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Hi

I have been to the recruitment office recently and spoken to a guy there about joining the Paras but I'm more confused now than when I went in.

I told him how keen I was to join but all he kept going on about was how I should join another regiment in the army before going for the Paras because it would get me prepared for the demands of Para training and that if I got badly injured in Para training I would at least have a place in the army to fall back on (no pun intended) rather than merely being kicked off the Para training back into civvy street.
He also said that there was a waiting list to get in the Paras and that there were no vacancies now anyway.

I'm still keen for the Paras but if this guy knows what he's talking about I'm wondering if the right course of action is to get in and get my feet under the table in a 'normal' (sorry, not meaning to be disrespectful) regiment now and try for the Paras later.
I suppose this way I would be better prepared for the Paras and while I was waiting for a place (if I passed) I could be learning in the army rather than playing with myself at home.

Any advice would be warmly welcomed.

Tilly, it is difficult to dispute advice given to you by the recruiting office - they are the experts.

There is no shortage of potential Paras and vacancies may well be in short supply. It probably comes down to how much you want it, if you do then stick with your choice and be prepared to take the knocks as the recruiter described. Good luck.

Contractor wrote:Tilly, it is difficult to dispute advice given to you by the recruiting office - they are the experts.

Tilly as Contractor said the recruiting office are the experts, but lew a future para and a Cult member on this site might be abel to give you some advice. He's in the TA at the moment but after Uni he's going to join the Paras.

Just an idea

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Tilly, sometimes recruiters will want to have good men in their 'local' regiments. Between me and you (say nowt Contractor ) I looked into it before joining the RM and faced a similar stone wall. Think carefully about what he said as it makes sense to a point (plenty of excellent lads were injured in RM training and binned to civvy street through injury for example). Having thought about it go back and tell him you want to join the paras and ask him to at least process the application. Good luck. I met a few paras when I was in and, when all the rivalry BS was stripped away they were top soldiers and a good laugh.

Tilly, please don't let it put you off. It may be genuine but I had a right pain in the arse in the recruitment office that I went to that did everything to put me off joining the Paras. After a couple of visits and my insistence that he processed my application, I was on my selection course just a few weeks later.
Stick with your dream, you may never be in the circumstances to transfer later in your career and you'll always regret it if you don't. The pride you will feel if you make it through will be worth the wait.
ED.

Stick with it mate, don’t let him put you off, he may just not like the para's, or has been told to promote the line regts... even if this is not the case good things come to those who wait...


See you there in 18 months...


lew

Tilly don't let them talk you out of going para.Take note of previous posts.
I don't think recruiting will have changed to much since I done it [a while ago]but if I'm not mistaken they will try to get you to there own regiment.
Tell them you want para or nothing, if they are playing the numbers game they will come round. If you don't make it then you will be given a choice to go to another unit. Good Luck.

what about doing this

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