About 1 in 25 RAF recruits have an ethnic minority background - this is many more than just a few years ago.

An official survey in 2008 found that 1 in 100 of those questioned (including those with and without ethnic minority backgrounds) said that they felt they had been discriminated against 'on the grounds of race'.

You are more likely to be bullied during training (by superiors or fellow trainees) if you are from an ethnic minority background (or if a woman) than if you are not. However, it is also true that you might not be bullied at all. An official survey in 2008 found that 6% of RAF recruits said they'd been bullied in the last 12 months - that's about 1 in 15 recruits.

Special exceptions to uniform rules now meet some of the religious and cultural needs of Jews, Muslims and Sikhs; halal and kosher meals and ration packs are available; time off is usually granted for religious observance; and there are now ‘chaplains’ from the Buddhist, Hindu, Jewish, Muslim and Sikh faiths.

[Sources: Adult Learning Inspectorate, 2005; Ministry of Defence Annual Report 2005-06; Armed Forces Continuous Attitude Survey, 2008]

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