Transfering from Signals to Paras

[garfield]

Hey, i'm currently based in germany as a signaller and lately i've really started thinking about joining the paras. Life at my unit is amazingly boring and i don't feel proud to be in the signals. If i joined the paras and passed i'd be proud of myself for what i'd done and from the sounds of things, battalion life in the paras is constant training for the next deployment or excercise, a lot better than sitting around in a hangar cleaning a det in prep for sitting around in a field doing nothing.

Well theres my reasons, now i just have a few questions

1. Having already done basic 2 years ago would i just go straight to catterick for phase 2?
2. Would they treat me bad cuz i've came from the signals?
3. Would i be doing a daft thing in transfering from a trade in the signals to join the paras?

My main worry is how i would be treated coming from the signals, i'd probably be a para now if it weren't for a very convincing, lying recruiting sergeant, as that is what i originally intended on joining, i just don't wanna get it harder or take beatings purely because of that.

Anyway, any views or opinions would help a lot cuz at the minute i'm a very confused and undecided lad, cheers

[Gazza85]

There was a lad at RSC who was a radio op in the signals and was joining the infantry (but not the paras).

So you will most likely have to do RSC, phase 1 and 2 again and then you will then be put in the sigs platoon because of your background. Thats what they said to him anyway.

[Tab]

If you are a trained soldier you can just go in for the P Course, it used to last for about two weeks, these days I think it takes a bit longer as some many that apply are not really fit enough for the Course so they try and get you ready before you undertake it. Have you thought about being an Airborne Signaller all branches of the Army are required in the Airborne, and once you have your Beret then you are one of the team regardless of where you came from.

[dannyd]

I might be able to help a little bit here as I've got a mate who transferred from R. Sigs to the Paras. However, he did it while he was still going through Phase 2 Sigs training.

From his experience:

He transferred and was put into a Para recruit platoon at about week 4 of training. He'd been told before transferring that he would get a lot of stick from the instructors for coming from Sigs & he'd have to wear his Sigs beret until he passed P Coy. This he found out was all b****cks. He was treated exactly the same as the other lads & wore exactly the uniform as them.

He passed out of depot about 2 1/2 years ago & and is still very happy with the decision he made.

Hope that helps (a bit).

Dan

[crafty990]

Are you an "operator" garfield? I used to be attached to 3 div sigs regt in Bulford and nearly all of the operators there had signed off coz they were spending all their time just cleaning dets. I'd suggest you attempt Pcoy and enter the airborne world that way, b*llocks to being a footslogger after you've had the easy life as a scaly.