ADF Gap Year (5 Viewers)

[toadie]

Would any one know, when they stop calling people in for Y.O.U sessions? I think it's the 3rd of september the applications stop, tho when do we know if theres no chance to get a Y.O.U session, is it the 15th?

 

[serevei]

Hi all... first post..
basically had YOU session in july for the "Surveillance Aircraft Operator"
but had a heap of medical issues... but now have finally got through...
just wondering how/when we should find out our assessment day...
thanks guys

 

[TheStallion]

The case mangers always forget to call you, so you should make sure that you're on top of everything, and have everything organised yourself. Case managers handle 800+ candidates each, so you can't blame them for forgetting some stuff.

 

[NikkiM]

Hey
Would anyone know if there would be restrictions for becoming an officer via direct entry opposed to going to ADFA to become an officer, obviously you would come out with a degree but I was just wondering if there would be limitations if you went via direct entry?

 

[NikkiM]

Oh yeh, certainly some officer jobs would requrie degrees. I'm looking at logistics officer. Limitations as in not being able to progress up the ranks etc or restrictions in your job, like not being allowed to do certain things?

 

[TheStallion]

Some jobs such as pilot take only a few people who are DEO, and many more who are ADFA-qualified. Lets face it - they like it when you have a degree. Basically every fighter pilot is ADFA-qualified, since only about 2 fighter pilots are taken a year - the rest are shoved onto transport.

Also, with a degree you also get paid more.

EDIT: So basically, having a degree will make it easier for you to get into the job you want, but it is by no means impossible without one.

 

[NikkiM]

Ok cool thanks. I'm trying to figure out if I want to go to ADFA or direct entry lol after the gap year.. if I get in anyway.

 

[NikkiM]

haha sounds good. I went to the ADFA open day yesterday. It looks like it would be fun and exciting.

 

[TheStallion]

sure about the pay scales?

Yep. I'll use RAAF pilot as an example.
Pay & Allowances | Pilot | Defence Jobs

Quoted from the link above:

Pay & Allowances

Officer

You will be appointed as an Officer Cadet (OFFCDT) and receive the following salary (excluding allowances) while undertaking Military (Initial Officer) Training and Employment Training:
Degree Qualified: $39,137 per year ($1,501 per fortnight).*
Non-degree Qualified: $34,533 per year ($1,324 per fortnight).*

 

[NikkiM]

Thats only throughout training though, on completion you are paid the same.

 

[TheStallion]

Hmm, that makes sense actually - thanks a lot.

 

[serevei]

yeh im definitely gonna call them straight up tomorrow...

 

[Tim_107]

Also, with a degree you also get paid more.

.

Thats true,

but if u think about it, in the short term after your uni (if u dont go thru ADFA) your going to have a big HECS debt, for me its about just under 8000 a year, so your going to use that extra money to pay off ur hecs for the first few years, so not having a degree has its advantages (if u wanna be a soldier or commando, i think they dont require a degree.)
If all Officer jobs required a degree (like england) then you'd have no choice, but here in ADF you dont need a degree to be an officer, but they'd prefer if u did, i think coz they cant be too picky with who they take in, seeing as tho the size of the ADF is the same size as the US Army. But in the long term u'd get payed more, just after u've paid off ur HECS debt if you didn't go to ADFA, I decided against going to ADFA just due to the ROSO, but it seems like fun and i'll consider the undergrad sponsorship after i've done my GY (fingers crossed)

but congrats on getting in Pilot Selection, i'm gonna try for that after Uni.

 

[TheStallion]

Agreed with everything you've said Tim. The ROSO (also IMPS) is huge, but at the same time, I seriously can't see myself disliking the role as a pilot, so 13.5 years is nothing major for me. If I was accepted as an ATCO instead of a Pilot, then i'd tell ADFA to piss off, since ATCO for 7 years is just gay.

but congrats on getting in Pilot Selection, i'm gonna try for that after Uni.

Thanks. If you need any help/want to know more about the testing process, let me know, i've helped a bunch of people privately with their FSP and OSB's before.

 

[bollo]

I just finished the second stage of the application (the online test). I wasn't happy with how it went though, I only completed up to question 40

How would this affect my application in the short listing process? was anyone else unable to complete the test in the time limit? I really want to get into the gap year program!

 

[TheStallion]

imps isn't that bad....9 year (including degree) if you do a 4 year course....

It doesn't depend on the degree, it depends on the job that you go into. For example, I could do a B.Arts at ADFA if I get a shit ATAR and still become a pilot, but someone else could also an a B.Arts and still become an ATCO. ATCO = 7 years IMPS, Pilot = 13.5. Big difference, same degree, different job.

 

[Tim_107]

Agreed with everything you've said Tim. The ROSO (also IMPS) is huge, but at the same time, I seriously can't see myself disliking the role as a pilot, so 13.5 years is nothing major for me. If I was accepted as an ATCO instead of a Pilot, then i'd tell ADFA to piss off, since ATCO for 7 years is just gay.



Thanks. If you need any help/want to know more about the testing process, let me know, i've helped a bunch of people privately with their FSP and OSB's before.

Yeh, definately, i didn't want to head straight into the RAAF out of school (i took alot of advice from pilots and others) and personally decided to do a degree as something to fall back on and i wasn't ready to commit for 10 yrs at 16 yrs of age, but theres always that chance that i will fail the medical due to worsening eye sight in say 4-5 yrs when i apply for pilot selection. However i dont mind being an officer in the Army or a navy sea diver or commandos so if i miss out of pilot selection i've got some options and if i dont suit that i can always fall back on my degree. Its a long way of doing it, but uni is awesome if u can go, do it, the best lifestyle and alot of opportunities (for exchange ect) however life in the ADF would be awesome as well, so i'm taking a yr off so i can be involved in ADF through out my degree (hoping to join res when i get back from gap year)

Stallion, part of me is very jealous that u have been selected, but i'm sure u'll do well as a pilot, but i've done research on the whole selection, read some books about it and obviously the pilot selection is different to officer selection (which is what i'm going thru now) but i know they test u on ur coordination with like 4 controls (2 hands, 2 feet) and u have to keep a dot in a circle kinda thing, is there anyway u can prepare for that? and have u been to the OSB and Tamworth? or is that later and what r u studying at ADFA aviation?

Bollo, that testing is so hard to predict, i only got in the 40's and i got a YOU session, still waiting on my Assessment day, i'm sure u got in, altho dont quote me on that

 

[TheStallion]

but i know they test u on ur coordination with like 4 controls (2 hands, 2 feet) and u have to keep a dot in a circle kinda thing, is there anyway u can prepare for that?

It's two joysticks, no feet pedals. Basically, left joystick moves the circle up and down, right joystick moves it left and right. It just tests your co-ordination, how well you can keep a 'missile lock', keeping the circle over the target, keeping it in the middle of a shape which rotates, etc etc. How can you prepare for it? Personally - I didn't. The only way I can think of preparing for it is to play a video game or something.

Anyway, the whole testing procedure and lineup works like this:

YOU Session -> Specialist Testing - > Assessment Day - > Tamworth FSP -> OSB -> Letter of acceptance/rejection.

The hand-eye co-ordination stuff comes in at the specialist testing section. It's really just 4 hours of maths and problem solving papers, vocabulary, aviation reasoning, gauge reading and spatial orientation tests, along with the hand-eye stuff.

what r u studying at ADFA aviation?

It depends on my ATAR. If I get 80, i'll go B.Tech(Avn), if I get over 85, Aeronautical Engineering, and if I get less than 80, then B.Sc or B.Arts.

 

[Tim_107]

It's two joysticks, no feet pedals. Basically, left joystick moves the circle up and down, right joystick moves it left and right. It just tests your co-ordination, how well you can keep a 'missile lock', keeping the circle over the target, keeping it in the middle of a shape which rotates, etc etc. How can you prepare for it? Personally - I didn't. The only way I can think of preparing for it is to play a video game or something.

Anyway, the whole testing procedure and lineup works like this:

YOU Session -> Specialist Testing - > Assessment Day - > Tamworth FSP -> OSB -> Letter of acceptance/rejection.

The hand-eye co-ordination stuff comes in at the specialist testing section. It's really just 4 hours of maths and problem solving papers, vocabulary, aviation reasoning, gauge reading and spatial orientation tests, along with the hand-eye stuff.



It depends on my ATAR. If I get 80, i'll go B.Tech(Avn), if I get over 85, Aeronautical Engineering, and if I get less than 80, then B.Sc or B.Arts.

Ah you must still be at school, i wanted to study Aeronautical, but they dont offer it here in WA, so i decided to do civil, but if u can do aeronautical it looks good, but for some reason they gave us a list of all the job numbers of graduate engineers and aeronautical was the lowest, so dont expect the same number of job offers once u leave the RAAF (u probablly wont need it, seeing as tho ur a pilot) as say a mech student (civil was the highest, mech, enviro)

But that is interesting the recruitment process, seems to be even longer, how long does the FSP and OSB take? how long could u keep the missle lock on? haha.

That hand eye stuff would be the momst concerning, seeing as tho u cant really prepare for it. But maths and all the other stuff should be alright, basically all i do at uni.

 

[TheStallion]

But that is interesting the recruitment process, seems to be even longer, how long does the FSP and OSB take? how long could u keep the missle lock on? haha.

FSP is 13 days in Tamworth - 12 days flying, the last day is the OSB.

As for keeping the missile lock - no more than about 1-2 seconds. It's really hard, since the control sensitivity changes, from extremely non-sensitive, so you push the joystick really hard to make it move a bit, then it suddenly changes to super sensitive and the circle flies across the screen.

I think it also measures the average distance from the thing you need to lock on to, and there's probably a minimum requirement for that, since not many people can hold the missile lock for very long.