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Job Role
Air Engineering Technician
Job Role

Air Engineering Technician

You’ll take charge of scheduled maintenance, servicing and inspections for the Fleet Air Arm’s aircraft.

TechnologyAircraftEngineeringMechanicsApprenticeshipsAviation
  • £25,200 - £62,073
  • No qualifications
  • Fleet Air Arm
  • Engineering
  • Rating level

At a glance

This job sits within the Engineering Profession and is an Engineering Rating role. From Bahrain to the Bahamas you’ll be vital to keeping our airborne missions on track. That means working with some of the most advanced aircraft on the planet, like the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.

£25,200

What you will get paid from day one

Zero

Qualifications needed

£62,073

Earn up to this amount as a WO1 basic pay

Free

Medical and dental care

6 weeks

Of paid holiday every year

Travel

All around the world
Air engineering technician
I’ve always loved to tinker with things and have had an interest in mechanical engineering for years, it’s great to be part of a professional team that keep the squadron flying

Smudge

Junior Rating, Engineering Branch

Role details

What you’ll do

When you join the Royal Navy as an Air Engineering Technician, you’re vital to keeping our airborne missions on track. That means working with some of the most advanced aircraft on the planet, like the F35B Lightning Stealth Fighter, the Merlin Mk2 Submarine Hunter, the Merlin Mk4 Commando Helicopter or the Wildcat Maritime Attack Helicopter. You’ll carry out maintenance, as well as services and inspections, before and after each flight. The Fleet Air Arm increases our reach as an armed force, and you will have the opportunity to serve on the world’s most advanced ships and aircraft carriers deploying all around the world.

Your role

  • Be a central part of the Royal Navy’s aviation capabilities, getting hands-on with our planes and helicopters, and making sure that they can take off whenever they’re needed.
  • Develop your engineering skills and specialise in mechanical technology and avionics. You’ll need to use all of the knowledge you gain in training to find innovative solutions to complex problems, often under pressure.
  • You will have the opportunity to serve on the world’s most advanced Frigates, Destroyers and Aircraft Carriers with new and exciting aircraft Forces. This includes the F35B Lightning Stealth fighter at RAF Marham, the Merlin Mk2 Submarine Hunter, at RNAS Culdrose, the Merlin Mk4 Commando Helicopter and the Wildcat Maritime Attack Helicopter at RNAS Yeovilton.
  • Maintain, service and inspect the Fleet Air Arm’s aircraft, working with your team at the highest levels of the engineering industry.

Pay & benefits

  • A starting salary of at least £25,200 and increasing to basic pay of £39,974 on promotion to Leading Hand
  • Potential to earn up to £62,073 as a WO1 basic pay
  • Six weeks of paid holiday every year
  • Free medical and dental care
  • Extra financial bonuses if you’re on a longer operation
  • Earn additional Service Engineer Technical Pay as you progress to Leading  Hand with increased pay levels on further promotion
  • Amazing opportunities, including world travel and adventurous training for two weeks every year
  • Free gym and sports, from football to kayaking to kite-surfing
  • Forces Help to Buy scheme – a 0% loan to get you on, or further up, the housing ladder
  • Subsidised travel, accommodation and food

Skills for life

Qualifications you'll gain

  • Professional qualifications in aircraft engineering, including Level 2 Aviation Maintenance Mechanic

Opportunities open to you 

  • Study for GCSEs, then A-Levels in subjects including English, Maths and Science
  • Gain specialist vocational qualifications – like Level 3 Apprenticeship Foundation Degree Modules depending on career progression
  • The potential to gain a Foundation Degree in Aeronautical Engineering through the University of Portsmouth as you qualify for professional promotion
  • Streamlined route to registration as EngTech and IEng with a professional body

Skills you'll develop

  • As an Engineering Technician you will be embarking upon one of the country's top apprenticeship schemes
  • We need your enthusiasm to maintain and report cutting-edge equipment on our most sophisticated helicopters and fighter jets, becoming familiar with a variety of complex mechanical, avionics and weapon systems
  • You will become a quick thinker and a problem solver who can integrate and become an essential part of the team
 

Eligibility

  • You must be aged between 16 to 39
  • No qualifications are required for this role
  • You must be a United Kingdom citizen or British Dual National. Dual Nationality restrictions do apply
  • Applicants who have resided outside the UK over the previous 5 years may require a residency waiver
  • Minimum height of 145cm
  • A Body Mass Index (BMI) between 18 and 28 (between 17 and 27 if under 18)
     

Skills & interests

  • A quick thinker, with a passion for working with the latest equipment and technology
  • A problem-solver who can work well as part of a team
  • An affinity for aircraft and avionics
  • Enthusiasm for fixing and maintaining electronic and mechanical systems

Joining process

From picking your role to starting on your first day, these are the steps you'll take to join as a rating.

Step 1

Submit an application

Once you’ve registered your interest in a Profession, and have satisfied some basic eligibility criteria, you will be sent an online application form.

Step 2

Defence Aptitude Assessment (DAA)

You’ll be tested on: Verbal Reasoning, Numerical Reasoning, Work Rate, Spatial Reasoning, Electrical Comprehension and Mechanical Comprehension. You will need to attempt all sections of the DAA.

To help you prepare, you can practise the DAA.

Practise the DAA
Step 3

Interview

A formal Selection Interview to confirm suitability of your chosen Profession followed by discussion of your preferred roles that are available within that Profession, including Submarine Service It will also cover the initial stages of the Security application. This is normally conducted using your own device over the Shine video platform.

Step 4

Candidate Preparation Course (CPC)

This is a four-day induction to life in the Royal Navy, which includes assessments of your Fitness and your Medical eligibility, it is a pass or fail course.

Step 5

Start training

Once you’ve passed all eligibility criteria, including a Security Check, you’ll be offered a place at HMS Raleigh to commence your initial training. Allocation to a specific role within your chosen profession will occur during the latter part of initial training.

Career progression

From responsibilities to pay, find out where this role can take you.
Day one
10 weeks at HMS Raleigh, learning basic military skills
First promotion – Leading Hand
Further training, more responsibility, lead junior ratings
First year
Complete your task book and learn on the job
Professional training
Develop your professional skills, and earn NVQs
Second promotion – Petty Officer
Become a manager, take responsibility for defect diagnosis

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