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Joining the regular British Army?

DILLIGAF

My father and my uncles have all done quite a lot of time in the PDF,the Navy to be precise. I've always had an affiliation with the navy and the army having grown up in Cobh. I have to get this military dream out of my mind and into my hands by joining up. Although I am in no way patriotic and don't believe that fighting for my country or another country in anyway reduces my loyalty to my family,friends or country. I am more or less set on joining the British Army, purely for the better equipment and the opportunity to tour in Afghanistan. My friends are a close knit bunch who all share a common interest in the military. We have one friend who joined the USMC 3 years ago,he's now training to be a squad leader and has already done an 8 month tour in the region. Another friend is currently in training with the Royal Marine Commandos and should be finished in may. He will most likely be sent to Afghanistan within weeks of completion. I simply don't have the fitness levels required to make it in the Royal Marines. I'd give anything to make it there but I need to be realistic with my goals. Does anyone know a friend or family member who's joined the regular British Army? How long was their training and were there any issues of bullying etc due to being Irish? Any advice in this strand would be greatly appreciated. Pathfinder, please don't bother posting.thanks

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DILLIGAF

basic training in the brits is 14 weeks. then you move onto phase two training which is 24 weeks. its on the website! and yeah, get up tomorrow and be a non smoker. i smoked weed and cigs for 6 years and literally got up one morning and quit!

Size=everything

Thanks, and nah mate dont think I could ever be in a parachute regiment... getting shot at is something I could deal with however jumping out of a plane isnt

So fitness wise how does it work I'm not overweight or anything but I am quite unfit from smoking,drinkin etc. do they gradually build up your fitness or are you expected to be fit from day one of training

Also whats pay like in the training stages

Pathfinder

RickyHatton wrote: »

Hey I am also considering joining the BA after my Leavin cert was wondering how long does training take for infantry and how long until I could be deployed

Infantry Basic Training is 24 weeks, Guards 26 weeks, After which you can specialise.

You can be deployed straight after BT.

Or if you fancy some of this 30 weeks.<snip> All refferal links snipped - Hagar <snip>

Nowadays the balloon is gone, the first jump is from 250 feet from an aircraft and with a low level parachute.

andrewh5

Infantry basic training lasts for 18 weeks and you would be deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan as soon as your unit does - within 12 months max.

Size=everything

Hey I am also considering joining the BA after my Leavin cert was wondering how long does training take for infantry and how long until I could be deployed

DILLIGAF

Pirbright wrote: »

I'm soon to be EX R IRISH due to an injury sustained. One of the best regiments in the BA. Alot of Southerners in it along with Nordies, Scousers, Fijians, South Africans......As part of 16 Air Assault Brigade, the tempo of ops will be high so be prepared for that. The best bit of advice for anyone joining is make sure you have a sense of humour! Bloody loved the job and wish I was still able to do. I'd be heading to parts sandy in a few weeks instead of now having to become a civvy again!

Can I ask, do you apply directly for the Royal Irish or is there a point during the interview or recruitment process that you request to be posted there? Bit of a newjack question but I had to ask!

Mrmotivator007

uptherebels wrote: »

like i said you can wear whatever you want,its up to you but if it was me id wear the jumper and pants for the tests and suit for interview

is that not smart casual?slacks and a jumper?

uptherebels

Mrmotivator007 wrote: »

Lol,love it im totally cluelees on fashion i aint even got a shirt(well one that is prwesentable for an interveiw,mostly tropical ones)id dress like the bottim guy without the hat and chain

will this do
http://brandnoise.typepad.com/brand_noise/images/18166785tigerwoods.jpg
oviously minus the hat and golf shoes replaced by normal ones!

like i said you can wear whatever you want,its up to you but if it was me id wear the jumper and pants for the tests and suit for interview

Mrmotivator007

Lol,love it im totally cluelees on fashion i aint even got a shirt(well one that is prwesentable for an interveiw,mostly tropical ones)id dress like the bottim guy without the hat and chain

will this do
http://brandnoise.typepad.com/brand_noise/images/18166785tigerwoods.jpg
oviously minus the hat and golf shoes replaced by normal ones!

Pirbright

I'm soon to be EX R IRISH due to an injury sustained. One of the best regiments in the BA. Alot of Southerners in it along with Nordies, Scousers, Fijians, South Africans......As part of 16 Air Assault Brigade, the tempo of ops will be high so be prepared for that. The best bit of advice for anyone joining is make sure you have a sense of humour! Bloody loved the job and wish I was still able to do. I'd be heading to parts sandy in a few weeks instead of now having to become a civvy again!

uptherebels

Mrmotivator007 wrote: »

dpesthat mean i can turn up in runners and a tracsuit.or do you meen smart caual?and what the hell is that!

ya I meant smart casual something like a pants,shirt and a tie/jumper,something like this for tests and stuff
men's_casual_country_knitwear.jpg

at the end of the day you will have people that will turn up dressed like this

and its the same for every army.now im not saying that theres anything wrong with dressimg like that or that it will affect your chances of getting in but you are trying to put a certain message across

OS119

Mrmotivator007 wrote: »

dpesthat mean i can turn up in runners and a tracsuit.or do you meen smart caual?and what the hell is that!

not if you actually want to get in!

personally i'd say that 'smart casual' means trousers, shirt, shoes and a jacket, if you're applying as an officer it means a tie as well - but not a suit!

if you arrive in said gear it must be clean, ironed and worn as if you have worn it before. if you do not have such gear then just turn up in what you've got but it must be clean and 'well presented'. your DS would far rather jeans, t-shirt and a primark casual jacket that is clean and worn with care than brogues, moleskins, checkshirt and sports jacket that looks like its spent the last week on your bedroom floor.

all forms of 'selection' are looking not for the finished article, but for the potential and a desire to become the finished article - under the loving guidance of the DS of course...

Mrmotivator007

uptherebels wrote: »

I HEARD smart civies for tests and to save the suits for the interviews.

dpesthat mean i can turn up in runners and a tracsuit.or do you meen smart caual?and what the hell is that!

Oilrig

Well I know sod all about UK regiments, but I was in Iraq in 2003 when they invaded and in Basra during the invasion I met many Irish, serving the with BA

I was in the Hotel Jundian

Many stories...

uptherebels

Mrmotivator007 wrote: »

got my info pack and all the other,day,and have a barb test coming up,and a number and literacy test!(god thier efficient)

this may sound like a weird question,but should i wear a suit,as its just a barb test?i dont want to turn up looking like an overdressed idiot!

I HEARD smart civies for tests and to save the suits for the interviews.

Mrmotivator007

got my info pack and all the other,day,and have a barb test coming up,and a number and literacy test!(god thier efficient)

this may sound like a weird question,but should i wear a suit,as its just a barb test?i dont want to turn up looking like an overdressed idiot!

Quis Separabit

The London Irish Rifles, now a TA regiment.

They wear the famous Irish 'Caubeen.' The London Irish Rifles have deployed a number of soldiers to the Balkans, Iraq and Afghanistan.

Quis Separabit

Another Irish (now part Irish) regiment not been mentioned are the The Queens Royal Hussars (the Queens own and Royal Irish), formerly the Royal Irish hussars, a senior cavalry regiment of the BA.
<snip> All refferal links snipped - Hagar <snip>

The Royal Irish hussars Challenger 2s in Iraq.

Quis Separabit

The household divisions origins go back to Charles I.

Irish Guards advance on Basrah.

<snip> All refferal links snipped - Hagar <snip>

iwishicould

yeah you're stating the obvious there buddy. the docu was made in the mid to late nineties.

Quis Separabit wrote: »

The Irish guards did not serve in the north until 93.

The Irish Guards, in common with the other British Army regiments of Irish origin, were long exempted from service in Northern Ireland. (Small numbers of Irish Guardsmen, however, gained experience in Ulster while attached to other Guards regiments during their service in the troubled province.) The drawdown in the overall size of the British Army following the end of the Cold War, however, meant that this policy was no longer sustainable. The year 1993 saw the regiment finally carry out its first tour-of-duty in Northern Ireland, being based in County Fermanagh. The violence in NI had mostly subsided by this time and their first-ever tour west of the Irish Sea passed quietly. They left the following year. In 1995 their second tour of NI began, based in County Tyrone. The regiment headed for Germany in 1998 as part of British Forces Germany, successor to BAOR.

Quis Separabit

iwishicould wrote: »

Yeah most still went up. check out the documentary For Queen and Country (i think thats the name). shows the Irish Guards up the north. one dubliner was on checkpoint duty and stopping cars etc. one car he stopped they asked him what he was doing up the north, they thought the south invaded

The Irish guards did not serve in the north until 93.

The Irish Guards, in common with the other British Army regiments of Irish origin, were long exempted from service in Northern Ireland. (Small numbers of Irish Guardsmen, however, gained experience in Ulster while attached to other Guards regiments during their service in the troubled province.) The drawdown in the overall size of the British Army following the end of the Cold War, however, meant that this policy was no longer sustainable. The year 1993 saw the regiment finally carry out its first tour-of-duty in Northern Ireland, being based in County Fermanagh. The violence in NI had mostly subsided by this time and their first-ever tour west of the Irish Sea passed quietly. They left the following year. In 1995 their second tour of NI began, based in County Tyrone. The regiment headed for Germany in 1998 as part of British Forces Germany, successor to BAOR.

iwishicould

Yeah most still went up. check out the documentary For Queen and Country (i think thats the name). shows the Irish Guards up the north. one dubliner was on checkpoint duty and stopping cars etc. one car he stopped they asked him what he was doing up the north, they thought the south invaded

Quis Separabit wrote: »

Anyone with Southern Irish origins did not have to serve in the north, whatever regiment they served in.

Which is why the Irish Guards never done a tour there until 93.

The other infantry regiment excluded from service in the north were the Gurkhas.

Quis Separabit

ldooley wrote: »

Just curious, before they were withdrawn from active service in the 6 counties could a Southern Irishman be sent to the North in the BA??

Anyone with Southern Irish origins did not have to serve in the north, whatever regiment they served in.

Which is why the Irish Guards never done a tour there until 93.

The other infantry regiment excluded from service in the north were the Gurkhas.

ldooley

Just curious, before they were withdrawn from active service in the 6 counties could a Southern Irishman be sent to the North in the BA??

OS119

Mrmotivator007 wrote: »

wow a year,i was expecting it to be much quicker than over here done within 3 or four months.I was planning on doing the four years and then coming back over here to be an officer after that,another year meaning this time next year?would mean after the four years id just about be young enough to apply for our army,25 is the maximium age right?
on second thoughts i dont think ill bother with the PDF,just doing cash escorts and all that crap wouldnt appeal,to me,and very limited trips overseas!

ll ask for a application form then!

its probably not a very good idea to have such long term plans, particularly as they are dependent on so many things you don''t have control over, and if anyone in the recruiting process suspected that your plans were to 'chop and change' then they might well look askance at you. you would best off looking at yourself hard in the mirror and asking if you really want to join a high tempo, high-end force as an end in itself, or do you want to to join the PDF with something a bit 'extra' under your belt?

you might seriously need to reconsider the plan on another front too, after four years service you will be at lance-corporal/junior Captain (depending on whether you join the ranks or are commissioned) level with at least one very hard operational tour under your belt and having played with all the big boys toys in the UK arsenal - MLRS, fast air support, Battalion-sized heliborne operations, Apache, Chally 2's, Warrior, 'THEM' - and in general being in a very experienced and fast moving force that does an awful lot of very serious soldiering in its most pure - and complex - forms. will you then really want to move to a very different type of force as exemplified by the PDF?

i'm not slagging down the PDF eoither as an organisation or its members, but the current British Amy and the PDF are very, very different beasts - as required by very, very different governmental foriegn policies. it might be foolish to believe that leaving one for the other will provide as much professional satisfaction.

Quis Separabit

DILLIGAF wrote: »

So after I finish my 14 weeks basic (assuming I simply go for regular army) I should pick a skill like you've suggested? That would be during phase 2 training right? Are you shown all of your options prior to phase 2?

Its 24 weeks infantry, 26 weeks guards.

Quis Separabit

iwishicould wrote: »

What part of my post was not true?

You stated the Irish guards spend 6 months or longer every year outside Buckingham Palace, this is not true.

They supply one company for ceremonial duties every 2 and a half years.

Mrmotivator007

wow a year,i was expecting it to be much quicker than over here done within 3 or four months.I was planning on doing the four years and then coming back over here to be an officer after that,another year meaning this time next year?would mean after the four years id just about be young enough to apply for our army,25 is the maximium age right?
on second thoughts i dont think ill bother with the PDF,just doing cash escorts and all that crap wouldnt appeal,to me,and very limited trips overseas!

ll ask for a application form then!

iwishicould

What part of my post was not true?

Quis Separabit wrote: »

This is not true.

The Irish Guards supply one company (around 120 men) every two and a half years, for palace ceremonial duties which are rotated along with the other 4 guards regiments, they are a mechanised infantry regiment.
<snip> All refferal links snipped - Hagar <snip>

Many southern Irish serve in the Irish Guards.

iwishicould

Just leave any NHS/Insurance stuff blank. They know you're coming from Ireland.

DILLIGAF wrote: »

wow, I was prepared for a 6 month or so wait, but I guess there's more red tape then I anticipated. Not to worry, whats one year when your setting yourself up for a lifelong career.Might aswell send this form off tomorrow then. I'll go check out the website now as the skills side of thing is one of the really interesting parts.

Question for you, on the application form they sent me, do I fill in the "national health number and insurance number" sections or leave them blank? Seeing as I'm not on the NHS I don't know if I should put my PPS number or something of the sort.