u/Round94

I've just completed CBAT and passed for both ATWC and WSOp, so I'm now genuinely torn between the two. I have to decide by next week which route to pursue. My scores were comfortably above the required thresholds for both.

ATC

I've been researching ATC for a while and I'm particularly drawn to the operational side of the role — Tower, Radar/Area, and the potential to develop into more specialised work over time, e.g. TacATC. The main attraction is that it looks like a defined career where I could stay operational and involved in aviation for most of my service.

WSOp

This is where I'm more torn.

I enjoy aviation, and actually being aircrew and flying as part of the mission is a huge draw. Of the WSOp streams, ALM/MSO currently appeals to me most, though I find ISR interesting too.

I appreciate preference doesn't guarantee allocation, and Service requirement ultimately decides where people are streamed. From what I've read (consistently, over the last several years of posts here), a significant proportion of WSOp entrants end up in ISR, so I'm trying to understand the reality of the role rather than plan around getting a specific stream.

I'm also trying to understand the longer-term career implications of the different WSOp streams — for example, whether ALM/RW being more physically demanding has any meaningful impact on career longevity compared with other WSOp roles.

My circumstances

I'm 31, have a partner and two young children, and I'm currently established in a finance career. Moving into either an SNCO or Officer RAF role would mean a fair salary reduction, so this is a genuine long-term decision rather than trying something for a few years.

I've discussed it with my partner and we're both comfortable with the potential lifestyle. If I'm posted within roughly 2–3 hours of home, the plan would be for me to weekly commute. If further away, we'd move as a family and rent out our current home.

I'm looking at this as a career through to retirement, so I'm particularly interested in how the two trades develop over the long term.

What would be useful to know is:

1. For WSOp, what percentage of recruits currently end up in each stream (ISR, ALM/MSO, RW), and how much weight does personal preference actually carry against Service requirement? I've been told preference holds a fair amount of weight for ATC — I presume the same is not true for WSOp?

2. Specifically on ISR: does WSOp(ISR) still stream Sensor Operators onto Protector at Waddington, or does that role sit entirely within Pilot(ISR) RPAS and Mission Intelligence Coordinator posts? I've seen conflicting info on this.

3. How much of the year does a typical WSOp actually spend away from home? I've heard WSOp deployments can sometimes be short (1–3 weeks for exercises) compared with longer stints in other trades — what's the reality across a typical year?

4. How does WSOp career longevity work? Are the different streams all broadly capable of taking someone through to retirement, or are some more likely to force a move into other roles as you get older?

5. For ATC, how much real opportunity is there to move between Tower, Radar/Area, and more specialised roles like TacATC over a career?

6. Are there any significant differences between ATC and WSOp in terms of posting stability and family life?

I'm not looking for anyone to tell me which role is objectively "better." I'm trying to work out which is the better fit for me, given my age, family circumstances and it being my longer term career decision.

Any honest perspectives would be appreciated.

Hi all,

I’m at the point where I’m seriously considering applying for RAF officer roles, but I’m trying to get a clearer picture of the real lived experience before making the decision.

I’m mainly looking at:

- Intelligence Officer (first choice)

- Operations Officer (backup)

- Control Officer (backup)

I’m 31, based just outside Manchester, and currently in a well-established finance job with a good salary so this wouldn’t be a casual career move for me, eecially with a partner and 2 young kids.

1. What is day-to-day life actually like?

Recruitment info is quite high level, so I’m trying to understand reality:

- How long do postings typically last in each branch?

- How often do you actually move bases?

- How much of life is UK-based vs overseas?

Control Officer:

- Is it genuinely structured shift work (e.g. rotating patterns like 4 on / 4 off)?

- How predictable is time off in reality?

Ops Officer:

- What does a normal week actually look like once you’re in post?

Intelligence Officer:

- Is it mainly desk-based analysis/briefing work, or does it involve more operational/deployment time than people expect?

I’m also trying to understand whether commuting home regularly is realistic in any of these roles, or does family relocation become the norm quite quickly?

2. Timing this properly.

My partner is training as an ODP and won’t be fully qualified/earning until mid-late 2028. I can’t realistically take this major income drop before then so I’m trying to work backwards from a late 2028 training start if possible.

Where I’m struggling is intelligence is my first choice, but I know it’s highly competitive with limited intake. Even if you pass selection, you’re not guaranteed the role.

So I’m trying to understand the trade-off between:

a) applying early enough for Intelligence intake cycles vs

b) risking being offered Ops/Control too early if Intelligence doesn’t come through

So basically, how much control do you actually have over timing once you’ve gone through recruitment?

3. Training risk

Given the financial sacrafice involved, I want to understand downside risk properly:

- What are officer training dropout/failure rates actually like?

- If someone doesn’t complete training:

- are they usually reassigned into another role?

- or is there a real chance of just being exited entirely?

I appreciate nothing is risk-free, I'm just trying to understand how often things actually go off the “planned path” in reality.

4. Promotion reality (Flt Lt to Sqdn Ldr)

I know promotion isn’t automatic, but I was hoping to understand what’s "typical" (if that even exists!).

- How realistic is promotion from Flight Lieutenant to Squadron Leader?

- Is OF-3 something most capable officers reach, or is OF-2 often where people plateau?

- Do Intelligence / Ops / Control differ meaningfully in promotion opportunity?

5. Family life

- Do most RAF families relocate with postings, or stay based in one location?

- For civvy partners, how realistic is maintaining a stable job?

Thanks in advance! I know this is a lot, but I’m trying to make a properly informed decision rather than just relying on my assumptions.