Employer Focus – MAF UK
For 80 years, MAF has been flying light aircraft over jungles, mountains, swamps, and deserts. They enable more than 1,500 aid, development and mission organisations to bring medical care, emergency relief, and long-term development into isolated areas around the world.
Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF) is the world’s largest humanitarian air operator. Their pilots and personnel deliver relief workers, doctors, pastors, schoolbooks, food, medicines – everything that can only be safely and speedily delivered by air. Their faithful supporters give and pray to make this all possible.
Service-leavers and Veterans have an enviable set of options in front to them, as they make their way out of the barracks for the last time. They have a wealth of valuable transferable skills that can be applied in a wide variety of roles, plus they have the opportunity to either return home, or more excitingly, live somewhere entirely new to them. While there are safe, or pedestrian choices available, if you still haven’t shaken off either the wanderlust, or indeed your passion for service, a role with MAF UK may be for you.
If you do get to work with MAF, expect to be busy and expect to be tested. Every five minutes, an MAF aircraft takes off or lands somewhere in the over 1,000 communities they serve worldwide. All that said, expect an incredible and extremely satisfying way of life.
Sadly, words like uncertainty, unrest, poverty, inequality and disaster are more frequently used in news broadcasts now, than ever before. You can help deliver some of the answers: aid, humanity, hope and healing.
Rooted in the Military
MAF UK was founded by RAF Veterans, Stuart King and Jack Hemmings in 1945, with their earliest vision to help isolated people in the aftermath of the Second World War, using aircraft as a force for peace rather than conflict.
As anyone with a Military background will know, one of the traditions of Forces life is camaraderie. In this sense, MAF UK will provide a very familiar atmosphere of teamwork and cooperation that occurs when everyone is working towards the same mission aims, making it an ideal option for anyone who misses that aspect of their Military career.
Visit: www.maf-uk.org/working-with-maf
General overseas recruitment – your route to a role with MAF UK
Aside from pilots and engineers, other roles include IT professionals, accountants, teachers, operations and safety managers, progressing all the way up to country director positions.
Following initial interest to serve with MAF, potential candidates will be encouraged to sign up to the Enquirer’s Journey – this is a series of five emails that take candidates on a journey to find out more about MAF’s work, the kinds of teams they could work with, the selection process, and who is there to support them along the way.
Following a successful interview, MAF will give feedback and recommendations on how to progress through the formal assessment and application process, depending on the job role.
After completing satisfactory assessments, the candidate (and candidate’s family) will be assigned an agreed location and begin final preparations and joining arrangements.
Clearly, with the number and variety of roles available with MAF UK, Services-leavers and Veterans can feel confident that their Military acquired transferable skills and attributes will be of value. Just as in the Armed Forces, qualities such as leadership and attention to detail are essential to keep systems running smoothly, while communication skills can be applied in any role.
Engineering and pilot training schemes
If you’re looking to take on a specific role but don’t have the necessary experience or accreditations, you may be able to train towards them with MAF UK.
The MAF Engineer Training Scheme is a sponsored scheme to assist people with a passion for mission aviation to join MAF and serve overseas.
Successful candidates will be helped by MAF to achieve the theoretical knowledge and practical experience necessary to obtain a CAA B1 or B2 engineering licence.
The Future Pilot Programme (FPP) is a sponsored scheme to assist aspiring pilots with a passion for mission to serve overseas with MAF in the Africa or Asia-Pacific regions.
Successful candidates will be helped by MAF to achieve the theoretical knowledge and practical experience necessary to obtain a commercial pilot licence and a command instrument rating.
www.maf-uk.org/training-with-maf
Working with MAF UK
It’s clear that MAF UK is the kind of organisation that can get under the skin, as the following quotes from staff demonstrate:
“For me, the most rewarding bit is knowing that despite my job being behind the scenes, it’s just making that difference. So, without me, the plane wouldn’t be maintained, it wouldn’t be flying and it wouldn’t be having an impact.”
Manager Continued Airworthiness (former Chief Engineer), Mark Newnham
“It’s just great to be able to work alongside the local staff and being able to pass on some of my knowledge to help develop the teams. Getting a plane in the sky isn’t a straightforward operation. It involves all sorts of people. There’s the pilots and engineers. There are so many people in the background.”
Finance Manager in Kenya, Ken Brown
“As an engineer, I saw how every bolt and wire kept our planes flying to save lives. Now, as a country director, I see the bigger picture of how those flights transform communities.”
Former MAF Engineer and current MAF Kenya County Director, Susan Kigen-Kolum
For further information visit: www.maf-uk.org
