Irish Defence Forces - Career?

dnk123

Hi,

First time posting so bare with me.

I'm i'm college now but looking to start a new course or join the army (when they are recruiting again)

But I was wondering from people who are in the army or have been could you help me with the following.

If I was to join as a recruit what is it like being in the army I've talked to a few people I know about it but not really getting any where my questions are as follows:

Whats it like to be in the army?
If I was to join as a recruit how far can I go in my career ? ( Are courses easy to get on in the army)

Do you still get the pension at 45 or so in the army ?.

Thank you.

Negative_G

dnk123 wrote: »

Hi,

First time posting so bare with me.

I'm i'm college now but looking to start a new course or join the army (when they are recruiting again)

But I was wondering from people who are in the army or have been could you help me with the following.

If I was to join as a recruit what is it like being in the army I've talked to a few people I know about it but not really getting any where my questions are as follows:

Whats it like to be in the army?
If I was to join as a recruit how far can I go in my career ? ( Are courses easy to get on in the army)

Do you still get the pension at 45 or so in the army ?.

Thank you.

There are many answers and scenarios to your question.

If you are a motivated, driven and an ambitious person who has developed just more than a fleeting interest in a military career then it could be an excellent career for you.

If you tick the above mentioned boxes and apply yourself fully there is no reason why you could not rise through the non commissioned ranks to Sgt Major after many years.

Of course not everyone can reach the upper ranks but it is like any job, if you apply yourself there is nothing to prevent you from doing so. Of course this sometimes means taking the bad with the good and there can be many negatives associated with a military lifestyle. Unsocialable hours, time away from home and the pay isn't great starting off but there is the ability to get back out what you put into it.

From a day to day perspective, it essentially depends on what your corps is and your appointment within that corps. There are some members here who are actively serving and I'm sure they will offer some personal advice.

To the best of my knowledge, the new contracts for other ranks require 31 years service to avail of a full pension, however I am open to correction.

Again, success at attaining courses can vary. It very much depends on the type of course itself. A popular course will have many applicants and only the better candidates will be picked. But again, you have some control over this by trying to best position yourself to be picked. I.e. Provide your superiors with a longer list of reasons to pick you over the list of reasons not to pick you.

Given that you are in college, have you considered a career as an officer?

dnk123

Hi thanks for the reply.

I was thinking of becoming a cadet/officer but if I was to finish out college i'd be cutting it short I think to become one I think the age limit is 25 ?( I may be wrong) And when I say cutting it short I mean something could go wrong on the day and the age I am I wouldn't get the chance to try again

But I was talking to a friend who is now in the army as a private 3 star now I was asking him how high could he potentially reach in the army and he told me CS (think it was that) Is the highest rank he could become he told me that was a good thing to reach but Do many people who join the army as recruits reach good levels and ranks and finish there careers in the army until there pensions.

Negative_G

dnk123 wrote: »

Hi thanks for the reply.

I was thinking of becoming a cadet/officer but if I was to finish out college i'd be cutting it short I think to become one I think the age limit is 25 ?( I may be wrong) And when I say cutting it short I mean something could go wrong on the day and the age I am I wouldn't get the chance to try again

But I was talking to a friend who is now in the army as a private 3 star now I was asking him how high could he potentially reach in the army and he told me CS (think it was that) Is the highest rank he could become he told me that was a good thing to reach but Do many people who join the army as recruits reach good levels and ranks and finish there careers in the army until there pensions.

Regarding the cadetships, it is worth noting that the upper age of 28 applies to those who have attained a level 8 degree. For those who do not posses a level 8 degree, the upper age is 25. It is worth noting that should you join as a cadet without a degree, once commissioned that DF will pay for you to go to college and get a degree. Also, if you are already in college, there is scope there to have your remaining years paid for by the DF. In return for any large investment in educational courses such as degree courses, you will have to sign an undertaking. Such an undertaking obliges you to a certain amount of service before you can leave.

The rank of Company Sergeant is two below that of Sergeant Major, therefore it is quite high up the rank structure of NCO ranks. I would assume that your friend may be giving you his own personal aspirations as opposed to what is factually possible.

As for your last question, I cannot answer that. The only people that would be able to accurately field that question is the DF HR branch, and they will not relinquish information like that to the general public.

What I can say is that it appears the DF are moving away from the 'career private'. By that I mean those who have joined in the past and spent 20/30 years not moving beyond the rank of private. The debate of whether this is justified or not is not for this thread and as such I will not give my own opinion. It would seem that the DF now would rather a younger average age of its privates and has introduced new contracts to that effect.

For those who joined after 1994, it means that at a very superficial level that they must attain the rank of Sergeant within 21 years or face discharge. This should mean that only those who wish to rise through the ranks will do so and those who are happy to just sit on their laurels will be discharged.

The above debate is far more complex and as always there will be exceptions. My original point still stands that if you wish to make a career out of it, whether it be through commissioned or non-commissioned ranks, that if you have the aptitude to learn and a desire to perform, the sky really is the limit. Like with all things in life, sometimes you won't get the rub of the green and sometimes there is an element of 'right place, right time' to progress but this is where a positive attitude will make you stand out.

As an observation, you seem to be placing a lot of emphasis on the pension aspect of the job. If your motivation is monetary reward, I'm afraid you are barking up the wrong tree.

j80ezgvc3p92xu

Hello

I am in a similar situation. I have an undergrad in law and doing a legal masters at the minute. As much as I like the legal field, I just cannot get the army out of my mind. My family has a somewhat proud military history (my great-grandfathers fought in various wars, one won a medal to show for it). I literally consume books on military history and could probably tell you more about Napoleon's invasion of Russia then wills and probate.

Now my problem lies here and please do not shoot the messenger. I have talked to a person who had attained an officer rank in the army and then left. One of his main reasons for leaving was this: the man claims the army is full of dimwits, both officers and lower ranks. He claims that he could not have a conversation with anyone on topics other than sports, women and the army itself. Now I am by no means a genius but I would like to consider myself well read. I would find such an environment hugely depressing in the long term. Are these fears well founded? With the amount of time and money I have invested into law should I even be considering an army career?

Negative_G

Ronin Prehistoric Horse wrote: »

I have talked to a person who had attained an officer rank in the army and then left. One of his main reasons for leaving was this: the man claims the army is full of dimwits, both officers and lower ranks. He claims that he could not have a conversation with anyone on topics other than sports, women and the army itself. Now I am by no means a genius but I would like to consider myself well read. I would find such an environment hugely depressing in the long term. Are these fears well founded? With the amount of time and money I have invested into law should I even be considering an army career?

I couldn't help but laugh at this. With all due respect, this individual sounds like someone who holds a lofty opinion of himself.

The DF attracts a wide range of intelligent and highly qualified individuals across all ranks, especially in recent times with the intake of graduates through cadetships and the fact that an ever increasing percentage of recruits have already attained third level education.

If you fear that you may be too 'well read' for your peers I would suggest you seriously reconsider applying.

dnk123

I know you think that i just keep talking about pension and that but let me explain.

Im in college now an I know if I put my head down and really study hard I can get a good degree ( Cisco/Networking) and theres a decent bit of money to be made or other chose was forestry/tre surgeon as i love the out doors.

But

The reason im thinking of the army is because i like knowing that what im going through, the guy next to me is also thinking the same as me . At the moment money doesnt bother me to much( i make none now because im in college lol) but id be happy with a decent wage at the end of the week but id rather work hard and have fun in work with other lads like myself but back to the pension and the ranks i like to look forward to the future id like to know that i work hard for 'X' number of years when i reach a certain age ill have it 'Handy' enough dont get me wrong i enjoy working hard i just would like a little insight into do many recruits/privates make it up there

Sorry for the long badly wrote out post im on my phone in bed lol

Fit fi

Hi my son just did a medical last Wednesday did anyone else have one this week and if so how did it go. They didn't give any indication as to how it went they just said to wait and hear by email.