Army Advice

**King Ragnar** · 01-26-2006, 23:18

Well soon i will be taken my GCSE's, and i was thinking if i do not get the results i wish to study History, i would join the British Army.
So i was wondering is there any of you Brits out there who have been in the army or are currently in, who could give me some advice about it? Just generaly info and there opinions of it.

I know it may sound a bit childish, but if i were to join the army i would be interested in the Sniper and scouting part of things if it possible to do so.

So please

if any of you are there.

**Somebody Else** · 01-27-2006, 00:08

Not in it (yet), but am considering it - in UOTC and all that. I heartily suggest trying to get in as an officer, rather than a squaddie. So go for RCB and all that - though, I suppose you might be a bit young yet...

**Slyspy** · 01-27-2006, 03:24

Originally Posted by Somebody Else

Not in it (yet), but am considering it - in UOTC and all that. I heartily suggest trying to get in as an officer, rather than a squaddie. So go for RCB and all that - though, I suppose you might be a bit young yet...

If you are offering any kind of career advice you may want to change your sig lol!

Sorry King Ragnar, no advice from me personally since I'm not in the forces. People I know who have joined up say they do not regret it, except for having to live in Iraq some of the time. Apparently while the work is fine, the lifestyle leaves much to be desired!

**Taffy_is_a_Taff** · 01-27-2006, 04:05

I have heard both good and bad things.

**Duke Malcolm** · 01-27-2006, 11:23

I am considering joining as one of Her Majesty's loyal Officer Cadets (preferably in the Life Guards or Royal Scots Dragoon Guards or other heavy cavalry, or the Guards or the Scottish Regiment) either after university... Or failing that one of Her Majesty's Naval Officers...

Well soon i will be taken my GCSE's, and i was thinking if i do not get the results i wish to study History, i would join the British Army.

I heartily suggest trying to get in as an officer, rather than a squaddie. So go for RCB and all that - though, I suppose you might be a bit young yet...

You need rather good exams results to become an officer -- at least able to go to University. From the looks of it, King Ragnar will only join if he doesn't have enough to go to University, so a squaddie looks like the option for him, although officers are that most supreme being of class, skill, and wisdom. Perhaps the Welbeck College if you do intend on becoming an Officer. Erstwhile, I think it's the Infantry for you...

**BDC** · 01-27-2006, 12:56

If at all possibly join up as an officer. You get paid better.

**Vladimir** · 01-27-2006, 14:04

Wait a minute, wait a minute. You say you're in Valhalla and you haven't even been in the military before?

You need to grab your axe and head on down to the local armory my friend.

Different country and all but do your research and for God's sake don't sign anything until you've read the whole contract! They want you; make sure they give you what you want.

**Banquo's Ghost** · 01-27-2006, 15:02

Hi Ragnar.

My direct experience is some years old now, but I served as a Captain in the Royal Artillery after university in the eighties and early nineties.

As a career with the option of developing excellent and useful skills for the future, the Army is a good option. If you're academically minded, go to University but if uni is just a way to improve your qualifications, think seriously about the army. I'm now an employer in the training field, and most first degrees are not highly thought of these days in their own right.

Both the training and the life experience you get from the army will be invaluable. Learning to depend on others while maintaining the highest standards for yourself will always be valued. As with any collection of people, there's good and bad in the army but the sense of camaraderie and family is something you will never regret being a part of.

However, the downside is that there is still too much bullying and if you're an outsider, things can get very tough. In the British Army there is still a big gulf between the officer corps and the common soldier. Don't underestimate this, even these days - it is both the strength and the curse of the regimental system.

Being an officer is not just about getting paid more - the responsibility is huge, the necessity to keep a distance from your men can make you lonely, and the workload is immense. You should really go to university and get your degree first - very young officers have a hell of a time (there is nothing considered so low and designed for the doormat role as a second lieutenant, not even a private in the Pay Corps).

If you are attracted by scouting (reconnaisance) then the tank corps should be considered. As a gunner, I always found them useful for checking range

Sniper roles are very uncommon and found usually in dedicated infantry units with great competition. If you consider tanks, don't waste thought on the cavalry regiments (lancers, household etc) as you need a private income, no chin and a laugh like a startled donkey to be considered. Truthfully, little has changed in those regiments since Balaclava.

The pay is decent, the training excellent, the prospects after leaving very rosy if you play your cards right. However, it's tough work, dangerous and in the wrong unit, miserable beyond belief. Whilst you have a lot of freedom in one sense (pretty much everything taken care of from bills to what you're doing tomorrow) you have the restrictions of duty and responsibility.

I loved my time - but make sure you consult widely, form your own views and don't make quick decisions. It's not like the movies.

Best of luck

**Craterus** · 01-27-2006, 19:37

I would consider joining the army if it weren't for the stories about recruits getting beaten up and bullied.

**Somebody Else** · 01-27-2006, 20:52

Originally Posted by Craterus

I would consider joining the army if it weren't for the stories about recruits getting beaten up and bullied.

And this is why one would want to be an officer, preferably in a cav regiment - at least then some sense of decorum might be expected (in public at least).

**Lechev** · 01-30-2006, 18:51

One advice only when you are in the army... follow the safety regulations " by the book"!. I have seen enough "stupidity factors" which cause accidents in my National Service days.

**Mount Suribachi** · 01-30-2006, 22:23

Originally Posted by Craterus

I would consider joining the army if it weren't for the stories about recruits getting beaten up and bullied.

That tends to happen to people who don't "fit in". If you're the kind of person who doesn't make friends easily, or who likes to do their own thing rather than hang out with the pack, then you're likely to be picked on. So if you'd rather stay in reading a book than head into town with all lads and get leathered, you will be viewed as an outcast, one who doesn't fit in, and being isolated like that makes you vulnerable.

I work with someone who was an MP at Deepcut when all the "suicides" were going on and he backs up what my dad told me about service life. When my dad was an apprentice back in the 60s, three lads on his course (out of 120) tried to commit suicide. In my dads words "they were all square pegs the RAF was trying to force into round holes"