Thanks a lot pal. It's going to be a tough task as I'm currently 34 and 35 in August so I'm getting close to the upper age limit. I've watched a few of your videos and they've been very informative. Thanks again 👍
@@aboutaveragejake If looking at Royal Signals IT trades worth talking to King Sloth as above. He is just leaving Royal Signals transfering to RAF to a IT type role. I am sure he can provide some invaluable advice.
Brilliant, thanks I'll keep that in mind for the future. I've passed my medical stuff now but still need to do the physical tests because on the day the temperature exceeded 24 degrees so it all got cancelled. I've a new date lined up which is good. I'll be making a video about it all afterwards too.
Hey I got question please, so I been told on career interview that I can use calculator on assessment date for like in cognitive test and math test if I need to give it, however I phoned to army recruitment team and they said no I cannot use it? I was practicing with calculator😫 for cognitive test?? I will be go in pirbright for assessment, I’m just waiting for history from my gp so how long it take now for my assessment.??
dont know how they do it now but in 1977 when i applied had to have a medical and IQ tests done at the recruitjng office. then if pass those had to go to Sutton colfield for a 3 day assement and fitness test. and lots of exams. then they asked if their was any regiment i wanted to join as they would give u that regiment if u wanted it and was good enough to join it. I wanted RCT as i wanted to be a truck driver. but failed the test for that so was told Royal artillery would be better as they use trucks a lot. So off the Woolwich for basic training and only just passed it. had a lot of trouble with upper body strength step ups press ups and sit ups no prob could do hundreds of them without geting out of breath. could run the BFT in full kit with a 100lb bergan on my back in 4 mins. needed to be less than 8 mins to pass. But dips and pull ups couldnt even lift my self of the ground to do 1. Double check with ur own GP about ur medical as the army might let u in even if ur not medicly fit. I had a spine defect which i didnt know about and it showed up on my army medicial but it didnt stop me getting in when it should of. also had aspergers which i didnt know about till a few years ago and other mental health problems. found out about those from my social services file dating back till i was 2 years old listing the medical probs i had. my social worker even put a note on my file saying the army must be really desperate to take me. 17 years old looked more like 12. (social worker said that in my file). dont know how but after basic training went straight to a special forces artillery unit. took me 12 month of more training and got a red and green berry. para wings and commando dagger. still couldnt do pull ups or dips though lol. Only things i was any good at was running very fast even full kit didnt slow me down and unarmed combat. Running was cause i was bullied a lot at school so had to learn to run very fast to get away. smallest kid in school and a foster kid so i was the kid everyone picked on. even the other kids who got bullied, bullied me lol. Not sure about the unarmed combat stuff or where i learnt it or how i did it. al i know was in basic the instructor came at me with a fake knife to sow the others how he will come at them then he was going to show us how to get the knife off him. and before anyone saw what was going on he was on the ground and i had the knife. he didnt even get as far as showing us how to disarm him. Then he came at me with a pistol and next thing again him on the ground and the pistol broken into parts and on the floor. we hadnt got as far as stripping weapons down so havnt a clue how i knew how to do that. didnt matter who came at me or how many i was always left standing and everyone else on the deck. but havnt a clue how i did it. dont even remember doing it. never did get to drive a truck officialy as i needed to be able to strip the vehicle down to the last nut and bolt and put it back together again before they even let u behind the wheel and start teaching u to drive. But as the ammo truck driver i was with fell and broke his leg 10 miles away from the nearest road and 20 miles away from r unit i had to take over and drive a bedord MK loaded up with live artillery ammo and i had never even been in the front seat of a car before let alone the driving seat. well got him to hospital fine ammo didnt blow up and he let me drive while his leg was in plaster as he couldn't do it. never did get a truck liscense though.
The British Army is smaller and more selective in its recruitment nowerdays. Mature recruits do well once they have joined as they are more mature, motivated and got more to lose if they donot suceed. You are right stick to your guns, only go for Royal Engineer or Royal Electrical & Mechanical Engineers technical trades or similiar which you will come out with a good trade, tickets or qualifications. A NVQ 2 in security/ leadership/ armed forces is worth little in civee street, a good technical or pressional ticket is worth while. Make sure your not on the ''Infantry recruitment day'' at the careers office. If you do get in you may struggle with the discipline as a mature recruit with a mid twenties corporal giving you grief. Be careful if you think you will come out with directly transferable skills which will get you a good civee job. In the Army you learn a Army job doing it the Army way not a Civee job doing it the latest way in civee job. So if you leave the Army it can be a struggle getting that first civee job in your chosen career as you wont have civee experience in your trade or profession. It is commentable and if you really want to in your 30's to join the Army then go for it but it will be a struggle and sometimes mind bendingly boring. The recruitment ads don't show the hurry up and wait, the messing around, the triviality, the hours doing drill on the square, the amount of hours cleaning the block and constant washing/ ironing you do as you get through wearing alot of clothes doing the day, constantly being cold & wet on exercise, long days with little sleep and the boredom a times never mind the being away from friends and family for long periods of time. I would also suggest looking at technical trades in the RN & RAF. Its not easy joining at 30 odd and Army recruitment is designed and more suitable for younger people 16 - 21 for are less mature, more moldable and maybe more fitter. If it does not work out, consider the Army Reserves, maybe there could be a technical trade there which would be suitable. Well best of luck and hope you get in with the trade you want.
My age is certainly a worry especially where fitness is concerned. It takes a little bit longer these days to recover from an intense workout. It's a case of now or never and I don't want to look back in a few years and regret not trying to achieve this particular goal. My plan is to choose a trade that I can do outside of the Army too, so Royal Engineers is something I'm aiming for. That being said It's all dependant on my GCSE results. So fingers crossed that I get the grades. I should find out for certain by mid August.
@@aboutaveragejake Getting into the Army you are correct on focusing on fitness. and it doesnt get better as you will have fitness tests to pass every year which can affect promotion, employment and career advancement There is a good saying I have heard ''The day you join the Army is the day you should be planning to leave the Army''. Meaning always have a plan for when your Army Career ends whether thats at the end of your intial contract of 3-4 years or after a full career of 22 years. Many soldiers spent X amount of years in the Army and come out with nothing - no money/ savings (enjoyed themselves and P%ss there money up the wall, no decent qualifcations and no prospects), no housing. Some have been very sucessful and the transition was easy. The Army does not wave an amazing wand and magically makes your amazingly more employerable to civee employers, in some cases makes it worse. An Army career is a balance between trades/ skills and promotion. Some roles have good transferable skills/ qualifications but poor promotion and some roles have poor direct transferable skills but quick promotions with the pay rises. Generally when you join the Army and finish recruit training your on a conveyor belt where you have to sucessfully complete career courses and get promoted at certain time points to ensure your not left behind. You may say now your not interested in promotion but once in the Field Army you will. Your earning potential relies on it and also enable you to put on your CV you have had managerial experience. You wont like a 24 year old Corporal ordering you to clean the toilets when you know he is a complete f&*k wit and tube. If you do get offered a place in the Army ensure its for a good role, ideally with good promotion propects, with directly transferable skills to civee street. If not I strongly recommend the RN or RAF but competition for a place for the good roles is going to be alot harder. If they offer a role or regiment which is not what your after I would strongly recommend giving the Army a miss. Different roles, jobs and regiments have different manning requirements and vacancy numbers. Infantry commonly have high vacancy numbers as they have high throughput of persons leaving the Army. Unless you strongly want to do it and have a passion for it, I would not recommend joining the Infantry. If you have a passion for it the Infantry is good with likely the fastest promotion rates. But generally it has the worse directly transferable skills to civee street. Infantry is a good experience but not the best for getting a job in civee street. Not many employers are looking for the skills to conduct a section attack, grenade a enemy trench and bayonet everyone inside. I maybe generally a little out of date but you complete Phase 1 Recruit training then goto Phase 2 Trade Training. Come out as a Class 3, after some time and experience with maybe completing a Task book you get your Class 2. Then go back to Trade School to do your Class 1 course after 3-6 years service. Really only when you get your Class 1 will you have a good knowledge and qualifications to start getting a good job in civee street. My personal opinion the following jobs are good or worth looking further into for yourself. Good for returning to civee street with good qualifications but likely not so good for quick promotion. SPECIALIST ROLES Construction Material Technician Draughtsman Electrical and Mechanical Design Draughtsman Surveyor TECHNICAL ROLES Air Conditioning Fitter Electrician GEOGRAPHIC SPECIALISTS Geographic Technician General Fitter would avoid. If into mechanics then maybe better joining REME as a VM but even then I dont think its going to directly be transferable to a mechanic in civee street and may need to upskill or retrain. I heard some General Fitters were disatisfied and wanted to goto REME as VMs. Also be aware RE's are combat engineers also so althought your an electrician or other tradesperson you could spent little time doing your trade/ gaining experience and may just do alot of trenches, field fortifcations, sandbagging and other tasks. You may not be getting the same level of experience as a civee tradesperson who does it day in, day out. Another good option is look at IT type roles in the Royal Signals such as INFORMATION SERVICES ENGINEER / NETWORKS ENGINEER / INFRASTRUCTURE ENGINEER. All roles in the Army are soldier first so will get plenty of running around with a rifle to knock it out of you before getting serious with your trade. All the above is just my personal opinions and others who have been in the Army may have others but I think alot of ex servicemen will agree on some if not most. Some people have had a bad time in the Army, some have had a great time with great experiences but gained nothing which is use in civee street and they have had to start all over again and gone back to school/ college to gain some decent qualifcations. And some have gained skills, qualifications and experience which propelled them into a good civee career/ job. There is this question I remember. Why you join the Army son? Answer - To get a Trade/ qualifications. Dont join the Army, go and get an Apprenticeship or goto school/ college/ uni, you will do better there. Well I joined the Army to Travel the World. Dont join the Army, save up money and really travel the World. You joined the Army because you wanted to kill people. The Role of the British Army is there to follow instructions and will of the democratically elected Goverment in whatever role or mission including warfighting.
Keep up the good work mate
Thanks a lot. It's been a long road so far but the goal is now in sight.
Great vid, best of luck with your future endeavors
Good evening Jake, hopefully you succeed in getting into the Army it's well worth it.
Thanks a lot pal. It's going to be a tough task as I'm currently 34 and 35 in August so I'm getting close to the upper age limit. I've watched a few of your videos and they've been very informative. Thanks again 👍
@@aboutaveragejake If looking at Royal Signals IT trades worth talking to King Sloth as above. He is just leaving Royal Signals transfering to RAF to a IT type role. I am sure he can provide some invaluable advice.
if you have any questions mate just let me know, spent 2 years as a recruiting sgt and also 2 years at itc catterick as a cpl and sgt. best of luck
Brilliant, thanks I'll keep that in mind for the future. I've passed my medical stuff now but still need to do the physical tests because on the day the temperature exceeded 24 degrees so it all got cancelled. I've a new date lined up which is good. I'll be making a video about it all afterwards too.
Hey I got question please, so I been told on career interview that I can use calculator on assessment date for like in cognitive test and math test if I need to give it, however I phoned to army recruitment team and they said no I cannot use it? I was practicing with calculator😫 for cognitive test?? I will be go in pirbright for assessment, I’m just waiting for history from my gp so how long it take now for my assessment.??
No calculator's for the cognitive test but you will be given one if you do the TST.
dont know how they do it now but in 1977 when i applied had to have a medical and IQ tests done at the recruitjng office. then if pass those had to go to Sutton colfield for a 3 day assement and fitness test. and lots of exams. then they asked if their was any regiment i wanted to join as they would give u that regiment if u wanted it and was good enough to join it.
I wanted RCT as i wanted to be a truck driver. but failed the test for that so was told Royal artillery would be better as they use trucks a lot. So off the Woolwich for basic training and only just passed it. had a lot of trouble with upper body strength step ups press ups and sit ups no prob could do hundreds of them without geting out of breath. could run the BFT in full kit with a 100lb bergan on my back in 4 mins. needed to be less than 8 mins to pass. But dips and pull ups couldnt even lift my self of the ground to do 1.
Double check with ur own GP about ur medical as the army might let u in even if ur not medicly fit.
I had a spine defect which i didnt know about and it showed up on my army medicial but it didnt stop me getting in when it should of. also had aspergers which i didnt know about till a few years ago and other mental health problems. found out about those from my social services file dating back till i was 2 years old listing the medical probs i had. my social worker even put a note on my file saying the army must be really desperate to take me. 17 years old looked more like 12. (social worker said that in my file). dont know how but after basic training went straight to a special forces artillery unit. took me 12 month of more training and got a red and green berry. para wings and commando dagger. still couldnt do pull ups or dips though lol. Only things i was any good at was running very fast even full kit didnt slow me down and unarmed combat.
Running was cause i was bullied a lot at school so had to learn to run very fast to get away. smallest kid in school and a foster kid so i was the kid everyone picked on. even the other kids who got bullied, bullied me lol.
Not sure about the unarmed combat stuff or where i learnt it or how i did it. al i know was in basic the instructor came at me with a fake knife to sow the others how he will come at them then he was going to show us how to get the knife off him. and before anyone saw what was going on he was on the ground and i had the knife. he didnt even get as far as showing us how to disarm him. Then he came at me with a pistol and next thing again him on the ground and the pistol broken into parts and on the floor. we hadnt got as far as stripping weapons down so havnt a clue how i knew how to do that. didnt matter who came at me or how many i was always left standing and everyone else on the deck. but havnt a clue how i did it. dont even remember doing it.
never did get to drive a truck officialy as i needed to be able to strip the vehicle down to the last nut and bolt and put it back together again before they even let u behind the wheel and start teaching u to drive. But as the ammo truck driver i was with fell and broke his leg 10 miles away from the nearest road and 20 miles away from r unit i had to take over and drive a bedord MK loaded up with live artillery ammo and i had never even been in the front seat of a car before let alone the driving seat. well got him to hospital fine ammo didnt blow up and he let me drive while his leg was in plaster as he couldn't do it.
never did get a truck liscense though.
Nice
The British Army is smaller and more selective in its recruitment nowerdays. Mature recruits do well once they have joined as they are more mature, motivated and got more to lose if they donot suceed. You are right stick to your guns, only go for Royal Engineer or Royal Electrical & Mechanical Engineers technical trades or similiar which you will come out with a good trade, tickets or qualifications. A NVQ 2 in security/ leadership/ armed forces is worth little in civee street, a good technical or pressional ticket is worth while. Make sure your not on the ''Infantry recruitment day'' at the careers office. If you do get in you may struggle with the discipline as a mature recruit with a mid twenties corporal giving you grief. Be careful if you think you will come out with directly transferable skills which will get you a good civee job. In the Army you learn a Army job doing it the Army way not a Civee job doing it the latest way in civee job. So if you leave the Army it can be a struggle getting that first civee job in your chosen career as you wont have civee experience in your trade or profession. It is commentable and if you really want to in your 30's to join the Army then go for it but it will be a struggle and sometimes mind bendingly boring. The recruitment ads don't show the hurry up and wait, the messing around, the triviality, the hours doing drill on the square, the amount of hours cleaning the block and constant washing/ ironing you do as you get through wearing alot of clothes doing the day, constantly being cold & wet on exercise, long days with little sleep and the boredom a times never mind the being away from friends and family for long periods of time. I would also suggest looking at technical trades in the RN & RAF. Its not easy joining at 30 odd and Army recruitment is designed and more suitable for younger people 16 - 21 for are less mature, more moldable and maybe more fitter. If it does not work out, consider the Army Reserves, maybe there could be a technical trade there which would be suitable. Well best of luck and hope you get in with the trade you want.
My age is certainly a worry especially where fitness is concerned. It takes a little bit longer these days to recover from an intense workout. It's a case of now or never and I don't want to look back in a few years and regret not trying to achieve this particular goal.
My plan is to choose a trade that I can do outside of the Army too, so Royal Engineers is something I'm aiming for.
That being said It's all dependant on my GCSE results. So fingers crossed that I get the grades. I should find out for certain by mid August.
@@aboutaveragejake
Getting into the Army you are correct on focusing on fitness. and it doesnt get better as you will have fitness tests to pass every year which can affect promotion, employment and career advancement
There is a good saying I have heard ''The day you join the Army is the day you should be planning to leave the Army''. Meaning always have a plan for when your Army Career ends whether thats at the end of your intial contract of 3-4 years or after a full career of 22 years.
Many soldiers spent X amount of years in the Army and come out with nothing - no money/ savings (enjoyed themselves and P%ss there money up the wall, no decent qualifcations and no prospects), no housing. Some have been very sucessful and the transition was easy. The Army does not wave an amazing wand and magically makes your amazingly more employerable to civee employers, in some cases makes it worse.
An Army career is a balance between trades/ skills and promotion. Some roles have good transferable skills/ qualifications but poor promotion and some roles have poor direct transferable skills but quick promotions with the pay rises. Generally when you join the Army and finish recruit training your on a conveyor belt where you have to sucessfully complete career courses and get promoted at certain time points to ensure your not left behind. You may say now your not interested in promotion but once in the Field Army you will. Your earning potential relies on it and also enable you to put on your CV you have had managerial experience. You wont like a 24 year old Corporal ordering you to clean the toilets when you know he is a complete f&*k wit and tube.
If you do get offered a place in the Army ensure its for a good role, ideally with good promotion propects, with directly transferable skills to civee street. If not I strongly recommend the RN or RAF but competition for a place for the good roles is going to be alot harder. If they offer a role or regiment which is not what your after I would strongly recommend giving the Army a miss. Different roles, jobs and regiments have different manning requirements and vacancy numbers. Infantry commonly have high vacancy numbers as they have high throughput of persons leaving the Army. Unless you strongly want to do it and have a passion for it, I would not recommend joining the Infantry. If you have a passion for it the Infantry is good with likely the fastest promotion rates. But generally it has the worse directly transferable skills to civee street. Infantry is a good experience but not the best for getting a job in civee street. Not many employers are looking for the skills to conduct a section attack, grenade a enemy trench and bayonet everyone inside.
I maybe generally a little out of date but you complete Phase 1 Recruit training then goto Phase 2 Trade Training. Come out as a Class 3, after some time and experience with maybe completing a Task book you get your Class 2. Then go back to Trade School to do your Class 1 course after 3-6 years service. Really only when you get your Class 1 will you have a good knowledge and qualifications to start getting a good job in civee street.
My personal opinion the following jobs are good or worth looking further into for yourself. Good for returning to civee street with good qualifications but likely not so good for quick promotion.
SPECIALIST ROLES
Construction Material Technician
Draughtsman Electrical and Mechanical
Design Draughtsman
Surveyor
TECHNICAL ROLES
Air Conditioning Fitter
Electrician
GEOGRAPHIC SPECIALISTS
Geographic Technician
General Fitter would avoid. If into mechanics then maybe better joining REME as a VM but even then I dont think its going to directly be transferable to a mechanic in civee street and may need to upskill or retrain. I heard some General Fitters were disatisfied and wanted to goto REME as VMs.
Also be aware RE's are combat engineers also so althought your an electrician or other tradesperson you could spent little time doing your trade/ gaining experience and may just do alot of trenches, field fortifcations, sandbagging and other tasks. You may not be getting the same level of experience as a civee tradesperson who does it day in, day out.
Another good option is look at IT type roles in the Royal Signals such as INFORMATION SERVICES ENGINEER / NETWORKS ENGINEER / INFRASTRUCTURE ENGINEER.
All roles in the Army are soldier first so will get plenty of running around with a rifle to knock it out of you before getting serious with your trade.
All the above is just my personal opinions and others who have been in the Army may have others but I think alot of ex servicemen will agree on some if not most. Some people have had a bad time in the Army, some have had a great time with great experiences but gained nothing which is use in civee street and they have had to start all over again and gone back to school/ college to gain some decent qualifcations. And some have gained skills, qualifications and experience which propelled them into a good civee career/ job.
There is this question I remember. Why you join the Army son? Answer - To get a Trade/ qualifications. Dont join the Army, go and get an Apprenticeship or goto school/ college/ uni, you will do better there. Well I joined the Army to Travel the World. Dont join the Army, save up money and really travel the World.
You joined the Army because you wanted to kill people.
The Role of the British Army is there to follow instructions and will of the democratically elected Goverment in whatever role or mission including warfighting.
worth reading this. Most REs and civee tradesmen would agree.
www.arrse.co.uk/community/threads/royal-engineers-plumber.257737/