Sponsors through RCB briefing

[letsrole]

I have a mate going through selection at the moment for Sandhurst and he asked me if getting sponsored by your armed career officer through RCB is a good thing or not, I didn’t know the answer so I thought I would post it on here. He hasn’t gone on any regimental visits because his briefing will arrive before his visits (he wants to go RE)...but what I thought is shouldn’t his career officer have asked him to go on visit’s first to see if they want him? So the big question lies in the title if anyone knows. Also, how often does this happen?

[faddius]

It helps having a sponsor, if anything it's something to talk/question about in the RCB, gives you a direction and focus. Also it helps to check out the reg you want to join to make sure you like the setup, also lets them see if they like you. If they don't don't worry you can give it another lash around week 20(?) RMAS when your formal reg applications are processed. I read a story somewhere where a Para officer failed his POC but worked his b@lls off in RMAS and was subsequently accepted.

That said you can be sponsored by your ACAO if time is short. If he is looking for the May intake he has time to do loads of Fam visits and postpone the RCB.

If in a rush he can do the RCB without fam visits/sponsorship and then do the fam visits aftewards, post RCB pre RMAS.

[letsrole]

So if he fails RCB breif he won’t get to go on any fam. visits? He seems to think that his ACO wants him out of the way, kind of like, ‘ill let u pass and let the people at RCB fail you’ as he said his interview was disastrous, he is going for a bursary which is at some university he starts Sept '06. He mentioned some ‘infantry officer battle course’ or something along those lines to experience the infantry and see if its for him (don’t know if the order of words or even the words are correct there-sorry) but anyone know anything about that (I have searched)? As infantry is he second choice it was either grenadier guards or paras.

[faddius]

If he isn't in a hurry to go to Sandhurst, it seems very strange that he isn't doing any fam visits before the RCB. They will prep/mock test you for the RCB at some fam visits. Yes the infantry run a Potential Officer Infantry Fam Visit POIFV, i'd say this is what he is talking about.

If he is interested in the Paras he should certainly go down for their POC.

If he fails the RCB briefing, they will tell him to reconsider another career or to come back to them in X (12 months usually) amount of time when he is Y (older/fitter/mature/prepared/etc.) I'm sure he can have fam visits organised by his ACAO unless the RCB briefing team told him to fu@k off.

[letsrole]

Well he is in a hurry because the board for undergraduate bursaries is in May, it all seems to rushed to me as well. Ill talk to him about all this, thanks for all the advice/guidance...and hey look that was your 300th post! lol anyway...

[tyke172]

I'd really recommend going on as many fam visits as possible. When i was doing my A-Levels i considered going for army officer and so got a visit to Sandhurst and then Warminster with the Green Howards. Through this i realised that being an officer probably wasn't my cup of tea, nothing against them they were good lads but sometimes you just know when you arn't gonna fit in!

It's better finding out what your suited to before taking the leap to RCB when it's easy to get fam visits. Saves everyones time and effort if you don't mess around and decide the lifes not for you later along the line.