Rejoin - Forum Members input would be appreciated.

[Artist]

Heres my two bob:

Im going to be 30 in 16 days, I have a "ok" job, 7 weeks holiday (for being there 10 years), car and all the kind of possessions you have, except a house.

Im giving that life up to do better, to better myself, to do things most only dream of.
This is somthing I had always wanted to do but for relationships and having a comfortable life I never took any action.

Im applying, knowing i'll drop money, holiday time and most creature comforts I have come acustomed to, but if im completely honest I dont care, im certainly not a materialistic person.

For me, I look at the "end game", If I stay at my job for the rest of my life, I have and would always look back and wish I had given it a go.
In my job I might get promoted, might get all sorts of different projects, and one day buy a house some land and do the things I like to think I want to do. Cliche dream? Get rich, family, friends, land or whatever.

Thats certainly not why im applying, If I won the lottery (HIGHLY unlikely I dont play it) i'd still apply for the marines; Its a life you cant buy.

Admire your point of view big time Taxman.

I myself joined at 17 years of age in 1973, left in 1990. Never been one for wanting to make a ruck of dosh, just want to do what I want to do.

But remember these words please dear sir and the rest of you who have a good income and a settled life. You have a good job (by the sound of it) and if your married or in a relationship stand by to be misunderstood by your nearest and dearest.

Your not going off to a life of glory, fanfares and rucks of admiring women. Your going to a world that you, let alone your family will not understand at first.

It is not an easy life being a Royal Marine. You may find yourself away from your loved ones for months on end. My eldest daughter was 6 months old when I first saw her.

It's a hard hard life, with loads of ups and downs. So think long and hard before you bite the bullet and decide that a career in the Royal Marines is what you want. These days it's far worse than it was for me as most Bootnecks will see themselves at the sharp end pretty damn quick once they earn the green lid.

After saying that "CRACK ON!" But remember it's not a nine to five job, it's a way of life. OK. Wheres me chuffing coat peeps?

Artist

[letsrole]

Id say join the RMR then you get to keep your cushty job and have the marines. Then if that works out go regs. Theres a lad there atm that is 26 and considering going regs, youve still got 4 years!

[Sully]

Taxman, that's a fair summary of what I thought at the time and agree even more now having come through the other side. Have a think about this from "Legionnaire" by Simon Murray (who set up Hutchinson Whampoa and eventually Orange after he'd left the Legion):

"They were rough days and we saw some hard times, but looking back on it now I do not regret a single second. It was a magnificent experience, we had a camaraderie that was unparalleled and the world was a much freer place in which to move than it is today. There was more time to wander off the path then, so that a boy of nineteen could run off and climb a mountain if he wanted to. The corridors of life today seem narrow by comparison and the materialistic ends we seek require constant progression along the path from the moment we take our first examination. There is no allowance for time out.

But there is. And to those that totter on the brink, my advice is go, and do so while you are young, and you will be happy at forty."

As Artist says, it is a hard life but if it was easy then everybody would do it On a softer note you can't put a price on your little boy saying "Dad, can you tell me some more of those funny stories from when you were in the marines?" Obviously I'll have to hold a few back until he's a bit older

[tkdvipers]

Some great responses from everyone here. I've decided I'm going to crack on and get it sorted.

Contacted the AFCO today to get a prmc date. So will hopefully here back soon, I think I'm going to look at going back in around October.

I did love doing Hunters Spoon in the cold and wet last time so the chance to do it again is a dream come true.

All sarcasam aside it really is. GGHT maybe we will see each other down there.

[Para_Hopeful]

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[Ty]

Age is just a number mate ( until you hit 32 and the Marines don't let ya join ), but you can push your body to do a number of great feats. Jeez, Chris Terril did the Commando Tests at 55 years old. It's hard to decide when it comes to joining any Military service. It's a different life then regular society. Your mentality, attitude, and perspective on life will change dramatically.

Personally, I never did fit into society very good. T.V, commercialism, cell phones, traffic jams, the business suits. Just never appealed to me. I just can't stand watching the same idiots everyday coasting through life, when thousands of individuals are over seas giving their lives, just so they can live comfortably. I'd rather be over seas, then watching the blissful ignorance on every fake suit that passes me in the street.

If you feel this business is not for you, or it's not what you attain to be, then why do it ?. Don't let society tell you that you NEED to get married, you NEED a house, you NEED the family dog. Do what you feel is right for you. At the end of it, you can say you lived your life, the way you wanted. Not by what your girlfriend wanted, your family wanted, or what the norm was. Just my 2 cents.

[Brummielad]

PARA_ HOPEFUL

I think everyone doubts there ability. I myself think how the hell am i going to do this look how hard it is. I myself have hardly no confidence in myself, im clumsy, im shit at most things. But i am joining to correct all this, have a crack at it even though you might fail. Just prepare yourself as much as you can fitness and mentally wise and expect everything and dont join beleiving you will fail.

As i say just have a crack at it and go with a good attitude and you ll go far mate you ve just got to really want it. If you fail then you fail least you wont look back and say i should have tried to join or something.

Good Look

p.s You know you want to be a royal marine deep down

[Dave_1987]

Everyone has pretty much covered it vipers. The way I look at it is I dont wanna be 40 years old and be gutted and resentful about everything in my life because I didnt take the chance to join up when I could. You should go for it mate, dont regret anything.

p.s You know you want to be a royal marine deep down

Deep down everyone wants to be a Royal Marine

[tkdvipers]

Your completely right there Dave.

As people can probably see from my sig I have the PRMC in September. The AFCO told me he was going to try and get me on first one starting on the 2nd.

Ever since I have made the decsion I have wanted to stop going to work and get in there ASAP. I am really lucky as I work in a school so I will go on holiday for 6 weeks in a week.

This will give me plenty of time to get my cardio back up.

Cheers for the advice everyone, it makes it alot easier when you know there are people who've been in your situation and are where you want to be.

[misterpurple]

As was said to me by the Corporal at the Preston AFCO, the Royal Marines is "the hardest and the best boys club in the world, it's easier to get in to the f@#k Freemasons", but that just makes it all the more worthwhile. Difficult is worth doing, we value nothing we acquire cheaply etc. etc. The rat race is not a challenge, earning a green beret most definitely is.

As people can probably see from my sig I have the PRMC in September. The AFCO told me he was going to try and get me on first one starting on the 2nd.

I'm on this one. Where you travelling from?

Edited to add:

Location: Dorchester

Nevermind.

[themattmeister]

I think you should go RMR.

How old will you be if you pass out, 27, 28? I personally would find it very difficult starting a new career at the bottom of the pile at that age when you don't exactly know what you're getting yourself into.

It's not all jumping out of helos and being gucci, if you pass out and rock up to a unit you can stand by to be the wets bitch for lads 10 years younger and get plenty of gash details and the gash details never stop coming. Younger lads who haven't had a successful career on civvy street can just roll with it, could you?

If you were ten years younger asking for advice I'd say 'join for sure', with your current circumstances you'd probably get more out of life with the RMR.

[fodd]

Im in a situation where if I rejoin im going to be 25+ I got halway through rejoining and iv'e now decided to go traveling around Thailand and Australia for a year I still get pains in me leg from my injury in RT and im thinking what if I rejoing and my leg F@/?ks up again.

Iv'e been online and iv'e passed the entry requirements for australia with being a I'M A SCAMMER SPAMMER!!! manager so im unsure what I want to do and if I rejoin im going to be in a similar situation.

it's quite difficult if I can get into Australia im thinking of the police or firebrigade out there.

[tkdvipers]

Its a very hard decision for anybody to make as is any life changing situation where you have to choose between one or the other.

Thank you to all the people who have sggested the reserves, I had never really comtemplated that option before. I certainly don't want to be the guy making the teas, to my mind that is such a waste of a trained marine.

However I have heard from a friend of mine that when he passed out the first couple of months he spent time setting out chairs then packing them up.
A bit odd I thought.

I'm still in limbo about much of it but the PRMC may sway me either way.

[Sully]

fodd, I almost feel like I know you after a few years of this and I have to say that I think that one day you'll regret not joining up again mate. The entrance requirements for Aus probably won't change in the next few years. It's your shout but I nearly talked myself out of joining up and I dread to think of where I'd have ended up if I hadn't. I had a fairly brief and undistinguished military career but (a) I had such a laugh; and (b) it set me up for everything that has happened since. Even the rough times (of which there were plenty) offer some comforting and satisfying memories.

You've been there before and maybe you don't think that the camaraderie is up to much but don't base your view on CTC. I didn't get close to many people in training and even then it was only in the last 10 weeks or so. Outside CTC in the 'real world' you'll meet some amazing people - I'll guarantee it. Your shout mate but with reference to your signature, the decision you're about to make will last forever.

tdk, even trained ranks make the tea mate - and plenty of other menial, but essential, tasks like sweeping up the troop lines on Friday morning. You need to know your place so maybe offer to make the wets at first and send out a message that you're a good egg; the last thing seasoned bootnecks want to see is someone joining their section straight out of the box who thinks they're the first person ever to hack commando training and above some of the shit that they had to put up with - and they'll tell you about how bad it was in their day It might sound weird but there's a reason for it and it helps with the bonding and the 'exclusivity'.

My first job as a trained commando was being pinged to paint some big cartoon murals for the Sgt's Mess Christmas kids party! Rudolph was a real challenge. True enough you start a unit out of training at the bottom of the pile but it's like CTC...two weeks later you're up a notch...two weeks after that up another...and so on. Within a year you'll feel like you've always been there and don't belong anywhere else. A lad 10 years younger than me (same rank) and ordering me about would have had to be able to look after himself Although I can't say that it happened - people generally take you as they find you (subject to the above consideration).

I'm not so sure about the RMR. I'm not saying it's better or worse but it is different. If you primarily want the beret and the badge and the part-time challenge (with occasional full time commitment) then go for it but if you want the lifestyle then mooch on down to CTC.

[lodgi]

I left RT last year at week 15. I think about training a lot and often wonder if I made the right decision. I left in the end because I was missing the girlfriend too much. I knew that if I passed out then I would see her even less than the odd long weekend in RT. I hated most of RT, especially the field. As I was leaving lympstone I made a mental note of how I fealt at the time, as I knew after a few months I might regret leaving.

If I was to return to the military it wouldn't be an infantry unit. I think i'm basically a lazy person and once I'd got to CTC, and seen trained ranks I never really saw myself as a marine.

I'm going to college this year to study engineering then I'm thinking of going in the Royal Engineers as a full time soldier or RE TA. Tkdvipers, I think you should do what some people have all ready mentioned on here and go RMR. That way you can join the RM, and if you complete the training, you can transfer to the regulars if you decide you want in full time. I think its the perfect solution for you, and I cant see many cons versus all the pros when your weighing it up.