Joining the regular British Army?

sunnyjim

A few lads have mentioned how they were brought abroad to visit different corps/regs etc.

How did you all get these?

kermit_ie

sunnyjim wrote: »

A few lads have mentioned how they were brought abroad to visit different corps/regs etc.

How did you all get these?

Regimental Visits are part of the application process.

sunnyjim

I see. So lets say, if one was to apply to the RAC, with the intention of becoming an officer, it would be part of the process?

iwishicould

sunnyjim wrote: »

I see. So lets say, if one was to apply to the RAC, with the intention of becoming an officer, it would be part of the process?

Yes, after your first interview your Careers Officer will ask you what corps/reg you are interested in. Shortly after you'll get a letter from RAC for example inviting you over for a couple days to see what it's like being in Armoured Corps. After that you get to go to a particular reg for a more indepth look. If the reg is happy with your attitude they will sponser you through sandhurst, which means that when you graduate you will have a position in that particular reg.
Also just before Sandhurst you usually get to spend 2/3weeks with the reg/corps that sponsered you. You'll shadow a troop/platoon commander and spend time working with them to see what life is like.

I've been to Infantry and Signal Corps so far, by end of the year I'll also get to RAC, RE, and the Paras. Each visit is different, all looking for particular mental and physical qualities. Aswell as being able to drink lots in the mess and have a laugh!

sunnyjim

Cheers mate. Seriously giving this a thought.

Anything I should do in the meantime? Besides apply that is

iwishicould

sunnyjim wrote: »

Cheers mate. Seriously giving this a thought.

Anything I should do in the meantime? Besides apply that is

get fit if you're not. need a minimum 10.2 on the bleep test. If you don't have access to bleep test then do 1.5mile run in under 10mins and you'll be sorted. Need minimum of 50situps in 2mins and 44 pressups in 2mins. Aim for 70 and 60 respectively and you'll be fine.

Aside from that just apply. When you meet the careers officer in Belfast he'll fill in the gaps and tell you what to work on mentally. Apply through the BA website if you want, that's how I done it. Armyjobs website, and look for applying for an information pack. It's hidden abit in the site for International applicants so dig around abit.

best of luck!

Nam_Man

Royal Irish Guards

piby

There's been a lot of talk of the BA and RM and I don't want to go off topic too much but anyone looked at the RAF, with the exception of RAFR? It does appeal to me a lot, the lifestyle, the jobs etc. the only problem is the longer commission which is 6 years upon appointment as opposed to 3 for the BA (This is a big deal for me as there is another career in my mind that I want to do after or if I do any military service but you do need to start it reasonably young). Although this is something I'll just have to think about myself :rolleyes:

Anyway back to the BA! Most of you seem to be interested in combat careers which is grand but I'm looking at other options particularly the RCS. If iwishicould is around I read your bit about the two Sigs officers. Otherwise how was the regimental visit? You still giving the Sigs thought? Another one is the Intelligence Corps which are quite confusing! Do they have officer positions anyone know?

Any info/feedback appreciated and hopefully I'm asking more specific questions so that people dont feel like they're repeating things

Dub13

I could be wrong but I think the Intelligence Corps only take UK citizens.

piby

I could be wrong but I think the Intelligence Corps only take UK citizens.

You can join as a soldier even if you're Irish if you've lived in UK for 10 years. There's just no info on officer careers. In any case I'm a British citizen so that shouldn't be a problem.

sunnyjim

That 'living in england for a set time' rule is often overlooked, especially in times when they are trying to get people in the door.

Am I mad to go for this?

iwishicould

piby wrote: »

Anyway back to the BA! Most of you seem to be interested in combat careers which is grand but I'm looking at other options particularly the RCS. If iwishicould is around I read your bit about the two Sigs officers. Otherwise how was the regimental visit? You still giving the Sigs thought? Another one is the Intelligence Corps which are quite confusing! Do they have officer positions anyone know?

The visit was great, although we didn't get to see as much kit as I wanted, there was just too little time. The thing that sticks out with the Sigs compared to Infantry is that there is more choice of jobs than an Infantry Officer. You could be stationed in BATUS in Canada providing comms excerises, in Belize training sigs operators, in Nepal with Gurkha signals, Florida with USCENTCOM, Germany, Iraq, Afghaniston, NI, Cyprus, Kosovo etc
Basically if you want to get around, the sigs have a high chance of sending you abroad attached/in charge of a Troop that could be as small as 10 or as big as 50 soldiers.
You could be given a bunch of landrovers and sent in to barren afghanistan to pick up taliban comms, become attached to parachute reg or royal marines as signals officer.
I'm still very much interested. If I pass selection in August I will get to spend 2/3weeks attached to a troop or squadron to see how they work. And this is all before I even enter Sandhurst!

Int Corps have Officer positions but I was told to wait until I finished selection until I attended a visit. They are very picky and even they're visit is supposed to have some tough tests for you.

Anymore info just ask or pm.

iwishicould

sunnyjim wrote: »

Am I mad to go for this?

No, you're not the first one. Think of it that way.

Fratton Fred

piby wrote: »

There's been a lot of talk of the BA and RM and I don't want to go off topic too much but anyone looked at the RAF, with the exception of RAFR? It does appeal to me a lot, the lifestyle, the jobs etc. the only problem is the longer commission which is 6 years upon appointment as opposed to 3 for the BA (This is a big deal for me as there is another career in my mind that I want to do after or if I do any military service but you do need to start it reasonably young). Although this is something I'll just have to think about myself :rolleyes:

The training you can get in the RAF is a lot different to the other forces. My cousin trained as an air frame technician and although he didn't really travel that much (He requested RAF Leuchars, got it and apart from the odd jaunt around the UK stayed there for 6 years), he did end up working in Saudi for BAE and made a few quid out there though.

it took three years or four years to train him as a tecnician, god knows how long for a pilot, so I guess they sign you up for longer to get some return on their investment.

Poccington

sunnyjim wrote: »

That 'living in england for a set time' rule is often overlooked, especially in times when they are trying to get people in the door.

Am I mad to go for this?

Mad for wanting a good and highly rewarding career?

Not at all.

junder

Interesting thread, i never knew there was so many people from the RoI interested in joining the British Army, For those of you that have joined how do you get threated over the border, are your familys ok with it, You must get alot of abuse from what i call free state ultra republicans (ie those members of sinn fein who are from the RoI and have never seen a 'brit' let alone been to northern ireland but still go on like they were part of the 'struggle')

uptherebels

junder wrote: »

You must get alot of abuse from what i call free state ultra republicans (ie those members of sinn fein who are from the RoI and have never seen a 'brit' let alone been to northern ireland but still go on like they were part of the 'struggle')

i hear people call them barstool provos.

iwishicould

junder wrote: »

Interesting thread, i never knew there was so many people from the RoI interested in joining the British Army, For those of you that have joined how do you get threated over the border, are your familys ok with it, You must get alot of abuse from what i call free state ultra republicans (ie those members of sinn fein who are from the RoI and have never seen a 'brit' let alone been to northern ireland but still go on like they were part of the 'struggle')

Since nobody has answered I'll give a blurb. I'm not in (yet) but those that I have mentioned to that I am joining have given me mixed responses from "well done, best of luck, fully behind you" to "it's your life I guess" to "you're bloody mad".
None have been anti-brit atall. It's more of why would you want to go to frontline afghanistan? That's the hardest question to answer. It's something I want/need to see. No one can understand it but myself (and other potential/current soldiers). Hardest thing is convincing someone that going to war is something you're prepared to do, and dare I say it WANT to do.

Hope that makes some sort of sense.

backonceagain

I have my last interview at 2pm today(its 1 30 am right now :P) It's called interview 2 and 3 because you have one official interview concerning your desire to be in the B.A and about your life thus far. And the other is a brief run down with your recruiter about how happy you are with the situation as it stands(if your happy with your job choice,you have been given enough info, you know your training dates etc) I'm nervous as ****ing **** right now,but the shoes are shining, the suit is pressed and ready to go and all my piercings have been removed with minimal collateral damage to my face!

Wish me luck anyway, I'll write up how everything went and if anyone else is interested I'll let you all know how I got to where I am from start to finish.

DILLIGAF....aka backonceagain

Dub13

Good luck,hope it all goes well.Please do let us know how you get on.

CZ 453

Hey lads.I rang belfast army barracks the other day for an information pack after being directed to do so by careers portal on the website.Anyway when i rang,the operator(soldier/recruiter) was in shock to hear my real irish name and where i was from!!!Ha.So he told me to ring portadown barracks and when i did the guy on the phone there was as surprised.But he couldnt tell me ring any barracks more south so he had to take my details!!!Hoping for officer entry but im not too sure on the irish equivalent for results and experience???

iwishicould

shezer wrote: »

Hey lads.I rang belfast army barracks the other day for an information pack after being directed to do so by careers portal on the website.Anyway when i rang,the operator(soldier/recruiter) was in shock to hear my real irish name and where i was from!!!Ha.So he told me to ring portadown barracks and when i did the guy on the phone there was as surprised.But he couldnt tell me ring any barracks more south so he had to take my details!!!Hoping for officer entry but im not too sure on the irish equivalent for results and experience???

PM sent.

RugbyFanatic

backonceagain wrote: »

I have my last interview at 2pm today(its 1 30 am right now :P) It's called interview 2 and 3 because you have one official interview concerning your desire to be in the B.A and about your life thus far. And the other is a brief run down with your recruiter about how happy you are with the situation as it stands(if your happy with your job choice,you have been given enough info, you know your training dates etc) I'm nervous as ****ing **** right now,but the shoes are shining, the suit is pressed and ready to go and all my piercings have been removed with minimal collateral damage to my face!

Wish me luck anyway, I'll write up how everything went and if anyone else is interested I'll let you all know how I got to where I am from start to finish.

DILLIGAF....aka backonceagain

How you get on mate?

backonceagain

Alright lads,

Well I'm pleased to say that the interviews went swimmingly.

I arrived in Enniskillen 20 minutes prior to my interview time and was picked up by the man who would be conducting the first of the two interviews.

Interesting enough he is from Tallafornia with a thick dublin accent, kind of puts me at ease right from the start because I felt as though he would relate to my background and if nothing else, my desire to join the B.A would be a mutual feeling.

Taking a step back, I initially requested an information pack from the B.A website, filling in all the details I could in relation to Ireland to see if the computer would, "say yes"....

And it did, 2 weeks later I had my info pack(but no dvd sadly,but I have one now if any one really wants it I can post it to ya)
I had the barb booklet and another larger brochure detailing some of the army careers out there, but there are many many sub booklets available for every single trade and career path so if you want more info be sure to grab a few at a recruiting office.

Anyway I mulled over the idea for a while before looking any further into it. I was given the URL of an excellent british army forum, with many serving,vet and potential soldiers all sharing information and helping eachother out. After my first post there I was PM'd with the numbers of several barracks up north to ring. I was even given the name of the recruiter to speak to and the soldier who spoke to him told me to quote his screen name to hurry things along.

He offered to call me back almost immediately to have a longer chat and discuss my options. He set a date for my BARB test,which to my memory was 2 weeks from that point. I agreed and before I knew it was on my up. I arrived and was, as always, picked up from the station and brought to the centre. Here I was briefed on what the BARB test was, asked to fill in another couple of forms(nothing special, just background info,name,addy,some details on your parents etc) and then I was given an interview. I was asked about my job choices and my reasons for choosing those jobs. I was asked about tattoos(of which I have a good few, you can pm me if you want more info on this) and then finally taken to the BARB test room. My height and weight was checked also.

The BARB test will be done in a small room by yourself with no distractions. The screen is a 17" monitor that is touch screen and has decent reaction, so you should lose valuable seconds if the screen isn't responding to the thump of your index finger. The test itself is quite simple and every question can be answered correctly, however, if you answer every question correctly but take too long, you may score considerably less then if you answer a couple wrong but in a much faster time. I didn't waste any time, if my mind went blank I just prodded an answer to move things along.

WHat they DON'T tell you about is after you have finished the BARB test(google it for more information maybe even a PDF of the booklet they send you to prepare) is that you will also get a literacy and numeracy test afterwards. This is not a pass or fail test like the BARB, it's more of an insight into your ability in these areas. It's not "ann has 1 apple, barry has 4, if barry gives ann 2 apples how many babies will they have" kind of questions.

As far as I remember, one question was an audio file played to you,giving several dates and times and amounts, it was like a business man who was leaving a message for his secretary. "Hi I'll be in town a little later than expected, instead of the 11th of may it will be the 2nd of June. That means you will have to reorganize the meeting I have with Barry on the 12th" etc etc. Afterwards your asked a series of questions about what you just heard.

The maths questions were pretty basic. But brush up on your percentages, decimals and fractions beforehand, because if your like me and have not practiced these kind of problems since the leaving cert, then you might find yourself stumped.

I finished the BARB and was once again taken to my recruiters office. There we discussed my results and I was given my job choices. I was offered 100 or so jobs, based on my LC results and my BARB score. Had I scored slightly less I could have been offered as little as 60 jobs(AS LITTLE AS 60 JOBS,sure I can't even get 1 measly job in this country any more haha)
The royal engineers are a very popular choice because you will get qualifications that are very well respected and recognized, but if I wanted to be an engineer,I'd be in college, so when I saw that my job preferences of Army Air Corp, Tank Crewman, MLRS Operator and some other Royal Sigs and Intel jobs where there, I was sold. We talked about a few and he gave me lots of information and booklets to read.

We then went over my medical forms which I would need to return in order to further my application. These are basically, is there anything major that is wrong with your health at present or in the past. If so what is it, what treatment you received and how is it at present. This is going to either prove to be no problem or a big problem. I needed my immunization records from when I was a kid so they know what shots I have had.(I've had **** all by the way not even the BCG,Grandad and Mam were chemists and this was a big no-no in our family,nevermind) but they will give you anything they feel they need you to have,you just need documents to prove what you did have. I got mine by one phonecall to the HSE in my area. I had an eye exam(free on the PRSI) and got her to write up a short letter with my results.I also had to get a reference done, I chose my old boss who is also a long term friend and someone who understands my desire to be in the military.

After some more discussion I knew the ball was in my court and I wouldn't be hearing from them until I had returned these forms, so keep that in mind,it's up to you.

He brought me to the hotel they had booked and paid for, I gave my name, went to room and read through all the stuff they gave me. They really have a great service and never leave you swinging.

After I had all the information needed for my medical forms I sent them,via registered post(I purposely delayed returning them by 5-6 months so I could continue to train and enjoy the summer before going) A week after I had posted the documents, I rang the office, to see if they were received. He had just sent them that morning to belfast to be reviewed so I thought it might take a while. He rang me later that day to say they were just cleared and we then arranged a day for the meeting I had yesterday,which was 2 weeks from the day.

I went up yesterday, in my suit and shining shoes. I was picked up from the station and brought to the barracks. Here I met the Sergeant I had previously dealt with, and the other Sergeant, who both approached me and shook my hand(always keep a firm handshake lads) I went straight to the office I was to have my interview in, offered water or the use of the bathroom, and we proceeded. It was basically an insight into my life so far, who I am, where I am from, what my relationship with my family and friends is like,what kind of friends I have,my hobbies and interests,my reasons for wanting to join,my reservations about joining,what jobs I wanted,my view on drugs and politics(ie, what do I think of essentially being trained to kill) etc. It's not something you can prepare for asuch, BUT, be true to yourself. Ask yourself these questions right now, and if you can't answer them completely or with assurance, then maybe your not ready yet,but maybe you are but can't express yourself properly so just work on it regardless. After about an hour he went and I met with the other Sergeant who asked me how I was about everything so far. He offered my next dates...

2 weeks from now,on the 14th, I have my ADCS weekend(the fitness test) It's in Belfast, I'm in Mayo. I'll be going to Enniskillin the day before, where they have a room booked and paid for. I'll be collected the next morning and brought to Belfast. There I'll stay for one night, and completing the fitness test the next morning.The day itself is filled with activity of different kinds but I'll wait till I've been there before I say what it's like. If I pass these tests(overall body fitness and strength tests and a 1.5 mile run) Then I have been informed that I would be starting basic training on the 25th in either Pirbright or Winchester, in the south of england.

I think that's everything. If you have any questions then fire ahead...

minidazzler

What is the shortest period of time from initial phone call to Entering Training in your Opinion?

Judgement Day

Before rushing to join the British Army you would be well advised to get yourself a copy of the book detailed below. From what several friends in the services tell me it is fairly accurate and I think anyone who reads British newspaper reports on the subject of army deployments in Afghanistan and Iraq should see the reality. The British Govt. still likes to behave like a World Power but is not prepared to pay for the privilege. My mother and her brother both served in HM forces so I'm not against it on principle but do you really want to go to war ill equipped to do the job?

LIONS, DONKEYS AND DINOSAURS WASTE AND BLUNDERING IN THE MILITARY: \N (ISBN: 0099484420)
PAGE, LEWIS




Book Description: ARROW BOOKS LTD Country = UNITED KINGDOM, 2007. Paperback. Book Condition: BRAND NEW PAPERBACK. NEW ED. 400 pages. (\N) Exposes the scandalous state of British armed forces: how British soldiers are sent off to war with some of the worst guns around, how the MOD keeps financing useless toys, and how decisions seem to be made with an eye for the interests of British Aerospace. Edition NEW ED (Paperback).




Try Abebooks.com for a copy

iwishicould

backonceagain wrote: »

Alright lads,

Well I'm pleased to say that the interviews went swimmingly.

....

I think that's everything. If you have any questions then fire ahead...

Just to say well done mate. I wish you the best of luck in your career. It's a big step to take and I hope you achieve everything you wish for.

uptherebels

backonceagain wrote: »

some details on your parents

what did they want to know about your parents

iwishicould

Judgement Day wrote: »

but do you really want to go to war ill equipped to do the job?

To anyone who's "rushing off" to join the BA please take the above with a pinch of salt. There's more to the BA than war. They are equipped appropriately the majority of the time. Like any army they do fall short of supplies but remember soldiers win battles, not equipment.

Before you join the BA you will see the kit for yourselves up close and talk to the soldiers and officers who use them so you can decide for yourself if they are as prepared as they should be.

backonceagain

Judgement Day wrote: »

Before rushing to join the British Army you would be well advised to get yourself a copy of the book detailed below.:

There are many books out there that I would suggest that anyone read if they are going to embark on any career. The B.A have been busy with conflicts all over the world for many years under current leadership. All budgets are being stretched and equipment is always going to be an issue. The training you receive will never fluctuate. You need to be prepared in many ways,and of course educating yourself on the current climate is one of them. But know that in the long run your there for more reasons than whats in your kit bag.

iwishicould wrote: »

Just to say well done mate. I wish you the best of luck in your career. It's a big step to take and I hope you achieve everything you wish for.

thanks very much mate, I've never been so excited about anything in my life like I am with this. I've had college life, and some great jobs in interesting sectors,but this is it for me,has been for years.

uptherebels wrote: »

what did they want to know about your parents

They asked what they do and what age they were etc. My dad served in the Irish Navy for around 18 years(idiot for leaving imo....) so they were pretty interested in that. Nothing major really,just to get an idea of where your coming from. But having your parents DOB with you at the first meeting of the for the BARB is important.I had to call my sister for details so I could fill the form.

iwishicould wrote: »

To anyone who's "rushing off" to join the BA please take the above with a pinch of salt. There's more to the BA than war. They are equipped appropriately the majority of the time. Like any army they do fall short of supplies but remember soldiers win battles, not equipment.

Before you join the BA you will see the kit for yourselves up close and talk to the soldiers and officers who use them so you can decide for yourself if they are as prepared as they should be.

What he said! ^^

minidazzler wrote: »

What is the shortest period of time from initial phone call to Entering Training in your Opinion?

From what I gather, you can be in as quickly as 6 weeks if your inquiry falls at a time when the ADSC and phase 1 training facilities are accepting new recruits. But they'll do things quick if your punctual will things on your end.

CZ 453

Did you apply to be an officer?Do you have a cert or something from college?When do you have to decide your field by?

Dub13

I hope you lads don't forget us once you are in,regular updates would be great if you could.

Poccington

Well done backonceagain.

Get stuck in and ****ing enjoy it lad.

backonceagain

shezer wrote: »

Did you apply to be an officer?Do you have a cert or something from college?When do you have to decide your field by?

No mate, to be honest I looked into that route and it all seemed a bit long winded and when I just want to get out there and start training without too many classrooms, it seemed like a good idea to just go straight in for the army with the rest of 'um.

Dub13 wrote: »

I hope you lads don't forget us once you are in,regular updates would be great if you could.

Damn right mate, cheers for all your help too, arrse has been a big part in my transition to joining

Poccington wrote: »

Well done backonceagain.

Get stuck in and ****ing enjoy it lad.

thanks poccington, ill keep updates coming when I get the chance to let ye know how it's all going. 'Fear Naught'

CZ 453

oh right.best of luck bud

Leadership

I joined the British army and had a great craic, spent 17 years there in total and reached the rank of Captain in the Royal Engineers.

I started as private in 1987 and worked my way up the ranks. At the time the IRA were quite busy so there was always a weariness about me from other soldiers but that faded as the years went on. I ended up in a unit that was 40% Irish nationals and we were treated like crap. We did the most guard duties, the most DRO's (pan bashing & spud peeling) and spent most weekends working. That lasted about a year and the unit was disbanded but I can say that I never witnessed treatment like that again.

After the first gulf war we were generally accepted, a few comments after a few beers from time but nothing you cannot laugh off. You will get the nick name "Paddy" or "bog hopper" or similar but again in the British army if you are different in any way you are branded for your career, like if you have red hair you will be "ginge" or "Gwar" at the amusement to the rest of the unit.

The training is second to none, the opportunities for trades is great. I started life as a Fitter repairing heavy plant machinery but soon specialised in bomb disposal and loved it. The extra few quid from the dangerous role helped as well as pay is not the best.

See the world, I have been on every continent on the planet including the Arctic and Antarctic. Ok much of it was crap when on operations but the odd trip to Belize, Kenya, Cyprus in between was worth every bad trip.

Have fun and keep an open mind, only advice for training is to work on stamina as you will be getting "beasted" carrying water jerry cans up and down hills all through your career but believe me its all worth it in the end.

Oh and being Irish you are now entitled to an extra few days leave per year for travelling! Bonus!

Good luck and have fun!

CZ 453

Hi there.What did you have to do to change from nco to captain and how long did it take for this to happen?thanks

Leadership

My Career went something like this

3 years - LCPL
6 Years - CPL
8 Years - Sgt
12 Years - SSGT
13 Years - Late entry Officer training Sandhurst
14 Years - Captain

If you join as a Tom (private) then there are many options open to become an officer. Basically these start once to completed a JNCO Cardre and if you score high on leadership and come in the top 5 or so you will almost be fast tracked through the promotion courses. If after you have completed the cardre then you can apply at any point to become an officer. Below Corporal you will attend the same selection as a standard officer candidate but with real military experience you will stand head and shoulders above most of the other candidates. Most of the respected officers I came across went this route. If selected you will start day 1 of the officer training as if you just joined the army so its back to basic training. If you go for it after reaching Corporal then you do not have to do the basic training at Sandhurst but you will still be commissioned as a 2nd LT.

My route was to become a SNCO and I was selected for late entry which means I was on a much smaller less intense course and I was commissioned as a Captain. This is a tough route as by then you have to have attended Section commanders cardre, SNCO Cardre etc and these are not easy and take years to achieve.

Its strange pledging your elegance to Queen being an Irish Citizen and by then I had a British Passport.

Keep your Irish passport up to date!!!!!!!! There was a situation I got into by being taken hostage in Rowanda (& Bosnia once) and if I didnt show them an Irish passport I guess I would not be around to tell the story.

CZ 453

Thanks buddy.Thats some real helpful info.

Poccington

backonceagain wrote: »

thanks poccington, ill keep updates coming when I get the chance to let ye know how it's all going. 'Fear Naught'

Just remember, no matter they do to you they can't kill ya.... And everything ends eventually

Leadership

NOTE FOR OFFICER ROUTE!!!!

Lads the scenario I gave for becoming an officer only work in certain Corp's.

For instance it will work in the Royal Signals, Royal Engineers or basically any support arm. It can become more difficult in certain infantry regiments like the Guards regiments or any historic regiment (private school & daddies old regiment for instance), Cavalry is nearly impossible with out connections as well due to the history but units like the marines or para's are ok.

If you have a degree its fairly easy if its a trade related for instance mechanical engineering would get you straight into the REME as an officer, IT related for Signals and Civil for Royal engineers and any old degree wil help you walk into the infantry.

Last point, do not get rail roaded by the recruiters, have an idea what you want to do and stick to it. They get bonuses for recruiting into certain less glamourous units.

kermit_ie

Isn't the Adj of a Regiment usually a former WO, commissioned as a Capt?

Leadership

kermit_ie wrote: »

Isn't the Adj of a Regiment usually a former WO, commissioned as a Capt?

They are quite often ex WO's, they are also QM's or regimental 2ic's.

foxhoundone

good luck lads, i served 12 yrs in the artillary great mates an good crack, got a lot of usful certificates. HGV 1. track lic.{handy if u join a preservation club}alsorts of medals an regtimental colours for shooting {even got to BISLEY}as for being a{paddy} in the BA
i found that i trained harder, learned more an generally was above average so i made my name an earned respect, the irish man in BA has a lot to live upto an albeit there are some badons u just rise above it and shame them on every aspect .
also under THE SOILDIERS COVENANT, depending on your discharge grade, if you decide to join any govt branch{ie fire brgd, police nhs post office ect} ypu automaticly get higher points for service renderd . an great backup system if you fall on hard times.

redsurfer

hi all

i thinks of joining the british army as a officer and was wondering if anyone out there can give me some info.

i have 4 hounor not 5 as there web page is looking for, is there any way around this or can you join the ranks and get a fast track way to become a officer

CZ 453

I checked this out only recently.Same as yourself i have no 5 honours subject!It is very hard to be fast tracked to be an officer when you join as a soldier!You must be selected by another officer and still pass a selection board

Leadership

redsurfer wrote: »

i have 4 hounor not 5 as there web page is looking for, is there any way around this or can you join the ranks and get a fast track way to become a officer

Through the ranks is tougher, you have to prove yourself and be in the top 10% of your intake, JNCO Cadre etc.

Another more realistic option is to try for AGC, RLC etc. What is your degree in? If its IT then the Signals, Construction the Engineers and so on.

redsurfer

thanks for the info

the_syco

DILLIGAF wrote: »

All I say to someone that asks why I would fight for the queen,is to remind them that working in a supermarket and spending fri-sun getting sloshed isn't exactly serving their country either. So my patriotism(or lack there of) is not an issue and I would hope it wouldn't be an issue within my unit either.

LOL. Nice come back.

You going to join the Irish in the British army? There was a thread a few months back about it.

/me notices the date that this was posted

/me relieases said post is probably forward a few pages

Leadership

shezer wrote: »

I checked this out only recently.Same as yourself i have no 5 honours subject!It is very hard to be fast tracked to be an officer when you join as a soldier!You must be selected by another officer and still pass a selection board

If you have had at least 1 or 2 years experience then the selection board is actually quite easy. You will be up against "green" civi's and the about 10% OTC candidates who will have some experience.

You still have to be switched on and show leadership qualities, leadership skills can be gained with practice if you are not a natural leader so read up on this subject if you are serious.