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BogiDope posted an update
BEWARE OF BAD RECRUITERS!
If you ever deal with a recruiter who tells you that you MUST enlist in order to apply for a pilot slot, you may want to find a different recruiter.
Being a military member (enlisted or officer) before applying for a pilot slot certainly helps your application, but it IS NOT REQUIRED. In fact, the majority of UPT selectees in the Guard/Reserve are civilians with no prior experience.
We’re working with a client who was repeatedly told by her AFRC recruiter that the only way she could even apply for an AFRC UPT slot was to enlist first (screenshot of some of the incorrect info she received). That is incorrect and could lead some of you to sign up for something you have no desire to do.
So here are the facts:
1. For those interested in Air Force Reserve slots, this is the source of truth data consistently updated by the head of the AFRC UFT program himself: https://www.milrecruiter.com/afrc-uft/ (chapter 5 discusses the application process)
2. AFRC has paused the “unsponsored” (aka Command Sponsored) boards, meaning all applicants must be unit-sponsored. Translation, you must be hired directly by a Reserve squadron just like in the Guard.
3. The Guard DOES have a handful (although rare) squadrons that will only hire internally (ie you must be a member of that unit or at least a current military member). The Guard has ~100 flying squadrons, but they are not centrally controlled to the same degree as the Air Force Reserve, meaning you will occasionally see some squadrons modifying the application requirements. This only applies to those specific squadrons and are rare.
4. In most cases, you can go through the entire Guard/Reserve application process WITHOUT working with a recruiter. But if you must work with a recruiter, ask to work with an officer recruiter and make sure they are aware of the UFT information controlled on MilRecruiter if they have any questions.
5. If you are interested in enlisting, it’s a great way to boost your application while serving and potentially getting your college paid for. But, again, this is not an application requirement.If you are one of the many people dealing with unresponsive or misinformed recruiters, remember that nobody cares about your pilot dreams more than you do. So be proactive, track down your own answers, and push to get the help you deserve.
Nico, C.J. and Jack2 Comments-
Hello, so how would I go about scheduling the AQOFT without a recruiter?
As far as I know, the AFOQT is administered by Pearson Vue. The only way you can take the AFOQT, is if a recruiter requests a code on your behalf to take the test. I’m also a civilian, so getting on base to take the AFOQT would be pretty difficult for me as well.
Also, when I contacted a recruiter I received the same verbatim response as above in the text. It sounds to me, a lot of recruiters don’t want to waste any of their time on “officer applicants”.
So I’ll ask again: How do I schedule the AFOQT?
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@Randy_N Unfortunately there isn’t one central place to schedule the AFOQT (that would be way too efficient/logical for the AF), so the options you have available differ location to location. In other words, what do the testing locations closest to you do? Some bases may require you to go through a recruiter while others will allow you to schedule directly with the base training/education/testing department (every active duty, guard, or reserve base will have one of these). Any local universities with AFROTC programs will have ways to administer the test without a recruiter as well.
The point the post above wasn’t to say that all recruiters are bad. Some are awesome. BUT if you’re being told that you must enlist first or not getting the help you need (e.g. scheduling your AFOQT), then there are options outside of using that particular recruiter.
Keep in mind that most recruiters are looking to fill enlisted jobs/quotas (the vast majority of the military are enlisted roles). Officer positions are not their specialty, so they may be more inclined to push you towards non-pilot roles. If you’re going to work with a recruiter, you need to talk with an “Officer Accessions” recruiter.
Here’s a whole list of them for the Air Force Reserve: https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/viewer?mid=12yc_1_AFN4M-sN68UXGABLCmP4q0wQ4&ll=52.013188972488514%2C-117.05457985000001&z=4
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