This discussion is now closed.

Check out other Related discussions

Officer Vs Airman- Advantages and Disadvantages

Hi, Iv been interested in joining the forces for a couple of years now particularly the RAF, however I cannot make up my mind as to whether i should join as an officer or an airman. I am fairly clever and achieve good grades at school and really have the potential to go to uni if I want and do a job which requires lots of qualifications. However jobs such as RAF Regiment gunners also appeal to me which require no qualifications. I'm just worried that I would be wasting my potential.

Please share your thoughts and experiences on what the main differences are between airman and officer in a working environment.

Reply 1

threeportdrift

Careers Forum Helper

20

They are completely different. Airman = skilled, shop floor worker. Officer = Manager. There aren't really advantages and disadvantages, they are pretty completely different lifestyles and careers. There are limited opportunities to move from Airman to Officer, but it isn't a sensible 'plan' because it depends on what the RAF wants, not what you want.

In principle, as the Armed Forces are pretty much based on a philosophy of striving to achieve, doing your best, maximum effort etc, you should try to go for the highest entry point possible - but that isn't always where people are happiest, or end up. You may well be wasting your potential if you aim below the standard you can achieve, so keep researching and be honest with yourself about your talents and your ambitions.

Reply 2

AC Bloggs

2

If you're the sort of person that'd be happy as a gunner or armourer you're not going to enjoy being an admin officer I'd reckon. You need to look at whether you want to be the hands on bloke getting jobs done or the manager sorting out the paperwork and telling other people what needs doing. Or aircrew since they don't really conform to either of those two categories...

Of course your role will change with promotion whether you start at AC or Officer cadet, a Sgt (sometimes Cpl depending on where you work) has a much more supervisory role than an SAC, but end of the day it's a question which would probably take up pages of text to answer properly. Unless you're the sort of person who's just interested in pay/position then I'd say look at the actual job you want to do rather than the rank you're going in at.

Reply 3

MrHowlett

OP

I have researched most of the careers available in the RAF and feel deep down that I would much rather enter as a Airman/Soldier because I want to actually be out there getting involved with all my mates however the officer roles are slightly appealing due to the pay/privileges and power of being a manager and also as an officer I would not be regarded as stupid. (not saying that airman are stupid but generally speaking somebody who becomes and airman is going to be less intelligent than an officer)

AC Bloggs, are you in the RAF? and if so what do you do?

Reply 4

GR29KHS

2

MrHowlett

as an officer I would not be regarded as stupid. (not saying that airman are stupid but generally speaking somebody who becomes and airman is going to be less intelligent than an officer)

Have you had any experience with the RAF? If so I think you will have found that this is not the case. You need intelligence to get into the RAF be it as a lawyer or an air traffic control assistant. I can't say I've ever met a 'stupid' airman. I'm sure there are airmen out there with enough brains to have become an RAF doctor but they chose to be a regiment gunner because that's what they were passionate about.

I know you said 'generally speaking'; but if you say this if you ever get into the RAF you'll be taken down a peg or two (or hundred).

I'm being restrained here :wink:

Reply 5

Captain Biggles

2

OP, can you lead people? Can you make an informed decision on something, taking into account all the possible points of view? Will you stick by your decision, having taken everything into account?

Reply 6

J.Ferdi

3

OP, What do you want to do, I think you should apply to become an officer and if you get to Cranwell then you may change your mind, you are always entitled to decline or resign an commission if you decide that its not for you.

Reply 7

username202122

14

Pay - Airmens are on far less than officers. I couldnt personally sign up for X amount of years knowing I'll be on £16k a year when I can do that on civie street and know I have the option of leaving eventlessly.

Reply 8

MrHowlett

OP

GR29KHS

Have you had any experience with the RAF? If so I think you will have found that this is not the case. You need intelligence to get into the RAF be it as a lawyer or an air traffic control assistant. I can't say I've ever met a 'stupid' airman. I'm sure there are airmen out there with enough brains to have become an RAF doctor but they chose to be a regiment gunner because that's what they were passionate about.

I know you said 'generally speaking'; but if you say this if you ever get into the RAF you'll be taken down a peg or two (or hundred).

I'm being restrained here :wink:

Yes I have had limited experience with the RAF doing various work experience placements and due to the fact that my dad was in. I am not saying that I think airman are stupid, in fact far from it i am just saying that an RAF Regiment Gunner for example would be stereotyped as being stupid regardless of If they are or not, I am saying that I am a pretty intelligent person but will becoming an airman which has low entry requirements have me looked down upon compared to me becoming an officer?

Reply 9

MrHowlett

OP

J.Ferdi

OP, What do you want to do, I think you should apply to become an officer and if you get to Cranwell then you may change your mind, you are always entitled to decline or resign an commission if you decide that its not for you.

I have been thinking about this carefully however i cannot swim so I believe that this will limit my choices of branch. As an officer my 2 choices would be Pilot and Regiment :s-smilie:

Reply 10

Captain Biggles

2

MrHowlett

will becoming an airman which has low entry requirements have me looked down upon compared to me becoming an officer?

Not by the recruitment staff whose opinion actually count for something.

Reply 11

GR29KHS

2

you need to stop saying the word stupid!!!!

I wouldn't look down on you. I went for a commission but considered airman too. I wasn't sure if being more focused on a job would suit me better than being a leader/manager. That's why I chose air traffic in the end - because there's an element of both.

As for people looking down on you for not chosing officer, that depends entirely on you and the people around you. I know I never looked down on anyone for it.

Reply 12

MrHowlett

OP

I am thinking of becoming a pilot so therefore I will not have the officer/airman dispute however apart from regiment these are the only two officer roles which I think would suit me, partly because these roles are probably 2 of the most active where I would actually be out there doing something and not just in an office doing managerial tasks.

Reply 13

MrHowlett

OP

GR29KHS

you need to stop saying the word stupid!!!!

I wouldn't look down on you. I went for a commission but considered airman too. I wasn't sure if being more focused on a job would suit me better than being a leader/manager. That's why I chose air traffic in the end - because there's an element of both.

As for people looking down on you for not chosing officer, that depends entirely on you and the people around you. I know I never looked down on anyone for it.

lol I will stop saying the word stupid then, thanks for your contributions, you have helped me make up my mind that I will probably join up as an airman to begin with and if an opportunity in the future comes my way to gain a commision then I will pursue it.

Reply 14

El Doctoré de Mystéro

2

MrHowlett

I am thinking of becoming a pilot so therefore I will not have the officer/airman dispute however apart from regiment these are the only two officer roles which I think would suit me, partly because these roles are probably 2 of the most active where I would actually be out there doing something and not just in an office doing managerial tasks.

As a regiment officer you will be out on the field getting down and dirty. However you also need to be a very strong leader. I have met a few reg officers and I know I couldn't do what they do, and neither could most of the people I've met.

Reply 15

MrHowlett

OP

i know this and it is this which attracts me to the job.

Reply 16

PasserBy9

11

I love selective hearing.

Just one final question; if you were passionate about the job/role that you were applying for, why would it matter about other people's opinions?

Reply 17

ProStacker

11

El Doctoré de Mystéro

As a regiment officer you will be out on the field getting down and dirty. However you also need to be a very strong leader. I have met a few reg officers and I know I couldn't do what they do, and neither could most of the people I've met.

You'll also be in an office doing admin. You could be the Ops Officer, sitting in the Ops Room when the lads are out on the ground. You'll also have all the annual reports to write on the lads, charges to hear, and the myriad of jobs passed down from above. Don't fool yourelf that there is no admin role here - we're all busy as flight commanders too.

Reply 18

AC Bloggs

2

MrHowlett

AC Bloggs, are you in the RAF? and if so what do you do?

Yep, Weapons Tech. (or armourer/plumber/bomb-head take your pick).

GeorgEGNT

Pay - Airmens are on far less than officers. I couldnt personally sign up for X amount of years knowing I'll be on £16k a year when I can do that on civie street and know I have the option of leaving eventlessly.

Where the heck do you get your information? You might be on ~16k for a while when you're starting out (less in training admittedly and it all depends on trade group) but pay goes up pretty quickly within the first year or so with LAC, SAC and SAC (T) for techies. Take in to account the fact you're paying about £30/month for accommodation, about £100/month for all your food, no council tax and all kinds of other little bits and pieces and your average SAC has quite a bit more expendable income than someone earning substantially more than him on civvie street.

Put it this way, an SAC (T) nearing the end of his initial 9 years will be earning a good bit over 25k, with all the bonuses of the cheap food/rent. Go out on a Saturday night to any decent bar near a big RAF station and you'll instantly be able to tell the locals from the military as they're standing in a corner sharing a pint between 10 men while the lads from the base are having a great laugh splashing money around like no one's business.

Reply 19

Ruhr_Phantom

1

Surely it depends on what you are interested in, there has been the same debate on here about engineering. If you want to be the one doing the physical engineering, working on the aircraft day in and day out, then become an airman/woman, if you want to be managing the projects, equipment and staff, be an officer. However that still does not mean, they don't get their hands dirty from time to time. There have been people on here that have chosen airman route, who have engineering degrees for this very reason.

Officer Vs Airman- Advantages and Disadvantages

Related discussions

Articles for you