Case studies : Flight lieutenant and training officer: Emma Wolstenholme

Emma is a personnel (training) officer in the RAF. She graduated in 2003 with a BSc in Physical Geography.

I chose this particular career because I am a people-person and enjoy helping others. I enjoy teaching, managing people and projects and I thrive on responsibility. I also enjoy the military way of life: the sports, adventurous training and personal development opportunities offered while in the RAF cannot be found anywhere in ‘civvy street’.

The job security, the medical and dental care, as well as a good pension were secondary reasons for me choosing my career as an officer in the RAF.

I applied through my local RAF careers office in Preston, who interviewed me initially. Further aptitude tests (everyone completes these, regardless of what branch you are applying for), interview, medical and leadership exercises were conducted at the Officer and Aircrew Selection Centre (OASC). 

The job required a degree, so I completed a BSc (Hons) at Manchester University. The RAF sponsored me through university and I also joined the Air Squadron, where I learnt to fly.

The interview at the Officer and Aircrew Selection Centre (OASC) consists of two main parts; the first is about you and this is your chance to shine. Before you go in, think about all the different things that you have achieved to date. Then make sure you let the interviewers know everything you have done.

The second part of the interview is more about your knowledge of the RAF, how it is set up, the different types of aircraft, your training (should you get the job!), as well as your awareness of current affairs and the ability to put your opinion and ideas across.

Once you have got the job you need to be proactive. Go and speak with people. You are there to help, guide and advise them on training and education. Service personnel lead hectic lifestyles and often forget that there is help available at their station learning centre, so it is all about engagement and then acting on the requirements.

Being a personnel (training) officer means that no two days are the same. You could be posted to the School of Physical Training, as officer commanding course design team and accreditation flight, or you could be posted to RAF Honington, working with phase one recruits, as the training and development advisor. These were my first two postings, although I had a four month out of area deployment to Al Udeid as the media operations officer in between.

Currently, I work in RAF Learning Forces, which entails ensuring that the lifelong learning of all servicemen and women is promoted and delivered, so that they can make the most of the in-service opportunities available.

Being an officer in the RAF generally means that you will move jobs (and therefore location) every two years which, to some people, could be a problem. Your desk officer will take your location posting preferences into consideration, but will also consider the needs of the service, when deciding on your next posting. However, many people like the fact that a new posting means a new challenge, with new experiences.