Considering to join RAF

[Yousuf]

As a British Pakistani Muslim born and raised in East London all my life I get enough prejudice as it is. Was going to join the army but changed my mind after a friend suffered enough racial abuse within his regiment, so much for 'No torence when it comes to racism' I find the racism quite funny in a non comical way, if it was front line and some 'dirty pa**' saved his ass maybe he would stop caring about colour and just see someone that is British.
I have been referred to apply for the RAF instead as they apparently do not tolerate that sort of behaviour. As a member of the Muslim community I would like do my part in the Royal Air Force but I am a bit apprehensive at the moment. Any advice would be greatly appreciated DT_Xtremez_26:

 

[briggfairy]

hi yosuf,

from what i've seen in the airforce theres very little actual racism around (bearing in mind i am a white cofe so prob wouldn't be subjected to too much anyway) what does however happen is a lot of banter constantly flying around which the average person on the street could be offended by, but is in the whole pretty much benign.

most people in the airforce do tend to develop thick skins rather quickly and normally give back at least as good as they get. most people also appreciate the input of everyone in the mob no matter what colour creed sex or persuasion (even armourer).

obviously you get idiots in any walk of life but at least with the airforce your more likely to get a bit of help if any of these knobheads do step over the line.

thats just my point of view anyway i'm sure other goaters might have had other experiences either good or bad

 

[vim_fuego]

Welcome to the Goat Yousuf!

The RAF runs a strict regime of zero tolerance to racism...OK what does that mean? It means that we educate everyone from initial training then throughout their careers till the day they leave on all aspects of race, sexuality and beliefs...It also means that if we discover somebody who decides to ignore this training and use those 3 headings as a basis to bully or make uncomfortable another member of society they will be looked at in a very dim light and dealt with accordingly...I've done 25 years in various guises and I've never seen a single case of racism as yet within my environment...

Be careful not to mix banter with racism...Banter keeps the military world turning...I don't know how we would get through some of the situations we find ourselves in if it wasn't for our unique sense of humour and banter...There is a line drawn in the sand for this and sometimes a person may not get it quite right but then its up to all of us to deal with it in an adult manner...Everyone gets bantered at some point whether you are Welsh, short, ginger or whatever and done with a bit of maturity and judgement it makes the day fly by!

In the end you've just got to give life with us a go and see for yourself...

 

[Digzster]

Greetings Yousuf,

Much as it pains me to say it (considering his sense of humour) Vim has summed it up in a nutshell.

Banter is what keeps us all going, but that is not to be confused with anything else. If you really want to join, get that application in. You will find it a big difference from civvie street however I have absolutely no regrets for my time "in".

Do some research (the goaters will no doubt assist with posts) and make your decision. Good Luck.

 

[sausage2]

Just to re affirm what others have said. In 20 odd years I've worked with people of all different ethnic origins, and have never seen any form of racial bullying. I do know that if it ever happened where I work, the bully would be in a whole world of trouble.

 

[busby1971]

How do

How do

Banter is rife throughout the RAF but racism doesn't get a look in these days.

Most of the people in the RAF are pretty sensible (most of the time) and wouldn't dream of using racist remarks as a joke.

Respect is drilled into people from the off and if you did suffer any negative attitudes you will find as much support as you need to sort it out.

Good Luck

 

[Soon To Leave]

Yousuf

In the RAF we all work to a team ethic with a core set of values that include a prime directive of treating everyone decently and with respect in order to get the best out of them. Working alongside industry, I can assure you there is less prejudice in the RAF than any civilian environment.

If you suffer any negative experiences, please feel free to ask us goaters for advice. I'm sure there will be no shortage of help.

Best of luck with your application.DT_Xtremez_14:

 

[Yousuf]

Thanks for all the feedback, It's not really bullying that im worried about more the fact that I have to control myself if someone ever decided to racially abuse me, I wouldn't like to get kicked out before i even settled in. Im pretty aware theres alot of banter but thats a good thing, your right when saying theres a fine line between banter and insults, guess I'll have to find the right balance. Has anyone got tips for me as I am trying to up my fitness levels before I apply, is there a set number of pressups/pullups/situps I have to achieve? DT_Xtremez_32:

 

[vim_fuego]

Thanks for all the feedback, It's not really bullying that im worried about more the fact that I have to control myself if someone ever decided to racially abuse me, I wouldn't like to get kicked out before i even settled in. Im pretty aware theres alot of banter but thats a good thing, your right when saying theres a fine line between banter and insults, guess I'll have to find the right balance. Has anyone got tips for me as I am trying to up my fitness levels before I apply, is there a set number of pressups/pullups/situps I have to achieve? DT_Xtremez_32:

Have a good old ratch around in the recruitment forum that your thread now sits...use the search button on the blue toolbar near the top of the page and see what answers to this question have already been offered!

 

[MontyPlumbs]

Thanks for all the feedback, It's not really bullying that im worried about more the fact that I have to control myself if someone ever decided to racially abuse me, I wouldn't like to get kicked out before i even settled in. Im pretty aware theres alot of banter but thats a good thing, your right when saying theres a fine line between banter and insults, guess I'll have to find the right balance. Has anyone got tips for me as I am trying to up my fitness levels before I apply, is there a set number of pressups/pullups/situps I have to achieve? DT_Xtremez_32:

Trust me mate, in any half decent section, anyone who dared to do such things would be quickly sorted out, by the lads most probably.

At least that's the case in my experience. I never saw any sort of racial prejudice in the RAF, at the end of the day we don't care what colour, gender or sexuality you are it's your ability to do the job that counts.

 

[Warwick Hunt]

Mate,

First of all, welcome to the Goat and (hopefully) welcome to the Royal Air Force. WRT your fitness questions, have you tried the RAF website? There's a decent fitness guide on there that will get you started and take you up to the standard required for entry into service. For the Pre-Joining Fitness Test (PJFT), you're looking at around 1.5 miles in 12 minutes. Crack that and you won't go far wrong. The Pre-Recruit Training Course (PRTC) will have a fitness test on it and the bar will be raised several levels above PJFT so it will be up to you to train to a high standard throughout the recruiting process.

Good luck fella and please keep the Goat informed as to your progress.

 

[Yousuf]

Cheers for the quick replies and advice! Going to work hard now DT_Xtremez_14:

 

[Inch High DI]

Cheers for the quick replies and advice! Going to work hard now DT_Xtremez_14:

Search the PRTC threads for Fitness standards, you will find all the info you require regarding joining RAF and fitness standards.