Life in the Royal Air Force

The RAF has around 28000 members who contribute to 15 missions on 4 continents in 22 countries. Whether in the skies above Britain, or in airspace around the world, it is our job to protect the UK. Our cutting-edge technology enables us to rapidly respond to any threat identified through intelligence gathering and surveillance operations. The RAF are ready to provide urgent assistance in an emergency, from floods in the UK, to the Ebola outbreak in Africa and devastating hurricanes in the Caribbean.

What we do

The RAF is made up of impressive personnel from diverse backgrounds, working side-by-side as part of a team to make a difference. When it comes to recruitment our focus is on attracting the best personnel and ensuring they are taken care of during and after their service. To fulfil our mission, we need highly skilled people throughout our organisation; we’ll provide you with training and develop you to ensure you have the skills and confidence you need to enjoy a successful and challenging career.

Our culture

The RAF recognises the value of a person’s ability no matter their ethnicity, nationality, national origins, social background, religion or belief, gender identity, sexual orientation or marital status or civil partnership. We believe the talents and skills of individuals from different groups make for a more efficient RAF. However, the RAF does have eligibility criteria for entry which everyone needs to meet (Medical and Nationality/Residency etc).

The RAF is looking for people whose core values sit with ours: Respect, Integrity, Service, Excellence, as they are an integral part of everything we do.

An apprenticeship in the RAF offers you the chance to gain a UK-recognised trade qualification as part of a challenging and unique career. Not only will you gain a civilian recognised professional qualification, but upon completion you’ll also have a guaranteed job in your chosen field.

We offer all kinds of apprenticeships in a broad and diverse range of careers including aviation operations, engineering, hospitality & catering and IT. You’ll receive the very best training and as well as getting paid to learn, you’ll get the chance to travel the world, play sport and perform an important role in the RAF.If you have the drive and ambition, we can offer you a unique and rewarding career. To gain an apprenticeship in the RAF you still need to meet all of the entry requirements for whichever role it is for and get through all stages of the application process. You will gain the apprenticeship as part of your phase two (trade) training.