Annual Salary
£26,000 to £40,000
Average UK salary in 2022 was £33,200
(source Office for National Statistics)
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Royal Air Force (RAF) non-commissioned aircrew fly patrols over UK airspace and take part in NATO operations.
Average UK salary in 2022 was £33,200
(source Office for National Statistics)
You could work: evenings / weekends / bank holidays; away from home
There will be
0.2% fewer RAF non-commissioned aircrew jobs in 2027.
Depending on your specialism, you could:
You could work in a warzone or at a military base.
Your working environment may be physically and emotionally demanding.
You can get into this job through:
You could apply to join the RAF through an HM forces serviceperson intermediate apprenticeship.
You'll need to apply directly to the RAF to discuss which is the best apprenticeship route for you. This will depend on your qualifications and which service role you're interested in.
You can join the RAF Reserve to get some experience of what life is like in the air force and to learn new skills at the same time.
You'll need to:
If you're between 13 and 18 years old, you can join the Air Cadets.
You'll visit RAF bases and develop some of the key skills that the RAF will be looking for in their recruitment selection process should you go on to apply.
You can apply directly to join the RAF.
You'll need:
For some roles like weapons system operator linguist, you'll need to be fluent in at least 2 languages.
If your initial application is accepted, you'll be invited to talk to someone at your local armed forces careers office about what you want to do, and take an aptitude test.
If you successfully complete the initial stage, you'll be invited to attend further interviews and assessments, which include fitness and medical tests.
You'll need to:
You'll need to pass a physical fitness assessment to be accepted into the RAF. RAF fitness[has information on how to assess your current fitness and how to improve to the required level if you need to. | ]
You'll find more details about working in the RAF through RAF Careers.
With experience and further training, you could progress to flight sergeant, then to master aircrew. You could also apply to become a commissioned RAF officer.
You could go into a wide range of careers once you leave the RAF, depending on your skills, training and qualifications.
The Career Transition Partnership, Quest and Troops to Teachers have more information on careers outside the armed forces.
You'll need: