue with very strong accents is that, for jobs such as Aircrew, ATC, FC where use of radios is a large part of your job, the two don't mix. Accents can get so distorted over radios that you messages are very hard to understand. Anyone who's had any r/t training will have been told about maintaining a steady voice modulation, pace etc strong accents have their own variations on these.
As to style of speech, or gaucheness, OASC have to be confident that you can adopt the necessary style of speech for an Officer. An Officer who has to give authoritative briefings, day to day orders, life and death orders, reprimand people older than them, interview people, and often as Orderly Officer etc, inform people of serious injuries and even deaths in their family. Obviously all this can be learnt in time, but sometimes OASC would rather you made progress in your own time, so ask you to 'come back in a year'!
As to style of speech, or gaucheness, OASC have to be confident that you can adopt the necessary style of speech for an Officer. An Officer who has to give authoritative briefings, day to day orders, life and death orders, reprimand people older than them, interview people, and often as Orderly Officer etc, inform people of serious injuries and even deaths in their family. Obviously all this can be learnt in time, but sometimes OASC would rather you made progress in your own time, so ask you to 'come back in a year'!
conners4
I was apprehensive during my preparation (in fact i was almost s***ing it come the morning of travel) but let me assure all those who are due to attend - RELAX! IT'S NOT THAT BAD! I see posts on here of people discussing, in detail, about Joint organisations the Harrier belongs to, and how many people ,to the nearest squaddie, are in the Air Force, Army and Navy. It is completely overdoing it, and sweating over facts like that will only hinder your performance in other key areas.
I was apprehensive during my preparation (in fact i was almost s***ing it come the morning of travel) but let me assure all those who are due to attend - RELAX! IT'S NOT THAT BAD! I see posts on here of people discussing, in detail, about Joint organisations the Harrier belongs to, and how many people ,to the nearest squaddie, are in the Air Force, Army and Navy. It is completely overdoing it, and sweating over facts like that will only hinder your performance in other key areas.
Yes, but:
1) it is much easier to relax and be yourself if you've prepared well, and
2) it's much easier to do well if you're well prepared!
And of course there is always the fear that no matter how fit, well informed, cultured or experienced you are; no matter how many team sports or youth activities you lead, there will be someone else who has all this and more! Thankfully, I'm one of those sad cases who really enjoys interviews, and I know I'll relax and enjoy OASC when I get there - but that's because I tend to do well in interviews, and I tend to do well in them because I work hard to prepare in advance
.TBH, I want to find out about joint orgs not just for the sake of comfortably ticking a box on the day (although that's clearly important
), but because I'm genuinely interested in learning about it. Let's face it, if you don't have a real interest in learning about the wider role of the RAF, are you going to enjoy being part of it if you do get in?Fingers crossed you get good news, Conners, and thanks for posting what you did - much appreciated!
I currently recruit potential officers for the RAF and can assure everyone here that your accent has no bearing on the selection process at OASC. However good diction, clarity and concise effective verbal responses will be continually assessed. Confidence is paramount at all stages and this is the real key to success. If you prepare well and put in the effort with research, interview techniques and physical fitness you have no reason to be anything but confident. If you didn't have potential you would not have passed your filter interview so get in there, give it your best shot and look like you are 100% committed.
Good luck!
Good luck!
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