Resettlement success
Forces: Royal Air Force
Stephen F - Flight Sergeant
"Go for it, the transition from military to civilian life is fun!"
Ex-Flight Sergeant Stephen Fiddes left the RAF in February 2016, having served for 24 years specialising in logistics/movements. When asked which aspects of military life he most enjoyed, he simply says: “all of it!”
With just under a year to go before discharge, Stephen begun his resettlement with a three day Career Transition Workshop (CTW) at RRC Tidworth.. The workshop aims to help Service leavers identify and evaluate the skills and qualities they have gained during their time in the Services, and then to develop their self-marketing material in order to stand out in the job market.
Stephen found the workshop particularly beneficial in helping develop his CV writing skills and interview preparation techniques, with valuable tips on how to translate his military experience for a civilian employer. During the CTW, Stephen also met with his personal career consultant to discuss his future plans, and identified several potential areas for employment post-discharge.
With personal training being one such option, Stephen made use of his IRTC grant to attend the CTP’s Level 4 Master Personal Trainer course in Manchester. The five week course included a range of modules designed to prepare attendees for employment or self-employment within the personal training industry, and Stephen completed the course with a Level 4 Diploma to boost his CV.
Keeping his options open, it was when browsing through the Civil Service jobs website that Stephen came across his current role with the MoD’s Joint Casualty and Compassionate Centre (JCCC). The role instantly appealed, and Stephen is now working as a Casualty and Compassionate Caseworker. The JCCC manages British armed forces casualties and compassionate cases 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year, and Stephen cites all of his experience in the RAF as great preparation for the role.
When asked what advice he would give to other Service leavers, he says, “Go for it, the transition from military to civilian life is fun!”
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