RAF CHAPLAINCY
SERVING THE NEXT GENERATION: RAF CHAPLAINCY CAREER PATH
Padre Carre taking part in the RAF Waddington 10K.
Requirements
To serve as an RAF Chaplain there are certain requirements that you need to meet.
You must be aged between 26 and 53 years old, attesting before your 54th birthday.
You must have the academic qualifications required by the Sending Churches / Endorsing Authority / Panel of Reference for ministerial training.
You must be accredited / registered / ordained / licensed by the endorsing authority of your faith or belief and subsequently have a minimum of 2-3 years’ experience in a full-time leadership capacity( or equivalent), in a pastoral context.
You must be a citizen of the United Kingdom or the Republic of Ireland, the holder of dual UK / other nationality or have been a Commonwealth citizen since birth.
You must initially commit to a minimum of 6 years’ service, meet the health and fitness criteria and pass a fitness test, the details of which are provided online( search RAF recruitment, fitness).
Role
As an RAF Chaplain you will be involved in the lives of our personnel, regardless of their rank or religious background. Your personal sacrifice may be considerable as you will serve alongside our people, providing vital spiritual, pastoral and ethical support wherever they go, including deployed Operations. Your home-based duties will be equally important in support of personnel and their families on RAF stations. While exploring innovative ways of engaging with your community, you can also expect to fulfil the pastoral role of a leader from your endorsed faith or belief community, performing the duties of a Chaplain.
Endorsing Authorities
The Chaplains’ Profession recruits from Christian, Buddhist, Hindu, Islamic, Jewish and Sikh faiths and the Humanist belief. For up to date information on the current recruiting situation and specific Endorsing Authorities, please contact the Branch Recruitment Officer on Air-ChapServs _ Recruitment @ mod. gov. uk.
Specialist Officers ' Initial Training
Like all RAF specialist profession officers, you will begin your RAF career on Specialist Officers ' Initial Training Course( SOIT) at RAF College Cranwell in Lincolnshire. You will follow a challenging 13-week course designed for professionally qualified entrants to the RAF, exploring how to apply your ministry in a military context. The course includes fitness development, military training and academic study as well as practical outdoor leadership challenges.
Reserve Officer Initial Training
Chaplains wishing to serve in the Royal Air Force Reserves follow a similar process to those joining the Regular
Chaplaincy in the workplace
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