Graduate to Rating to Officer route

[JimJams]

Hi guys, this is my first post so bare with me on any questions that seem naive, and I know that this site is predominately for officer cadets but I was hoping some of you may be able to shed some light on my queries. My situation is this;
Im 22 and due to Graduate in June with a degree in enviro science & outdoor education. I'm currently looking for a job that gives me enough time off so that I can still manage to go on climbing trips, still manage to surf frequently (when on leave) and generally keep the adventurous spirit alive within me (which is very important to me). Hence the RFA seems life the perfect opportunity as it is a very interesting and varied job, well paid and lots of time off. It just seems to tick all of the boxes. However I was originally looking at the officer cadet but after much ummming and arrr-ing I've decided that the idea of going back to college to study another degree for 3 threes is a bit daunting so I am now considering entry as a deck rating as the training is a lot shorter and I can get out there and start working within a matter of months rather than years. Therefore main question that I'm driving at is how easy/is it possible for a deck rating to transfer to become an officer after several years in the service and if so, is it possible to do so without having to become a cadet?
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Cheers
James

[jj-1994]

I'm in the Royal Navy mate and as far as I know the RFA is similar to the RN in terms of you don't just walk into being an officer. In the RFA you would need to pass an AIB to become an officer and they would only send you on recommendation of a senior. Also if you don't have a ticket (CoC) then there's no way of getting it other than going to college (on top of that the RFA conduct extra training at BRNC) if you want to be a deck officer by all means go for it but don't assume you will be able to walk into it just because you have been a rating

[Hatchorder]

James,

To be an officer you have to do a CoC and the only way to do that is through a 3 to 4 year cadetship. I also think that you have not looked into this too much as you would have realised that it is a sandwich course, which means you will be at sea for your first trip after only one term of college. followed by a year at college and another year at sea (not in one whole trip!)

Going to sea as a UK rating is harder than going as an officer, and the path to being an officer still leads to a cadetship, so you gain nothing by doing it this way.

Go off, do some research into the make up of the course, work out how much time will be at college and how much at sea and then decide if it will work for you.

The only other alternative I can think of that has blocks of leave like the MN is teaching.

Regards

Ian

[JimJams]

Cheers for your responses guys, appreciate it. Ian, I have done a fair bit of research and the college time (when not at sea) is based in an area with zero surf so I would potentially have to give up surfing for three years which is something that I'm desperately trying to avoid, hence the rating route. When you say going to sea as a UK rating is harder do you mean the work is harder or the entry route is harder?

[pintero]

There are almost no job openings for ratings and a lot of job openings for officers. I think this is the difficulty

[Hatchorder]

What I meant was that there are very few companies who employ or train UK ratings these days.

You also need to sit down and think. Do I want to surf or do I want a career? To be honest your answer above makes me think you are not thinking this through. There are other people here who would sell their sisters into slavery to get a cadetship, let alone give up a hobby. Think about how that would come across to potential employers. "Why do you want to go to Plymouth College?", "So I can go surfing in my spare time". Choosing rating to officer because of your hobby? I'm questioning whether you want to really do this.

Sorry if that seems blunt, but it is how I see it!

Ian

[Steve]

To be an officer you have to do a CoC and the only way to do that is through a 3 to 4 year cadetship...

Going to sea as a UK rating is harder than going as an officer, and the path to being an officer still leads to a cadetship, so you gain nothing by doing it this way.

Ian,

That simply isn't true, with regard to a cadetship being the only route to officer. The Slater Fund exists specifically to assist ratings with professional development towards a CoC. I personally know several people who, with Slater Fund assistance, put themselves through college to qualify as OOW whilst working for the RFA as deck ratings. The RFA, since the OP specifically mentioned his desire to work for the RFA, has a particularly active RTO programme which pays RTOs AB's wages to complete a cadet-like programme. It is however most definitely not a cadetship.

What the OP may find surprisingly difficult however, is getting a job with the RFA as a trainee deck rating (SG2). Recruitment of ratings has been rather slow or non-existent of late and it may be easier for someone of his apparent calibre to join as a cadet.

[JimJams]

Thanks a lot for your reply Steve, really useful info to consider! I am going to keep a close eye on RFA recruitment in the meantime. Ian I think you are missing my point, I said in my original post I was considering this job because of the time off I would receive and therefore would still allow me to pursue my interests. Just because I am considering applying for a deck hand rather than a cadet by no means indicates that I do not want the job (or that I haven't thought it through), I am merely trying to find a balance between career and hobbies. Whilst I am still relatively young and footloose, I see no problem with that.