Help With Military Path Decision...

[Arran]

Hey Guys well basically I definately want to join the forces and have done for hte past few years and as of now i can. I have always wanted to do infantry position as a Paratrooper which was my original choice. I am i npretty good shape and have the application process to get in even better shape which is good, I feel i could be a great soldier and would idealy like to become a sniper. (also on a side note how long is the application process at the moment taking?)

I have been thinking a lot about the Royal Engineers lately though due to the fact of considering what i could do when i come out of the forces. If i was to do the REME path i would do the electritian field. But I do want to be active doin field stuff and not just sat back fixing buildings all the time.

I am aware you can specialise and do various things such as Paratrooper which would be my choice/Commando as a 2nd route. Which takes you to 16th Air Assault where you get put into 1 of 4 (I think) platoons. 2 of which are apparently close support. But i want to know how much you gets to do when supporting the infantry, do you get to just tag along and when its safe, fix a certain thing etc?...

My question is based on what experience you guys have and the paths you have gone down, what would you reccommend?, I truly am torn bewteen my choices. I have heard you can transfer regiments but its hard and takes time so in theory i could go to the REME then 16th Air Assault Royal Engineers then transfer to Para 2/3. But this would take a lot of time etc. Any help would be awesome, thanks.

[Greenronnie]

The REME or Engineers aren't going to spend a lot of time and money training you, to then let you bugger off just as you are learning your trade.

And after a few years in either, you will probably have lost motivation to join the Parachute Regiment. Believe me, you will need to be focused to get through, and chances are, after a few years of fixing wagons etc, you won't be.

If you want to join the army as an infantry soldier, just concentrate on doing that. If you want to make a more sensible choice (in some people's eyes), join as a tradesman. But you won't be running around doing section attacks and the like.

But you need to pick one or the other, you can't have everything.

[London Boy]

Arran, Arran, Arran

Think more
Decide on one
Focus on getting into that one

[London Boy]

I can only second everything PA wrote.

And would add that if your REME or RE thoughts centre around learning a trade and then shagging off again to civvy strasse be advised that once you've learned a technical trade in the armed forces, it is going to cost you an arm & a leg if you want to buy yourself out before your contract period is up. I don't know what the current rates are. But put it this way, when I bought myself out in 82 it cost me thirteen weeks wages, but on top of my standard RAF Regt training I only had some specialist small arms, heavy wepaons, OED and counter terrorist training.

A trained engineer, gunlayer or mechanic?...pheeewww....you're looking at a bit of wedge there guvnor!

[Arran]

Hey thanks for the replies, especially PA0578, you gave me some very helpful insights, I do think that your right that it would be best to do the infantry first in the Paras as it was my original choice and you are probably right that i will always wonder what could have been.

I did wonder how transferable some of the trades could be such as elctritian, I heard you can get a city and guilds out of it which is what civi companys look for but i expect it will be partially transferable.

As a question I was wondering what you guys plan to do after the forces as infantry when you come out?. My ideas were Fire Service/Armed Police/Bodyguard...

And aslo do you pick up many other skills in the forces, i know you get an allowance each year for education where u can pick up other courses...

[London Boy]

As a question I was wondering what you guys plan to do after the forces as infantry when you come out?. My ideas were Fire Service/Armed Police/Bodyguard...

And aslo do you pick up many other skills in the forces, i know you get an allowance each year for education where u can pick up other courses...

Arran, I was in a security job for a year after I left the RAF- guarding both premises and people

Then I was a police officer in London for 13 years

Now I work for the Swedish Ministry of Defence in a rescue services agency

[Arran]

Yeah from what i heard its a fair bit of money to buy yourself out, bewteen £1000-2000 if i heard right. Spose what i could technically do would be do like 5 years para then go onto REME and do a stretch there or maybe do more or less in one part etc. I dunno, im just gonna have a longer think about it

Ive heard a bit about private security companys which work overseas and stuff which i thought was interesting, may have to look into that more later. Also how did you end up in a position in the Swedish Ministry of Defence? Thats quite a difference and pretty cool

[London Boy]

Also how did you end up in a position in the Swedish Ministry of Defence? Thats quite a difference and pretty cool

Well with my background it was quite easy. I'd been in Sweden a year, then someone found out about my backgorund and offered me a job on a communications secretariat at an agency. And if I tell you anymore I'll have to kill you

[Arran]

lol fair enough, haha. Was you offered it through the police seeing as you was there before that or outside? Ive been to thailand for a month maybe i could get offered something there down the line, hahaha...

[London Boy]

lol fair enough, haha. Was you offered it through the police seeing as you was there before that or outside? Ive been to thailand for a month maybe i could get offered something there down the line, hahaha...

No, I left the police in 96, then moved to Sweden with my Swedish wife & got the job in 97.

[Holger Danske]

If you wan't to really kill some enemy join the Artillery.
In a forward observer-team you'll see plenty of action and the infantry love the hell from above you can unleash on the enemy.

Squadron/Company Groups in the Battlegroup would each be provided with a Forward Observation Officer (FOO), who is responsible for fire planning and directing the fire of the guns onto the target. The FOO and his party travel in equivalent vehicles to the supported troop, to enable them to keep up with the formation being supported and are usually in contact with:

(a) The Gun Positions

(b) The Battery Commander at BGHQ

(c) The Regimental Fire Direction Centre

(d) The Company Group being supported

Having identified and applied prioritisation of targets, the FOO will call for fire from the guns, and he will then adjust the fall of shot to cover the target area. The FOO will be assisted in this task by the use of a Warrior FCLV or, in the future, an MRAV OP vehicle containing the computerised fire control equipment which provides accurate data of the target location.

Given a vehicle with its surveillance and target acquisition suite, the FOO can almost instantly obtain the correct grid of the target and without calling for corrections, order 'one- round fire for effect'.