Civilian vs Military (UK)

[Meppreave]

Hi

I'm wanting to be a pilot but can't decide between RAF or civilian. I'd enjoy the challenges of a military environment, but I'm not sure if that's the life for me. It's got some good benefits - dead cheap living, tons of free & very good services, and half decent pay [moderator edit] but I feel like civilian is more "me" if you understand. I don't know a huge amount about flying in a civilian environment and want to learn more so joined here! Has anyone worked in both and give a brief pros/cons of both? Would be really interesting to hear from people who have experienced both.

Cheers

 

[bafanguy]

You've asked an important question for someone pondering a flying career. You might want to ask that question on pprune where you'll find lots of UK pilots who can help you.

You said, "I'd enjoy the challenges of a military environment, but I'm not sure if that's the life for me."

I'll just say that the military isn't a "life" if one serves one tour...it's a few years out of a life from which you're likely to benefit greatly in the context of a "life" of flying for a living. Military pilots are MUCH preferred by airline hiring people.

Pprune will get you specific UK feedback:

https://www.pprune.org/