Air Engineering Officer or Air Engineering Technician?

Hi there, yet another "I am about to join" thread.

I have just started the application process and I was wondering what my chances of getting in as an AEO are? I have an accredited BEng in Mechanical Engineering (but not an honours; I was at a small uni and there were not enough of us to do an honours year) and I also had to repeat a year due to breaking both of my arms and missing an entire term.

I have a friend who applied to the RAF as an Engineering Officer, he has a 2:1 MEng and is much more of a leader than I am and he was knocked back and told to try again the next year, which makes me think that my chances for getting in as an AEO aren't too good.

Another thing that I was thinking of doing is joining as an AET and once I have finished the training I would do a Masters through the Open Uni, and apply to be an Officer after that.

I have also played team sports my entire life and I have also been an elected representative for class and teammates on several occasions, I also interview quite well, I also have an Uncle who is a Microbioligist in Stonemouth/Gibraltar/Basra (I am not sure where he is stationed at the mo).

Any advice would be greatly appreciated, I did have a look at some of the other threads for AET/AEO but they didn't quite answer my questions.

Have a happy new year.

 

Chances are the recruiting office will steer you down the AEO route. You might as well give it a go - leadership potential etc (potential, not necessarily ability) is tested at a 2-day interview (the Admiralty Interview Board) so if you have what they're looking for then you could join as an AEO.

The jobs are different though - as an officer you will have more of a management role as opposed to hands-on.

Both are very good careers. There is, by the way, a Potential Engineering Officers' Acquaint visit that lets you see what's invovled with the various engineering roles. Ask your ACLO.

 

With a BEng apply to become an AEO. Your friend whom you describe as a better leader than you may of course not be.
Joining as an AET is really a waste of your degree, you may find the courses easy and not academically challenging. You seem to enjoy team sports and possibly have some negotiating skills learned from your time as a sports representative.
From my previous postings most RR members know that I prefer officers to come from the lower deck. In the case of officers with degrees this is probably a waste of both the RNs time and the officers time.

I wish you the best of luck whichever way you you decide to go.

 

Forget AET - get straight down to the Director Of Naval Recruiting (DNR) and sell yourself as a future AEO. Ask to be considered as a Potential Officer and funding will be available to give you aquaintance courses at no cost to you - it will give you a flavour of the service, in a service environment with no commitment. If you want further information, pm me

 

Have you thought about credit transfer to the OU and getting an Hons degree. Just doing mine as an CPOAET w*nkers always wanted to be an AEA through my career anyway some t*sser consultant would have got £1000`s for getting rid of artificers

Look if you could not be bother to find out what a Tiff was then you where not clever enough to join as one.

Yes I can Read and Write, not single traded

 

There appears to heve been a great many mistakes made since I left in 1985.
What was wrong with the old system. Tiffies were the bright young ex grammar school kids (normally) Mechanicians were the best and brightest of the mechanics (normally spotted during technical courses) and mechanics were well less qualified than the tiff or mechanician. All three specialisations had chances to advance as far as warrant officer. Many times all three carried out the same everyday maintenance tasks on a squadron. When it came to engineering Tiffs were the fitters & turners and Mechanicians the sheet metal work specialists.
A tried and trusted system
Then some bright spark decided that Tiffs and Mechanicians should combine and all become Tiffs.
Now out go the Tiffs and in comes the AET.
Please I left when I did

 

As I left without knowing about AET does one still spit on the floor at the mere mention of AET?

 

as a mummy to lots of aets down sarf we still have the tiffy route - its now called FAST TRACKING. lads will be picked up at phase 2B training, sent to the field for about 18 months brought back for LAET back to the field for another 18 months and then back on POAET course which whilst 18 months at present is being dropped to 6 months as we revise the syllabus. whilst this is not as quick as the old tiffy it is still bloody fast

 

6th months tiffy training, for a foundation degree, some clever cr*p coming out the training system then, why are we training people to leave rather than for what we want them to do, bonkers if you ask me.

 

not quite like that - the course has been reduced to incorporate distance learning or learning at source. drafty cant have 60-70 full sup LHs out of the fleet for 18 months so why not do it at the TAS.

still the same course just civvy taught rather than service taught. does that mean we can sack a few more chiefs -

please sir pick me -

£60000 payout mmmmmmmmmmmnn!!!!!

quiet appreciated civvy job - oh my what a lovely year this could be

 

Read the last Galaxy brief, natural wastage only and little or no 2OE.
shag slacker

 

i know - have read it but cant we dream a bit -
2OE to everyone who wants it fore the last few years and now nothing, seems like the normal way - stop, start stop "oh shite" start again

 

.1

 

Hello, I have my RT tests soon and i am hopefully trying to be an AET, however my GCSE's are not that good, well this effect me getting in? please reply. thanks

 

It was broken (apparently). In simple terms, the predictions showed that pusser could not generate the numbers of tiffs required to run the mob of the future. Hardly surprising when they join, get trained nicely, promoted to Chief after a dog watch, then get bored and leave.
ET was a mix of tiff, mech, stoker attributes, I guess. If fast tracking works (i.e. HODs don't hold on to their best and brightest "to give them enough experience") then it could be a reasonable system. Problems seems to be that you need to employ an awful lot of JRs to grow your SRs (and many of your ossifers, those who come via the UY/SUY).