"Campaigner- I dislike conflict so will always try to diffuse a situation first.Influencer- this one surprised me. I don’t consider myself to be very influential, but if you lead by example, you perhaps do it without realising.Manager- I agree with this! Planning ahead is my preferred way of working. I am usually very organised, sometimes down to the smallest detail."

"At the moment I am the Deputy Senior Air Traffic Controller (the deputy Boss!) at my control tower. The airfield I work at is one of the busiest military units in the UK and we support the basic flying training of the RAF’s newest pilots. My days are very varied and I love controlling aircraft When it is busy- you get such a feeling of satisfaction. You also rely heavily on your fellow controllers so the whole unit is a close-knit team. Direct entrant RAF officers in ground branches (ie. non-flying) are all paid the same at the beginning of their careers. Your pay then increases every year up to a maximum level in each rank. Officer Cadet salary is £26-27,000 per year, paid from the beginning of training."

"When I was still at school I had decided I wanted to join the RAF. I learnt about RAF scholarship and bursary schemes from school visits and applied for a Sixth Form Scholarship when I was 16. Lucky enough to receive that scholarship, I then applied for a University Bursary which would contribute to the costs of living at university, and guaranteed a place in Officer training when I graduated. I was also selected to receive the bursary and joined the RAf F in July 2012 just a month after my final university exam.As I was first applying to the RAF, I was not sure exactly what job I wanted to do, just that I wanted to join and be an Officer. I eventually decided on Air Traffic Control, which required me to pass some aptitude tests to be selected. These tests covered skills such as spatial awareness, maths and multi-tasking among others.Once I had completed Officer training I started my Air Traffic Control course. It was a challenge, learning what felt like a whole new language and so many rules, but I loved it. I am approaching the end of my second posting now and have worked at several airfields, including a deployment to the Falkland Islands. The beauty of being in the RAF is that you can also select jobs which do not fall within your specialisation. I hope that for my next posting I can do something different to Air Traffic Control so I keep learning and developing as a person and Officer."

"Outside of work I love going to the gym and distance running. I only took up regular running after I joined the RAF because there were such good opportunities to get involved with sport. At the moment I live in my own house with my husband and cat, because I live close enough to base that I can commute daily. However that may well change in the future depending on future postings!At work, I have a reputation for being the One that always gets dressed up for social occasions! As I wear uniform every day it’s nice to put on something fancy at the weekend."

"I work shifts so my start time at work varies. If I can find time for a workout before work I will get up early to squeeze it in.On arrival at work the first stop is the briefing room, where controllers read all the notices for the day and sign for any new orders. Then I check in with the shift Supervisor to see what time I am required to be on console and where. Each controller in the room does a different job within the team and we rotate round throughout the day. Usually we will do 60-90 minutes of controlling between breaks to ensure we stay focussed. Sometimes the weather affects flying, especially if it is very windy or the visibility is poor, but you can be sure on a sunny day they will make up for it! That is what makes the days so varied.Every few weeks, we coordinate the flypasts for the graduation parades at the College across the road. It’s always a pleasure to see the Red Arrows make an appearance!"

"I took 4 A levels at my local Sixth Form college (Maths, Physics, Geography, Chemistry). In hindsight I overstretched myself taking 4, and this was reflected in my grades (BBBC) but I was lucky to be accepted by my first choice university anyway. I studied Aviation Technology with Management at the University of Leeds. I was largely interested in university for the life experience but liked the sound of the course because it sounded relevant to my future role in the RAF. "