The Tattoo and the Deadline
A candidate is applying to join as aircrew. She has passed the aptitude testing and interview and has a medical booked in three weeks. During a pre-medical chat with the recruiting sergeant she mentions a tattoo on her right forearm: a 12 cm design of a bird with a small motto underneath, done two years ago and fully healed. She also has a small tattoo behind her left ear, about 3 cm, which she had done six months ago. The recruiting sergeant is unsure whether tattoos affect eligibility, whether the recent one matters, and whether she should disclose them on the form. She is anxious because she has already told her employer she is leaving. The role involves wearing short-sleeved uniform in some settings and full flying kit in others. The sergeant has a copy of the current policy but has not read the tattoo section recently.
1. What should the recruiting sergeant do, and why is 'say nothing and hope' the wrong approach?
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The sergeant should check the current written policy on tattoos and then advise the candidate to disclose both tattoos accurately on the medical/eligibility paperwork. The wrong approach is to stay silent: undisclosed tattoos discovered later can undermine the candidate's credibility, trigger a review or discharge, and waste the candidate's time and the service's training investment. Disclosure also allows the medical officer to assess the recent tattoo (six months old) for healing and any infection risk, which is a separate question from appearance policy. The sergeant should not guess the rule from memory; tattoo rules change and vary by service and role, including rules about size, visibility in uniform, and location. The sergeant's job is to give accurate, current information, not to make the eligibility decision personally. The candidate should also be told that the outcome may be a straightforward clearance, a request for the tattoo to be covered, or in some cases a bar to that role, and that she should not resign from her job until eligibility is confirmed.
2. The candidate asks whether the six-month-old tattoo behind her ear could delay her medical. Explain the relevant considerations.
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Two separate issues apply. First, healing and infection risk: a tattoo is a wound, and recent tattoos carry a small risk of local infection or reaction; medical policy often requires a healing period before a tattoo is considered settled, so a six-month-old tattoo may or may not fall inside that window depending on the current rule. The medical officer should inspect it for redness, swelling, discharge or reaction. Second, appearance and location policy: a tattoo behind the ear may be visible or not depending on hair and uniform, and location rules (e.g. restrictions on face, neck and head tattoos) may be stricter than for arms. The sergeant should not promise a timeline. The honest advice is: disclose it, attend the medical, let the medical officer assess healing and apply the current policy, and be prepared for the possibility of a short deferral if healing or policy requires it. The forearm tattoo, being older and healed, is likely the simpler issue, but its size and visibility in short sleeves still need to be checked against policy.