Air Corps Cadetship 2012

GoGoGadget

Good luck to everyone who applies

The Defence Forces are now accepting applications for Cadetships as follows:

Army (Line) - 21 places

Army (Equitation) - two places

Air Corps (Pilot) - five places

Naval Service - 14 places broken down into the following:

Operations - nine place

Marine Engineer - four place

Electrical Engineer - one place

Applications will only be accepted from candidates who meet the minimum eligibility criteria – No exceptions will be made

The application phase for this competition is due to close on the 13th of May 2012 – No applications will be accepted after this date

Find out more information on Officer Cadetships: http://www.military.ie/careers/army/cadetships

Start your Online Application: http://www.military.ie/careers/online-applications

If you have any specific queries please direct them to Recruitment and Competitions Section at 01-804 2653/ 2654 or recruitment@defenceforces.ie or see the CAREERS tab on this website: www.military.ie/careers

conork93

My application is sent for the air corps cadetship good luck to everyone applying .

Suits

Unless your father/mother is in the Air Corps it's "good luck" to all.....:rolleyes:

kona

Suits wrote: »

Unless your father/mother is in the Air Corps it's "good luck" to all.....:rolleyes:

Maybe you just wernt up to standard?

GoGoGadget

Suits wrote: »

Unless your father/mother is in the Air Corps it's "good luck" to all.....:rolleyes:

If you apply with that train of thought you won't get far.. it's not the Dáil!

TPMP

I applied for the navy last week. One in 10k chance of getting the job!:P

Mr Simpson

Applied for the Air Corps cadetship, not 100% sure if my vision is up to requirements, but no harm in applying.

coylemj

conork93 wrote: »

My application is sent for the air corps cadetship good luck to everyone applying .

Good luck... to everyone? Very sporting of you, old chap!

BEASTERLY

Suits wrote: »

Unless your father/mother is in the Air Corps it's "good luck" to all.....:rolleyes:

Was the rejection so bad that you had to make up this kind of **** to help yourself get over it?

lillian2608

<Snip> selling commercial services please contact Hello@boards.ie

andy_g

lillian2608 wrote: »

<Snip> selling commercial services please contact Hello@boards.ie

If you wish to make money from this please become a verified rep by contacting Hello@boards.ie or Reps@boards.ie

No commercial selling here.

lillian2608

Fair enough.

hopefulaplican

Hey folks, do they check for photo ID on the day of interviews and/or fitness tests for the Air Corps??? If you could let me know quick that would be great!

localcentra

Is it worth the bother to apply for this thing or would one be better off going down the commercial route to get your pilots wings,'
How long do you have to sign up for with the army after you get the training with them or can you leave after you get your wings and then go to aerryanbus for the better money.
Also could they train you just on choppers? this wouldnt be much good for the future prospects , it would be better to go on the jets first thing in my opinion anyway.

veetwin

hopefulaplican wrote: »

Hey folks, do they check for photo ID on the day of interviews and/or fitness tests for the Air Corps??? If you could let me know quick that would be great!

Do you mind me asking why you would ask such a question? Would providing photo ID pose a problem for you?

lintdrummer

localcentra wrote: »

Is it worth the bother to apply for this thing or would one be better off going down the commercial route to get your pilots wings,'
How long do you have to sign up for with the army after you get the training with them or can you leave after you get your wings and then go to aerryanbus for the better money.
Also could they train you just on choppers? this wouldnt be much good for the future prospects , it would be better to go on the jets first thing in my opinion anyway.

Short version of the reply you're going to get with a post like this:

The air corps cadetship is not a free and easy way into the commercial airline pilot business and treating it as such will not help your cause.

veetwin

localcentra wrote: »

Is it worth the bother to apply for this thing or would one be better off going down the commercial route to get your pilots wings,'
How long do you have to sign up for with the army after you get the training with them or can you leave after you get your wings and then go to aerryanbus for the better money.
Also could they train you just on choppers? this wouldnt be much good for the future prospects , it would be better to go on the jets first thing in my opinion anyway.

I'd say if you are asking this question then yes it is a waste of time for you to apply.

hopefulaplican

veetwin wrote: »

Do you mind me asking why you would ask such a question? Would providing photo ID pose a problem for you?

Just say in a hypothetical situation, if for some reason a candidate decided they were unable to do the test/interview could a surrogate candidate step in without being caught?

veetwin

hopefulaplican wrote: »

Just say in a hypothetical situation, if for some reason a candidate decided they were unable to do the test/interview could a surrogate candidate step in without being caught?

Yes that is why I asked the question! See above reply to hopefulapplic

lintdrummer

hopefulaplican wrote: »

Just say in a hypothetical situation, if for some reason a candidate decided they were unable to do the test/interview could a surrogate candidate step in without being caught?

veetwin wrote: »

Yes that is why I asked the question!

This thread has taken a turn for the bizarre!

Carry on...

hopefulaplican

veetwin wrote: »

Yes that is why I asked the question!

So do they ask for ID or...

veetwin

hopefulaplican wrote: »

So do they ask for ID or...

No..there will be no problem getting a mate who is fitter and better qualified to do any interview/test for you. Nothing bad could ever happen in this instance:rolleyes:

hopefulaplican

veetwin wrote: »

No..there will be no problem getting a mate who is fitter and better qualified to do any interview/test for you. Nothing bad could ever happen in this instance:rolleyes:

Ok... interesting, thought they might be more strict. One last question, if I rang Ryanair or Aer Lingus would they be able to give the e-mail addresses of any ex Air Corps pilots they have. I would just like a chat with a few.

veetwin

hopefulaplican wrote: »

[QUO

Ok... interesting, thought they might be more strict. One last question, if I rang Ryanair or Aer Lingus would they be able to give the e-mail addresses of any ex Air Corps pilots they have. I would just like a chat with a few.

Yeah I'm sure both airlines will have no problem giving out contact details for their pilots.

hopefulaplican

veetwin wrote: »

Yeah I'm sure both airlines will have no problem giving out contact details for their pilots.

Would you know any by any chance?

veetwin

hopefulaplican wrote: »

veetwin wrote: »

Yeah I'm sure both airlines will have no problem giving out contact details for their pilots.

Would you know any by any chance?

Yeah I know plenty of pilots but unfortunately none former IAC.

Best of luck to you and who ever does the tests/interview!

hopefulaplican

veetwin wrote: »

Yeah I know plenty of pilots but unfortunately none former IAC.

Best of luck to you and who ever does the tests/interview!

Well I'd be interested in talking to any pilot, especially if they have an interest in military matters, or are willing to learn. Would they look young( mid 20's)?

Suits

For those who think I was rejected from the air corps I'd just like to let you know I didnt apply for the air corps ever. In any case my father was in the army(former army cadet) so if I did apply I most likely would have gotten it. As my goal was to be a commercial pilot I was told by the few air corps guys he knew to go direct to that and not get hitched for 8 years or so in a chopper.
You have to serve a fixed term in the air corps and a lot of guys are put in helis which means they still have to do most of the post PPL things when the term ends to get into an airline...so if you wanna fly commercial as an end goal and want to use the air corps to get you there it isnt worth it really!

It is a pretty well known fact however that the air corps is a closed shop so I'm surprised people have reacted in such a way. When they opened recruitment for the DFs last time all the guys taken into the air corps were sons and daughters and that stat came direct from a DF recruiter at the higher options show.

So best of luck to everyone who applies....all I'm saying is there is a lot of nepotism in our military.

localcentra

Hi there SUITS thanks for your very honest reply and your great insight into the selection process in the AIR CORPS.
Why is it that they only take on family members of those already that are in it, surely it cant be that great a job ,the only attraction that i can see is the free training you get at the taxpayers expense,then you head off to the airlines or get a job with the private coastguard service .
I think that it would be a good idea if some of our esteemed public representatives looked into this carry on and the waste of public money involved in it.

kona

Suits wrote: »

For those who think I was rejected from the air corps I'd just like to let you know I didnt apply for the air corps ever. In any case my father was in the army(former army cadet) so if I did apply I most likely would have gotten it. As my goal was to be a commercial pilot I was told by the few air corps guys he knew to go direct to that and not get hitched for 8 years or so in a chopper.
You have to serve a fixed term in the air corps and a lot of guys are put in helis which means they still have to do most of the post PPL things when the term ends to get into an airline...so if you wanna fly commercial as an end goal and want to use the air corps to get you there it isnt worth it really!

It is a pretty well known fact however that the air corps is a closed shop so I'm surprised people have reacted in such a way. When they opened recruitment for the DFs last time all the guys taken into the air corps were sons and daughters and that stat came direct from a DF recruiter at the higher options show.

So best of luck to everyone who applies....all I'm saying is there is a lot of nepotism in our military.

I agree with you about if you want to be a pilot go straight into commercial flight and dont mess around with the aer corps.

But come on the nepotism stuff is bull****, how many aer corps pilots are 2nd and 3rd generation ?? Theres always going to be rumours of nepotism with jobs like this, sure look at the thread on the Aer Lingus cadetship.

Also ALOT of people dont realise that they are getting into a military career, and that you have to do the basic training just like all the other soldiers (well thats what I got when I applied, maybe I wasnt successful because of nepotism )

Suits

kona wrote: »

I agree with you about if you want to be a pilot go straight into commercial flight and dont mess around with the aer corps.

But come on the nepotism stuff is bull****, how many aer corps pilots are 2nd and 3rd generation ?? Theres always going to be rumours of nepotism with jobs like this, sure look at the thread on the Aer Lingus cadetship.

Also ALOT of people dont realise that they are getting into a military career, and that you have to do the basic training just like all the other soldiers (well thats what I got when I applied, maybe I wasnt successful because of nepotism )

The running joke among officers in the DFs is that if there was a war vast parts of families would be wiped out, and also if we had the one son rule half the army would be sent home....However nepotism does not seem to extend to enlisted air corps personnel...just the cadets.

I'll give you an example....my brother is a 2nd LT in the army...his cadetship interview consisted of the panel asking how my dad was(he had to retire due to illness), he was asked a bit about playing rugby and told he'd make a good addition to the army's team with a smile.....

As far as I know also(my father told me this) there used to be no guarantee that you would get the air corps or navy, your performance in your basic officer training could dictate otherwise(ie fear of heights...cant swim) and currently there is even less chance of flying fixed wing aircraft. If you dont perform well in flight training also you will be stationed on the ground or in ATC....for 8 years.....I know at least 2 guys had that issue!

Any air corps guys I've ever spoken too havent really spoken too highly of the whole experience and seem to be counting the months until they can bail out.

Again on the commercial issue....I spoke to 2 guys doing their ATPLs after 8 years in the corps....I did my ppl in 6 weeks....they spent 8 years in the air corps flying helis....and we were more or less on an even footing with me, as they informed me their heli time would not be too much of an advantage for jobs.

You mentioned the aer lingus cadetship....and I suppose you can say that ANY cadetship should not be entered into without knowing all the facts.....seeing how the aer lingus one turned out so well!:rolleyes:

Delancey

Suits has pretty much said it all - most Irish military cadetships are reserved for the children of serving officers. The few that aren't seem to be reserved for members of their county minor GAA team.

localcentra

Thanks guys for the great insight into the real situation re the cadetships,this knowledge alone would be more than ample to discourage the best of candidates from applying.

• The main concern would be that what would happen if a non relative or friend of the families happened to get through the system on merit and ability alone, how would he or she be treated.
• Would there be an air of resentment towards him or her as they would have been seen to have taken a place of one their own.

xflyer

localcentra wrote: »

Thanks guys for the great insight into the real situation re the cadetships,this knowledge alone would be more than ample to discourage the best of candidates from applying.


[*]The main concern would be that what would happen if a non relative or friend of the families happened to get through the system on merit and ability alone, how would he or she be treated.
[*]Would there be an air of resentment towards him or her as they would have been seen to have taken a place of one their own

Well hardly, whatever the truth or otherwise of nepotism. It's not that much of a closed shop. Plenty get in with no connections at all. There aren't that many sons and daughters keen to follow Dad's footsteps, like Suits.

It's ironic really that given how difficult it is to get into the Air Corps that some pilots are so keen to get out when they can. Once an Air Corps heli was passing nearby and he called up on frequency to give his position. We exchanged some friendly calls and I told him he had my dream job. His reply was 'And you have mine'. The grass isn't always greener.

localcentra

Thanks XFLYER ,the impression one would get from the other posters is that it is a closed shop, family only, like the family only open days they have.

eitlean

Personally, I would take what Suits says with a pinch of salt. He has an inflated opinion of his own ability(not good in a pilot!). Snobs might be a better name for him. He'd be better selling the planes than flying them...

If you're into the army and flying: Go for it! What have you to lose? Absolutely nothing. Go in and expect to come out with no more than interview and assessment experience. If you get it, it's a bonus.

The amount of s*ite flung around this forum sometimes makes me think I'm in a slurry pit.

Kumsheen

localcentra wrote: »

Is it worth the bother to apply for this thing or would one be better off going down the commercial route to get your pilots wings,'
How long do you have to sign up for with the army after you get the training with them or can you leave after you get your wings and then go to aerryanbus for the better money.
Also could they train you just on choppers? this wouldnt be much good for the future prospects , it would be better to go on the jets first thing in my opinion anyway.

It's really a no brainer if you manage to get in. It will save you a fortune and Airlines care where your training was done these days.
Air Corp training and background is highly considered when applying for Irish Airlines.
Where you do your training will have a big influence on your future prospects. Just having the hours doesn't cut it these days.

lintdrummer

Kumsheen wrote: »

It's really a no brainer if you manage to get in. It will save you a fortune and Airlines care where your training was done these days.
Air Corp training and background is highly considered when applying for Irish Airlines.
Where you do your training will have a big influence on your future prospects. Just having the hours doesn't cut it these days.

There is absolutely no guarantee you will be trained on fixed wing. In fact it's likely you won't be. Then you're tied there for 8 years. It's moronic to look at the air corps cadetship as a leg up in the airline pilot industry. In times long gone, when you were all but guaranteed a seat in a fixed wing aircraft, then yes, you would come out of it with a glowing CV, but it's not like that anymore.

xflyer

eitlean wrote: »

He has an inflated opinion of his own ability(not good in a pilot!).

I'm afraid that's a common trait among pilots in my experience. I don't know where they get it from because no pilot is as good as me.:p

Suits

eitlean wrote: »

Personally, I would take what Suits says with a pinch of salt. He has an inflated opinion of his own ability(not good in a pilot!). Snobs might be a better name for him. He'd be better selling the planes than flying them....

Personally I'm not sure why you seem to follow me round and have a go at me whenever I post anything without offering a counter point. I struggle to see how I have an inflated opinion of myself. Most of the examples you seem to flag up on this forum are times when I have weighed up pros and cons and done what I felt was the right course of action. As I have the right to do along with everyone else. I offer my opinion from my point of view and people dont have to take it. However I grew up around the army and come from what you could term a military family...so I'm well versed in how it all works.

Kumsheen -

It's really a no brainer if you manage to get in. It will save you a fortune and Airlines care where your training was done these days.
Air Corp training and background is highly considered when applying for Irish Airlines.
Where you do your training will have a big influence on your future prospects. Just having the hours doesn't cut it these days.

You could not be more wrong or misleading if you tried! Joining the air coprs will save you the price of a PPL and cost you 8 years of your life. 5-20% at most get fixed wing and an even smaller amount of them have their ATPLs/IR paid for by the air corps.(only the govt jet guys and maybe coastal patrol)
In the 50s/60s/70s Aer Lingus took ex air corps guys as they were the only pilots going really that the time, plus as aer lingus was state owned it was seen as somewhat of a "state pension" for guys leaving the air corps. Hand and glove if you like.
NOW most airlines dont see the air corps as anything special really. Most guys have heli time and will have to go through a flight school like the rest of us to get their ATPL/CPL/MEIR, so their air corps time doesnt really get them too far. That being said RAF guys would get some currency out of their time there as there is a lot more fixed wing guys.
Globally(as seen in the US) commercial airlines are moving away from the ex military wink wink nod nod system and viewing everyone on a level playing field.
Anybody who thinks that the air corps will put them above anyone from a jobs point of view in irish airlines is sadly mistaken and will realise this in 8-10 years if they try and follow that road. You save yourself no money in the long run...maybe 12k from a guy who went straight. Weigh that against the 8+ years you spent in the air corps and you realise that if I start now on my own flight school route and you go to the air corps...I'm a captain in an airline when you get out of the air corps and start your atpls. So from a commercial point of view if you want to be in an airline go do that...if you want to be in the air corps....do that, but the air corps wont get you a leg up anymore!

eitlean

Suits wrote: »

Personally I'm not sure why you seem to follow me round and have a go at me whenever I post anything without offering a counter point. I struggle to see how I have an inflated opinion of myself. Most of the examples you seem to flag up on this forum are times when I have weighed up pros and cons and done what I felt was the right course of action. As I have the right to do along with everyone else. I offer my opinion from my point of view and people dont have to take it. However I grew up around the army and come from what you could term a military family...so I'm well versed in how it all works.

Well, you did say...

In any case my father was in the army(former army cadet) so if I did apply I most likely would have gotten it.

And...

Again on the commercial issue....I spoke to 2 guys doing their ATPLs after 8 years in the corps....I did my ppl in 6 weeks....they spent 8 years in the air corps flying helis....and we were more or less on an even footing with me, as they informed me their heli time would not be too much of an advantage for jobs.

Suits

Eitlean - 1stly I gave you that carrot on struggling to see my inflated opinion knowing you would seize on it and so show that you actually have to valid point to add to the debate.

Stating that my father was a former cadet and so I would get in has nothing to do with me....and that's my point when I say that! It shows that no matter who I am if I was connected I'd be in(as my brother was)

And well your last point(along with most of that post) is really scraping the barrel.....I state that I did my PPL in 6 weeks not looking for praise..I'm saying that with 6 weeks of flying under my belt I was on an even footing from a commercial ladder point of view with air corps guys who had 8 years in helis....and it was them who told me that!

eitlean

Suits wrote: »

Eitlean - 1stly I gave you that carrot on struggling to see my inflated opinion knowing you would seize on it and so show that you actually have to valid point to add to the debate.

Stating that my father was a former cadet and so I would get in has nothing to do with me....and that's my point when I say that! It shows that no matter who I am if I was connected I'd be in(as my brother was)

And well your last point(along with most of that post) is really scraping the barrel.....I state that I did my PPL in 6 weeks not looking for praise..I'm saying that with 6 weeks of flying under my belt I was on an even footing from a commercial ladder point of view with air corps guys who had 8 years in helis....and it was them who told me that!

Ah Suits, there's no need to blow the fuse plugs!

All I was saying is ya need to relieve the back pressure. Trim it a bit, if you know what I mean...

Suits

eitlean wrote: »

Ah Suits, there's no need to blow the fuse plugs!

All I was saying is ya need to relieve the back pressure. Trim it a bit, if you know what I mean...

Congrats...thats the 1st aviation specific point I've seen you post here....bravo!;)

xflyer

The Air Corps was not neccessarily a golden ticket into the airlines even in my time. In fact I personally know of situations where a former Air Corps pilot, a former officer found himself sitting right seat with a Captain who was once an NCO in the Air Corps.

I know several lads who enlisted in the Air Corps and used their time to get their CPLs and moved onto the airlines. Meanwhile their superior officers flew less hours and took eight years, as suits points out, to get to the point where they could apply for a civvie job.

One of the notable features of the recent PC9 accident was the relative lack of hours flown. Several Air Corps enlisted personnel worked part time as Instructors on their days off and had greater currency than their full time officer pilot colleagues.

Still I would love to have had a career in the Air Corps.

localcentra

Hi XFLYER, as a hopeful cadetship candidate myself this year may I commend you on your comment that you would have loved a CAREER in the AIR CORPS , I hope that I get the opportunity to get in so I could have a career there also .
Too many of the pilots in the AC have used the state to springboard their commercial aviation ambitions at a huge cost to the state.
As regards your comment on the pc9 incident how was lack of hours flown notable as a factor.?
I ask this out of genuine interest in the AC.

Bearcat

Sorry to jump into thread but Pc9 accident was CFIT ? Sure the deceased instructor / commander had ample hours ?

Delta Kilo

localcentra wrote: »

As regards your comment on the pc9 incident how was lack of hours flown notable as a factor.?
I ask this out of genuine interest in the AC.

If you look at the air accident report into the incident here, the instructor had less IFR (Instrument flight rules) flying done in the previous 12 months to the accident than the cadet pilot. It highlighted how little flying is done by the officers in Baldonnell and all of the recommendations were to improve and change the way the sorties are done in the AC, highlighting a lack of professionalism regarding the way training was conducted prior to the incident. It was very critical of the AC and they sought to get an injunction to prevent it from being released.

Bearcat

Thanks DK.....that puts that ? To bed.

xflyer

Over the years I have met many current and ex Air Corps pilots and one constant complaint was the the relatively few hours they flew each year. Of course, it being the military there are always other jobs to be done for officers. It's not that different in foreign militaries either, it must be said.

Delta Kilo

It was very critical of the AC and they sought to get an injunction to prevent it from being released.

It that true? I never suspected that. Any source. I thought the delay came from another source.

Delta Kilo

There was a thread on it here before around the time the report was released.

This article which came out after the report was released explains the reasons.