My Two Homes

Four young people break down what it’s actually like to live and work in the RAF.

Often misunderstood, the RAF is an organisation that boosts talent in young people and provides countless opportunities for them around the world that just aren’t talked about.

We were invited behind the scenes with a group of young RAF personnel. To tell each of their stories, we collaborated with 4 young photographers/film-makers who documented their lives through exclusive behind the scenes access.

Visiting bases in the UK and abroad, we saw what living and working in the RAF really entailed and uncovered previously unexplored experiences and stories.

Rotimi

Engineer
Officer

Rotimi is a Mechanical Engineering graduate from the East Midlands. He loves to cook, he hits a fire jumpshot and is training to be an Aerosystems Engineer Officer. After working in London for several years, Rotimi decided to combine his passion for engineering, sport and travel, by joining the RAF.

"
The military’s just not what I thought it would’ve been, you do get your own space and you can be your own self.
"

Just like most 26 year olds, Rotimi met some of his closest mates at school and they still make time to hang out now. Flexibility on the base allows him to travel home on weekends – his friends and girlfriend visit him regularly. Now, four years into his relationship with his girlfriend, Evie, she recalls how surprised she was about how much time she can spend with him.

Basketball is a huge part of Rotimi’s life. Rotimi’s the kind of guy whose face lights up on the court – and because he loves playing so much, he’s quickly made his way into the RAF Senior Men’s Basketball team. As a member of the team he attends monthly basketball camps as well as an annual Inter-Service Tournament, where he gets to take on the Army and Navy. Hitting buckets is also a great way for Rotimi to catch up with home friends and they get together weekly to play late night hoops at their local courts.

Like many RAF personnel, his role changes vastly on any given week. Days can be anything from learning about new aircraft technology, to team building activities and RAF Basketball training. Upon completing his Engineer training this year, he aspires to return to STEM ambassadorship, alongside his job, where he will use STEM support, basketball coaching and his RAF story to teach valuable lessons about leading a positive life.

He’s a passionate and charismatic RAF role model, who is driven to inspire and educate young people around the country. In his spare time, Rotimi is working on a project with his old basketball club back home, to support and develop young people in the community.

As his phase two training comes to an end, he is close to becoming an Aerosystems Engineer Officer, managing the maintenance of state-of-the-art aircraft and technology. Confident of his future, Rotimi plans on traveling within the RAF and would like to be deployed overseas. “I just love travelling and one day I hope to get deployed overseas. When you travel, it breaks prejudices because then you understand about other peoples’ culture.”

As a keen basketball player, Rotimi wants to help take the RAF basketball team to the top of their local league and better yet, winning the championship against the Army and Navy. Looking back at his time in the RAF so far, he’s proud of himself; “Confidence, belief, resilience, the RAF has really expanded that for me. It’s made me feel like I can do things I never thought I could.”

Sophie

Dental
Nurse

Dental Nurse Sophie cheerleads, trampolines, and loves to travel. After four months in the Falklands, she now works in Cyprus.

Initially driven to check out the RAF by her mum who was in The Royal Navy and her dad who was a Royal Marine, 20 year old Sophie joined in a bid to travel the world and become a Dental Nurse. At 17, and already on a dentistry apprenticeship in college, Sophie realised she could get a higher standard of education, gain life skills and travel, all whilst getting paid - joining the RAF as a Dental Nurse was a no brainer. After failing the aptitude test first time around, Sophie put the work in to get on the competitive course.

Soon after completing her Dental Nurse training she was posted to Shawbury for two years, before working in the Falklands for four months.

"
The RAF is full of opportunities and I’ve grabbed as much as I can. I’ve visited and experienced places I would never have gone to at a young age.
"

Dental Nurse Sophie cheerleads, trampolines, and loves to travel. After four months in the Falklands, she now works in Cyprus.

"
The RAF is full of opportunities and I’ve grabbed as much as I can. I’ve visited and experienced places I would never have gone to at a young age.
"

Soon after completing her Dental Nurse training she was posted to Shawbury for two years, before working in the Falklands for four months. During those four months, she quickly ticked off lots of things on many people’s bucket lists after she went helicopter island hopping, swimming with dolphins and whale watching. Sophie joined the RAF so that she could travel as much as possible whilst learning new skills. Soon after being in the Falklands, she was posted to Cyprus. The scale of the base felt like a small town. She’s found herself in a community and a tight group of mates, who are all away from home. When her shifts are done, the picturesque coastal surroundings, beaches and local restaurants aren’t the worst place to spend her evenings.

She gets the opportunity to travel home when she is on leave and she even gets one free trip back to the UK a year on an RAF chartered Trooper (like a 737).

Ensuring RAF personnel are fit for service means every person has to have dental care, keeping Sophie’s working day ticking. From routine checks, to root canals and making dental moulds, Sophie’s training means no two days are the same in the dental practice. With a bit of experience in the NHS, Sophie has a unique perspective on her role and as a result, takes great pride in the high standard of training she’s undergone within the RAF.

Alongside her ambition to see the world while travelling, sport is a huge part of Sophie’s life; she is an avid runner, gymnast and cheerleader. She competed at national level with her cheer team back home for two years in a row and stays fit for this by using the extensive facilities on base.

As the RAF currently doesn’t have a cheer team, Sophie aims to change that, with plans to introduce the sport herself.

Home for her is the South West, a place close to her heart. She visits often, seeing friends when they’re back from university, checking in at her cheer gym and spending time with the family, including her two Dachshunds, Basil and Bertie. Walks on the hills are a big part of visiting home, often going out with her mum and sister or heading to nearby towns with friends to check out gigs and performances. With frequent visits she remains a close part of their lives. Excited for the rest of her stay in Cyprus, Sophie’s keen to keep travelling… we’ll keep an eye out for that RAF Cheerleading team.

During those four months, she quickly ticked off lots of things on many people’s bucket lists after she went helicopter island hopping, swimming with dolphins and whale watching. Sophie joined the RAF so that she could travel as much as possible whilst learning new skills. Soon after being in the Falklands, she was posted to Cyprus. The scale of the base felt like a small town. She’s found herself in a community and a tight group of mates, who are all away from home. When her shifts are done, the picturesque coastal surroundings, beaches and local restaurants aren’t the worst place to spend her evenings. She gets the opportunity to travel home when she is on leave and she even gets one free trip back to the UK a year on an RAF chartered Trooper (like a 737).

As the RAF currently doesn’t have a cheer team, Sophie aims to change that, with plans to introduce the sport herself.

Elloise

RAF
Police

Meet Elloise, sneaker collector, centre on the rugby pitch and resident RAF Police. Coming from a family with a proud Jamaican heritage, Elloise’s journey into the RAF hasn’t distanced her ties back home. Although she lives near her base, she keeps a close relationship with her whole family – Grandad in particular.

After joining the air cadets young, Elloise was exposed to the possibility of a career within the RAF. With a couple of A-levels and shift work in her local supermarket, Elloise aspired to do and be more. She always wanted to be a police officer but her options were open - military, civilian or local forces. Her father, who’s ex-army, and her hard-working mother supported and guided her towards the RAF Police, where they understood that she’d be able to work and travel - fulfilling her dreams to see as much of the world as possible.

"
I've made some really close friends whilst being in the military, that I will have for life, but I am still just as close with my civilian friends and that is awesome!
"

Beyond her day-to-day role, Elloise volunteered to join the BAME (Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic) network, who support BAME personnel and offer opportunities for individuals to train as recruiting ambassadors and department reps, utilising their stories to inspire others.

Amongst a suite of services, this includes heading to secondary schools in London to talk to young people about the paths available to them in the RAF and the RAF Police. She uses her own life story to inspire and inform young people from humble beginnings so that they know they don’t need to have straight A’s or have a uni degree to create a life for themselves the way she has in the RAF. Elloise is currently planning for her wedding in 2021, to which she plans on wearing fresh, all-white, Nike Air Max Thea's. Complex approves.

As she signed up to join, a car accident pushed her off of her chosen course. After deferring for a year to recover, she prepared to join the RAF. Four years in and she’s already travelled to every continent on the planet, including working in Singapore, America, Canada, and Cyprus. With the help of the RAF she’s bought a property with her partner/soon to be husband that she met whilst stationed in Aylesbury… she’s only 23.

Elloise’s personable and patient exterior off-duty falls in stark contrast to her in uniform and on patrol. As a member of the RAF Police, any disciplinary or criminal matters on base are under her watch. Day to day, her duties include working local cases, criminal matters, patrolling the base and she soon hopes to dive into special investigations - a part of the force shrouded in mystery to most people.

Beyond her day-to-day role, Elloise volunteered to join the BAME (Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic) network, who support BAME personnel and offer opportunities for individuals to train as recruiting ambassadors and department reps, utilising their stories to inspire others.

Tahir

Engineer
Officer

Meet Engineer Officer Tahir, a family man, with a love for speed on two wheels. He runs a team of 85 engineers; they strip, fix and rebuild the RAF’s fleet of helicopters.

Having moved to Newcastle from his native Pakistan, Tahir’s decision to join the RAF in 2015 led to his current position as an Engineer Officer. Spending much of his time in the hangar with his team, Tahir’s day-to-day is much like managers in other professions with a team that size… varied. He holds a lot of responsibility for a young man. He’s proud of the man he’s become and his family is a big part of that. Growing up, Tahir was close to his family, including his grandparents, nieces and nephews. He opted to go to university in the North East and stay involved in the family business, and although his mum was worried about him moving out to join the RAF, choosing the RAF wasn’t a huge issue for his family.

"
Working for the RAF isn't like having just one job, you're constantly moving around doing different roles and it keeps things interesting. No two-days are the same.
"

Meet Engineer Officer Tahir, a family man, with a love for speed on two wheels. He runs a team of 85 engineers; they strip, fix and rebuild the RAF’s fleet of helicopters.

"
Working for the RAF isn't like having just one job, you're constantly moving around doing different roles and it keeps things interesting. No two-days are the same.
"

He opted to go to university in the North East and stay involved in the family business, and although his mum was worried about him moving out to join the RAF, choosing the RAF wasn’t a huge issue for his family.

He and his wife’s biggest challenge to overcome has been living away from their families, but Tahir tells us his colleagues’ warmth to them both puts a smile on his face. They often visit home where catching up with family is first on the agenda and they regularly visit his local Mosque too.

Joining the RAF as a practising Muslim, Tahir’s experience doesn’t fit the misperceptions that his family were wary of when he started. His wife recalls being unsure of how freely he’d be able to practice his faith in the RAF, but this all changed when he signed up. Halal ration packs in training were one of the many things that surprised him, as well as being able to pray in uniform. The RAF’s respect and encouragement of his religion allows him to share his pride in the uniform with his community too.

When he isn’t at home or working with his team, you can find Tahir in the gym. His love/hate relationship with working out recently made him want to take on boxing. He immediately received a plan of boxing sessions and free access to the gym on base, something he intends to take full advantage of.

Tahir has come a long way in his time in the RAF already and is enjoying every step of his journey.

He and his wife’s biggest challenge to overcome has been living away from their families, but Tahir tells us his colleagues’ warmth puts a smile on his face. They often visit home where catching up with family is first on the agenda and they regularly visit his local Mosque too.

Joining the RAF as a practising Muslim, Tahir’s experience doesn’t fit the misconceptions that his family were wary of when he started. His wife recalls being unsure of how freely he’d be able to practice his faith in the RAF, but this all changed when he signed up. Halal ration packs in training were one of the many things that surprised him, as well as being able to pray in uniform.

The RAF’s respect and encouragement of his religion allows him to share his pride in the uniform with his community too.

When he isn’t at home or working with his team, you can find Tahir in the gym. His love/hate relationship with working out recently made him want to take on boxing. He immediately received a plan of boxing sessions and free access to the gym on base, something he intends to take full advantage of.

Tahir has come a long way in his time in the RAF already and is enjoying every step of his journey.

Creative Partner
@LivityUK

RAF Personnel
Sophie, Dental Nurse
Rotimi, Engineer Officer
Elloise, RAF Police
Tahir, Engineer Officer

Photographers
Lewis Khan
Nina Manandhar
Sabb Adams

My Two Homes Film
Director: Stella Scott
Executive Producer: Lucy Kelly
Producer: David French
Production Manager: Ria Hanish-Oakes
Director of Photography: Anika Summerson
Focus Puller: Darren Ladbury
Clapper Loader: Lydia Stott
Sound Recordist: Dafydd Mann / Ricky Barber
Editor: Ruth Hegarty @ The Assembly Rooms
Colourist: Faith Millin Colour
Sound Designer: Simon Little
Composer: Laurie Ross

A Pulse Films production