The RAF and family

[Phil_1980]

I'm not sure if this is in the right place (and if it's not please move it).

What is it like having a family and being in the RAF?

I'm old(ish) at 30 and have been thinking, along with other people on here, at joining up. But, how would having kids affect my service life and more importantly their life?

You can read the RAF brochures and the website and see how they tell you they will support you as much as possible, but in reality what is that support like? In RAF Accommodation is there a good social life for the kids and the partners where they can turn to each other for support?

Now I understand in the Navy you'd be living on a ship so it would be even worse there, but as for the RAF and Army, is it any better?

I look forward to hearing back and probably getting abused for mentioning the Army!!!

 

[Spearmint]

There are many examples of Personnel who manage their Family and their Service Life quite effectively. There are also the odd one or two who take the **** but you get that in all walks of life.

First of all, during phase 1 training (Halton or Cranwell depending on if your joining up as a Ranker or Officer) you can't be accompanied. This can be anything from what, 10 weeks at Halton or 30 Weeks at Cranwell?

During Phase 2 training you can normally be accompanied and entitled to a Quarter if you are Married. Just having kids does not entitle you to one.

From there it's quite impossible to say how much time you'll be away as it is different for all trades and also dependent on where you are posted to. Then you have OOA's (Out Of Area's) which are detachments (Usually 4 months long, 6 for Officers - generally) where you'll find yourself performing a role that might not bear much of a resemblance to your original role. Guess what, these are unaccompanied. These don't come around often but when they do it can be harsh.

Be prepared with being expected to move every 3 years or so (2 for Officers), shifts which might not work well with your Partners work Rota, childcare at a premium wherever you go, rubbish locality of some camps (Some are not known for their ease of access so a car is essential).

In short there are quite a few factors to consider.

 

[Reformed Scribbly]

You have several options, Spearmint has rightly pointed out the impacts that service life can have in terms of separation during training and ops, you can also face some form of separation whilst at your permanent unit.

The service will do what it can whenever possible to try and balance your family needs, however, service needs will override, so if it needs to post you many miles away from where your family is happily settled, then it can and will.

As a result you can:

1. Move your family around with you but play a lottery with local schools.

2. Base your family in one location where they are happy and commute at weekends, a lot of bosses are happy for late starts/early finishes to allow you to have as much time with your family at the weekend, as long as you make the time up during the week, but this can depend on job/shifts etc.

3. At present, however, how much this will be affected by the SDSR announcement is yet to be seen, use the Continuity of Education allowance, which currently provides a good sum of money to send your kids away to boarding school, where you can again guarantee them a stable education. We are expecting this to be hacked back as it takes up a big wedge of the allowances budget.

Once in, you can also request to be located in certain areas for the purpose of stability for your children's education, however, this only counts for GCSE/A-Level years. This request does have a very high priority with manning who post you, however, again you need to be aware that Service needs override all others.

Plenty to take into account.