Parents
Are your children or students interested in a career in the RAF? Have you any questions about what this kind of career involves? Then you’re in the right place.
In this section, we answer the questions parents and teachers most frequently ask about Altitude and life in the RAF.
Q. What is Altitude?
For teenagers who are interested in the RAF, and who are still in education, Altitude is the place to come on the net. We give our members all the information they need to know about life in the RAF, help them decide if a RAF career is right for them – and show them the roles that might suit them best.
They can get their first look at the state-of-the-art aircraft and technology the RAF use and the key role they play today – from defending UK airspace to Search & Rescue operations.
Altitude members can take the personality quiz helping them get an idea of which RAF careers might suit them and the steps they can take to succeed in the RAF.
In our Sports & Fitness section, we help our members recognise the importance of a healthy body, and provide them with tips for getting fit and suggestions for sports they might enjoy.
This year’s Altitude events
Finally, there’s an events locator onsite that tells members where all the upcoming RAF events are happening. Take a look and see where your children or students might be going this year.
Of course, there’s more to Altitude than just the website. As soon as someone signs up, we’ll send them an Altitude welcome pack, which contains lots of useful information about Altitude and the RAF, plus cool free gifts.
And rest assured, Altitude is dedicated to protecting the personal information of its members. So we comply fully with the Data Protection Act of 1998 and make sure we don’t pass on any information to third parties.
Q. What does an RAF career offer?
Maintaining nationwide computer networks. Flying Search & Rescue helicopters. Establishing and defending bases in disputed territory. There are over 50 different careers available in the RAF – each one with its own opportunities for excitement, adventure and self-improvement.
From ICT Specialists to Medics to Regiment Gunners, everyone in the RAF has excellent chances for promotion, training and travel. Pay is competitive and benefits include six weeks’ paid holiday, subsidised food and accommodation, and free medical and dental care. RAF recruits get paid while they train, and continue to learn and progress throughout their careers, with ongoing mentoring from senior staff.
RAF Careers
The RAF is also an excellent career option for people with a passion for sport and adventure. Personnel enjoy fantastic facilities across a wide range of sports, from more popular sports like football and rugby to adventure training in activities like rock climbing, scuba diving and parachuting (of course!)
Because there’s such a massive range of careers on offer in the RAF, we suggest you visit the official careers site to get a more detailed insight into particular roles.
Q. How can my son/daughter get involved with the RAF before they join?
The RAF offers a wide range of ways for young people to get involved before they decide whether the RAF is right for them.
For younger teenagers, the Air Cadets (or Air Training Corps) is an excellent introduction to the force – giving them the chance to find out about and experience different aspects of RAF life. Of course, Altitude is a great resource for RAF info as well!
Welbeck College
For slightly older teenagers interested in a career in Engineering, Welbeck Defence Sixth Form College gives 30 students each year the chance to enjoy an outstanding education while living on an RAF supported base. Take a look for yourself.
And for students studying for a degree, the University Air Squadron is an unparalleled opportunity for young men and women to train to fly, go on expeditions around the world and enjoy great social and sporting events.
RAF Sponsorship
For those who are certain about wanting a future in the RAF by the time they come to study A-levels or degrees, there’s RAF Sponsorship. Students can get up to £1,000 during sixth form and up to £6,000 each year at university.
Q. How do I stay in touch with my son/daughter while they’re serving?
The RAF are at the forefront of modern technology – so keeping in touch with RAF personnel is not much different from keeping in touch with anyone else you know.
RAF personnel also get a generous amount of holiday (usually around 30 paid days a year), so they’ll have plenty of opportunity to visit home. Younger personnel even get four trips a year paid for them!
When your child is based at a UK station, you’ll be able to reach them on their mobiles in the evenings and weekends (except during some specific training exercises), or they can call you from a station payphone, or post letters using a station mailbox. If they have a PC, they can hook it up to the internet in their room – so you can stay in touch via email, or even use software like Skype to chat online (they could even use a webcam!).
When serving abroad, you’re child will get an Operational Welfare Package, with magazines, books, CDs and DVDs from the UK, plus a phone card with 30 minutes of calls a week. They can use this with the base phone, and can buy more credit if they need it.
Most overseas bases also have access to PCs (at internet cafes like the one at the Falklands base, where there are 25 PCs complete with webcams), and most also have Wi-Fi, so if your son or daughter has a laptop, they can bring it along and talk to you using Skype.
Stations abroad also have a mail service, which they can use to send letters and parcels back home to the UK. Personnel are charged First Class rates rather than International rates too. The Royal Mail even operates a free delivery service to personnel stationed in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Q. What’s the standard of living like in the RAF?
The standard of living in the RAF is of the highest possible quality from day one onwards.
In the first few weeks of basic training, recruits live in a shared room, getting to know one another and forming strong working relationships. Their food is provided and their bedding washed, but they are expected to look after their clothes and equipment, and to keep the living area tidy.
Once trained, recruits have a choice of living on base, commuting from home or renting nearby. Living on base is subsidised – along with excellent food, and great sports and leisure facilities. Rent and food is deducted from pay, so keeping track of money is easy.
The food on base is great quality and great value. Three meals a day costs just £25 a week. The range on offer is huge too, and caters to all dietary, religious and vegetarian needs. And that goes for ration packs too!
Everyone on base enjoys a thriving social life, whether they’re getting together with mates for barbecues and drinks, or playing football for one of the bases’ teams. Most bases are located near towns or cities, too, so there’s never a shortage of things to do.
And it’s no different when RAF staff are stationed abroad. Whether they’re posted in the US or Afghanistan – the standard of living remains as high as possible and there’s always activities to get involved in.
Overseas RAF bases, like RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus, are kitted out with shops and restaurants, and Akrotiri even has a cinema, beach bar and 10-pin bowling alley. The accommodation in Cyprus is excellent too, and includes a choice between traditional 1950s wooden bungalows and modern, Mediterranean-style villas.
For a closer look at RAF accommodation, visit our dedicated accommodation page
