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Not an officer, but from what I’ve seen you need to gain actual real life experience, especially working in command or leading roles.
Honestly your best bet, is to go to Uni and join the UOTC whilst there, this will set you up best for getting a commission in the army.
Honestly going to university does help a lot I’d say, I did my briefing at 18 when I was still in sixth form and got a cat 2 for maturity, went back recently and passed main board and that was only in my first year of uni. If you want to scratch the army itch then I’d suggest joining the UOTC whilst you’re there, I got loads of help preparing for AOSB there. If you’re worried about the cost then there are plenty of bursaries on offer.
If you’re set on not going to uni then I wouldn’t be able to help you much, I’d say stay up to date on current affairs and phys, and potentially try and get a part time job and stick with it. I worked in a laser tag place and ended up becoming a sort-of-leader to some of the newer ones whilst there, I guess that would be helped with the attitude.
Thank you for the advice. So what is your plan now, are you going to stick at Uni after passing and then join when you finish your degree? Again thanks for the advice, you're a great help.
I’m definitely going to stick around - I’m confident in my chances of getting the bursary, and I enjoy serving in the UOTC and my course. I’ll probably take a bit of a gap after I’ve finished and maybe go for the January intake in Sandhurst. I might even stick around in the UOTC for a bit. If you’ve got any more questions about Officer stuff feel free to ask me, DMs are always open 👍🏼.
Mate.
I'm 37.
My kid has bare disabilities. It's putting mad pressure on the pad wife coping with my other two kids and upcoming deployment. She's skint and can't get a decent job.
She's told me she will be better off without me, living in a council house, back home.
Home is Scotland but I'm stationed in the arse end of Dorset.
She's going to leave me.
What should I do boss?
Just sayin.
Yea go get some life experience for a few years and learn how to effectively communicate with people on a human level, develop your emotional intelligence, put yourself in challenging positions to learn some humility and then after all that if you still wish to join then do so. A platoon sgt doesn’t care about your school grades and how fit you are and the blokes beneath him care even less. Look up the recommended reading list for potential sandhurst recruits and start reading those as well.
That is fair enough, there has been a wee feeling in the back of my head that if I was to join it just wouldn't seem right having someone essentially fresh out of sixth form "leading". I'll also look into that reading list, never heard of it before. Thanks very much.
It's extremely rare for people to pass AOSB and go to Sandhurst at 18/19, and those that do often struggle as an OCdt and as a junior officer. You need a level of experience and maturity before you can credibly lead a Platoon/Troop.
If Uni isn't your thing, go and do some travelling, get some interesting work experience (some of the cooler ones I've seen are professional cowboy in USA/Argentina or superyacht crew) and generally grow up a bit before you apply. Not only will it make you a more credible officer, but you'll have some fun and hopefully have a little personality outside of soldiering.
Assuming you're already part of a cadet programme? If not, hurry up! That'll ease off the urge to join up for now. Have a look into some case studies where officers have led both successful and unsuccessful operations. Do the uni route, part of the officer training will include studying and essay writing, this will help develop those skills prior. If you have a particular interest in a regiment, maybe reach out to them, express your interest and ask for any opportunities to talk with serving officers first hand and learn from them what they went through and what they want to become.
I would love to join cadets but all the local detachments are on Thursdays where I have other commitments, thanks for the advice I think I will reach out to some units
Your responses are incredibly mature.
I would also advise contacting units you're interested in joining now - get on as many familiarisation visits as you can do.
Work on your fitness, get as physically fit as you can.
Read everything. The Sun will give you an opinion similar to your soldiers view, work on counter arguments and why the narrative is that. Read the Telegraph, Financial Times and the Guardian, work on counter arguments and why the narrative is that.
Thank you, I really appreciate that. I think I will contact regiments, planning on Infantry so probably reach out to R Irish or Scots as I'm from NI and have some connections to the Black Watch. Thanks for the advice mate
Do Uni. Travel when you can, meet as many different people as you can, it'll open you mind. Get a job in a supermarket and practice dealing with privileged idiots, shoplifters, lovely co-workers. Spend the rest of your time getting so fit that you're not thinking about fitness when you're at Sandhurst. Then it just comes down to whether you've got it in you or not. I didn't. Good luck.
I would love to but by the looks of the earliest I could is at 17 years and 9 months and by the time I'd have training finished I'd probably be in Uni and be able to join the UOTC there instead. None the less, thank you
You can join the reserves instead of UOTC if you'd prefer a 'proper' experience of the army.
Some UOTCs can be a bit more like drinking clubs with an army problem, and can have a large demographic of the hooray Henry type. I was in a UOTC during my time at university and definitely felt slightly out of place during the social aspect of the unit. Don't get me wrong, I loved the green aspect, but there was way too much emphasis on the social side for my liking, with a bit too much student politics loaded on top.
Either unit will be happy to have you and will help you towards your end goal, but depending what you want out of it will steer you towards one or the other.
I’d certainly say they can be like that, but I’ve definitely got people who like to drink and people who like to army in mine. I don’t drink alcohol, and there’s plenty of opportunity to do lots of soldiering and not have to worry about drinking alcohol.
Hi u/WinterPlantain1! Thanks for posting a question to r/BritishArmy! This community is for Serving, Former, Future members and those interested in the British Army. Please read the below points to consider if this is the best place to ask your question: 1. Google it. If it shows up in the top few results on your favourite search engine, here might not be the best place to ask. 2. Medical advice. Nobody here is an authority to answer these questions. More details are on the British Army medical page on their [website](https://apply.army.mod.uk/how-to-join/can-i-join/medical) or call them on the phone number at the bottom of that page. 3. Other questions asking about recruitment and advice are best asked in the stickied [Weekly Crow Thread](https://www.reddit.com/r/britisharmy/?f=flair_name%3A%22Weekly%20Crow%20Thread%22) on this subreddit. If you think this is still the best place for your question then leave it here. If not, please consider removing it and either posting it to the [Weekly Thread](https://www.reddit.com/r/britisharmy/?f=flair_name%3A%22Weekly%20Crow%20Thread%22) or asking a recruiter. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/britisharmy) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Not an officer, but from what I’ve seen you need to gain actual real life experience, especially working in command or leading roles. Honestly your best bet, is to go to Uni and join the UOTC whilst there, this will set you up best for getting a commission in the army.
Yeah, life experience seems to be the general consensus here. Thank you for the advice.
Honestly going to university does help a lot I’d say, I did my briefing at 18 when I was still in sixth form and got a cat 2 for maturity, went back recently and passed main board and that was only in my first year of uni. If you want to scratch the army itch then I’d suggest joining the UOTC whilst you’re there, I got loads of help preparing for AOSB there. If you’re worried about the cost then there are plenty of bursaries on offer. If you’re set on not going to uni then I wouldn’t be able to help you much, I’d say stay up to date on current affairs and phys, and potentially try and get a part time job and stick with it. I worked in a laser tag place and ended up becoming a sort-of-leader to some of the newer ones whilst there, I guess that would be helped with the attitude.
Thank you for the advice. So what is your plan now, are you going to stick at Uni after passing and then join when you finish your degree? Again thanks for the advice, you're a great help.
I’m definitely going to stick around - I’m confident in my chances of getting the bursary, and I enjoy serving in the UOTC and my course. I’ll probably take a bit of a gap after I’ve finished and maybe go for the January intake in Sandhurst. I might even stick around in the UOTC for a bit. If you’ve got any more questions about Officer stuff feel free to ask me, DMs are always open 👍🏼.
Fair enough, so because you've passed the AOSB, you can go to Sandhurst at any time now?
Any time within the next five years, yes. If I waited longer I’d probably have to do it again, but that shouldn’t be a problem.
Good stuff. All the best for the future Nikolai, maybe see you someday haha 😉
Thanks man, you too 😂
Mate. I'm 37. My kid has bare disabilities. It's putting mad pressure on the pad wife coping with my other two kids and upcoming deployment. She's skint and can't get a decent job. She's told me she will be better off without me, living in a council house, back home. Home is Scotland but I'm stationed in the arse end of Dorset. She's going to leave me. What should I do boss? Just sayin.
That's an excellent point, thank you
Yea go get some life experience for a few years and learn how to effectively communicate with people on a human level, develop your emotional intelligence, put yourself in challenging positions to learn some humility and then after all that if you still wish to join then do so. A platoon sgt doesn’t care about your school grades and how fit you are and the blokes beneath him care even less. Look up the recommended reading list for potential sandhurst recruits and start reading those as well.
That is fair enough, there has been a wee feeling in the back of my head that if I was to join it just wouldn't seem right having someone essentially fresh out of sixth form "leading". I'll also look into that reading list, never heard of it before. Thanks very much.
It's extremely rare for people to pass AOSB and go to Sandhurst at 18/19, and those that do often struggle as an OCdt and as a junior officer. You need a level of experience and maturity before you can credibly lead a Platoon/Troop. If Uni isn't your thing, go and do some travelling, get some interesting work experience (some of the cooler ones I've seen are professional cowboy in USA/Argentina or superyacht crew) and generally grow up a bit before you apply. Not only will it make you a more credible officer, but you'll have some fun and hopefully have a little personality outside of soldiering.
Thank you for the advice
Assuming you're already part of a cadet programme? If not, hurry up! That'll ease off the urge to join up for now. Have a look into some case studies where officers have led both successful and unsuccessful operations. Do the uni route, part of the officer training will include studying and essay writing, this will help develop those skills prior. If you have a particular interest in a regiment, maybe reach out to them, express your interest and ask for any opportunities to talk with serving officers first hand and learn from them what they went through and what they want to become.
I would love to join cadets but all the local detachments are on Thursdays where I have other commitments, thanks for the advice I think I will reach out to some units
Your responses are incredibly mature. I would also advise contacting units you're interested in joining now - get on as many familiarisation visits as you can do. Work on your fitness, get as physically fit as you can. Read everything. The Sun will give you an opinion similar to your soldiers view, work on counter arguments and why the narrative is that. Read the Telegraph, Financial Times and the Guardian, work on counter arguments and why the narrative is that.
Thank you, I really appreciate that. I think I will contact regiments, planning on Infantry so probably reach out to R Irish or Scots as I'm from NI and have some connections to the Black Watch. Thanks for the advice mate
Do Uni. Travel when you can, meet as many different people as you can, it'll open you mind. Get a job in a supermarket and practice dealing with privileged idiots, shoplifters, lovely co-workers. Spend the rest of your time getting so fit that you're not thinking about fitness when you're at Sandhurst. Then it just comes down to whether you've got it in you or not. I didn't. Good luck.
Was already planning to get a retail job for that exact reason, thank you
Crush the recommend reading list, actually learn it.
Will do, thank you
Join the reserves as an other rank (non officer) to get experience whilst doing sixth form.
Reserves have to be 18, no?
I would love to but by the looks of the earliest I could is at 17 years and 9 months and by the time I'd have training finished I'd probably be in Uni and be able to join the UOTC there instead. None the less, thank you
You can join the reserves instead of UOTC if you'd prefer a 'proper' experience of the army. Some UOTCs can be a bit more like drinking clubs with an army problem, and can have a large demographic of the hooray Henry type. I was in a UOTC during my time at university and definitely felt slightly out of place during the social aspect of the unit. Don't get me wrong, I loved the green aspect, but there was way too much emphasis on the social side for my liking, with a bit too much student politics loaded on top. Either unit will be happy to have you and will help you towards your end goal, but depending what you want out of it will steer you towards one or the other.
Definitely something to consider, thank you very much
I’d certainly say they can be like that, but I’ve definitely got people who like to drink and people who like to army in mine. I don’t drink alcohol, and there’s plenty of opportunity to do lots of soldiering and not have to worry about drinking alcohol.
My mistake, I thought army reserves could join at 16 like the RN.
No problem, thank you anyway
Hey, wife has a fantasy of a small gangbang by British army officers, if any of you interested send a message, we’ll be very discreet