Joining up

All enlistments start with a short visit to the army careers infomation office. A recruiting sergent will begin by ensuring that the applicants meets the basic criteria to join applicants must have British commonwealth or Republic of ireland citizenshio. and must be aged 16 for junior soldiers and over 17 and a half for adult service. The upper age limit is 25, although there are higher limits for specialists profesionals such as trained nurses, radiograthers and physiotherapists, who may enter up to the age of 33 years, and solicitors and ordained clergy up to the age of 45 years. Candidates must have no seriouse crimes to there name; this is checked by Armys manning and records office via a link to scotland yard's National Crinimal Records File. Many enlistments have been refused entry at a late stage of training for not declaring fines or court appearences. Such offences by by ni means excludes the applicant, but acceptance depends on there severity; the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1975 also stops any person on probation joining.
There are no longer service engagements where applicants sign on for three,six or nine years. All soilders are enlisted on an open aggrement which is for a period of 22 years' service from the age of 18 or the date of entry, whitchever is later. All soilders have the right to leave after cimpletion of three years' service from age 18 and one year's notice is required. The only exeption to this is in the casr of pregnancy, when women may choose either to resign or take maternity leave; the latter option is the most widely taken. The recruiting sergent will go through the applicants' schooling, qualifications, employment and family circumstances, and will check wheather the applicants has any preferences fot possible regiments or corps. He will then explain what life in the army is like and the work the recruit will do. The applicants will be given pamphlets on local regiments and told togo home and think about it. When a firm application is made the candidate will be given an application to enlist and medical questionnaire' form to fill in and date will be arraged for educational tests.