Inquiry #6

AirForce Pilot

Skills and qualifications

Hello, My Name is Te Arai and today I will be talking about my chosen career I would like to do after I leave school, what is that career? Well I decided that being an Air force Pilot would be good for me for future skills, health benefits and keys to a high financial career.

So let me tell you more about what being an Airforce pilot requires. Firstly the certain skills and qualifications that are required to join the airforce in the first place, NCEA level 2 and minimum 18 credits in English, Mathematics and general science are the default qualifications needed to be accepted by the recruiting organisation. So that is the default qualifications needed, but that's not that much right? Well the recruiting program has said that the main skills they look for are leadership, management and budgeting skills. knowledge of Air Force regulations, tactics and protocol, including health and safety, ethics, conduct knowledge of drills and parade requirements, knowledge of how to operate and maintain weapons and radio equipment.

What do you get out of time in the AirForce?

In My case, once I have served the required time for an Air force Pilot e.g. 10 years after graduating, I hope to have gained the qualifications needed to become an airline pilot and an airline pilot’s salary ranges from 150-300,000! I’ll just say the type of planes and how much you can get from flying them. Pilots who fly turboprop / propeller planes on domestic routes earn between $50,000 and $150,000 a year. Pilots who fly jet planes on domestic or international routes earn between $80,000 and $190,000 or more and international jet pilot captains can earn up to $300,000. So that’s one of the things I want to get out of the air force, I also hope to gain a lot of new friends and travel experience through traveling with the Air Force.

What are the Pros and Cons of being an AirForce Pilot?

Firstly the pros and what are they? Pros for me would be being physically fit because it's a requirement to join the air force in the first place, And you get to travel the world once you have graduated the air force academy. Here is a fact, the longer you are in the air force the more time you can improve your rank which increases your salary and it can go up to 200,000 a year! My expert also said for her that the biggest pro was finding lifelong friends in the navy and she hopes to have those people around her for the rest of her life.Now the cons, Since there are up to 8 fitness tests, you have to endure the pain of those fitness tests and that can be very mentally challenging. And if you make it in your salary starts very small e.g. 57-60,000 but you can improve that, and if you end up going overseas or on peacekeeping missions you might be away from your family for an extended amount of time.

How much does a successful AirForce Pilot make yearly?

Careers in the Air Force are well-rewarded, as well as being diverse and exciting. As you become more experienced and move up through the ranks, gaining additional skills and qualifications, you will see your salary rise as so. When you first start your training( recruit ) you earn around 42,377, and when you graduate/ pass the tests, you earn 57-60 thousand yearly. From that point on, you would have already spent 3 years in the air force and only just finished your training. The air force expects you to stay for a total of 10 years to learn and experience as much as possible and get a higher pay. Because after your first salary, the only way to increase your pay is to gain a higher rank, the higher the rank the more you make. E.g. you could make up to 200,000 depending on your rank like I said before.

Travel & Benefits

One of the many benefits of being in the air force is having access to accommodation wherever you are. Most of the time, you can decide how and where you want to live, and what meals you would like to have. But that can cost, however some choose to live on the base or camp you're posted to, and you can also live in your own house or flat off base. The main reason most air force occupants chose to live on base/camp is because it is very affordable. If you choose to live off base, you will receive an “accommodation allowance”( you can only get this after 3 years of service ) on top of your salary. Over half of air force graduates chose to live in camp because of how cheap it is, they would only do this until they achieved the right to have an allowance for accommodation. And if you are required to travel for work or training, accommodation and food will be provided for you free of charge.

Education & Training

When it comes to education in the air force, they offer education in all the different sections and careers including Pilot training and all the flying experience you will ever need. So what could they offer towards your education? Firstly they offer monthly courses to up your game when it comes to experience in your chosen role/career in the air force, they also offer things to prepare you to join the air force e.g. pass all the tests. They have a course called “Force Fit” which is a Free group physical training session in your area that will become available to you once you apply to join the Air force or any NZ defence force for that matter. Force Fit sessions are organised once or twice a week by your nearest recruiting office, and are at a convenient time for most working people and students. These sessions are a great way for applicants of every fitness level to prepare for the entry level fitness test and basic training.

Conclusion

So To sum up everything I have said so far, I have talked about the certain skills and qualifications needed to get a chance to join the airforce, the pros & cons and what you can potentially get out of being in the air force. I have also talked about the salaries a air force trainee, recruit and fully fledged pilot can make and the educational and training courses and camps the air force offers to further more improve your personal education and leadership skills. All of this contributes towards my thesis, my answer to my fertile question and the key to putting me apart from other applicants who are also going for that job/role. My thesis is, To stay motivated and to contribute as much leadership as possible. Thank you and I hoped you have enjoyed this presentation.