This page facebook page

https://www.facebook.com/pages/British-Army-Infomation/269520799827486

Photos

Photos of british army.
by british army infomation facebook page and this Blog

educational tests

The army needs men and women who can master and control the high-powered technology of todays modern weapons equipnent and infomationn, so he selection programme requires all applicants take a set of basic educational tests. With over 130 jobs and trades to choise from, the seletion staff need to know the intellectual capacity of the problems in filling, and other where the difficulty is acute. The attraction of acquiring a havy goods vehicle driving licence attracts many applicants, and there never any potential cooks. however, the army is always short of clarks because few applicants feel worth wearing a uniform to push apen.
Candidates have to provide theire birth certificate, national health number and national insurance number, certificates of any education or proffesional qualifications and a court memorandum or receipt of fines if appticable. they must also give theire names and addresses of any relitives living outside of the uk. they also have to provide the names of two good standing to testify that they are of good carater'.  women haved to give three but only 2 will be taken up  these references must be over 18 and haved to have a proffetional standing such as a cadet leader a teacher or your boss

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.

the officer interview

The officers interview

While inquiries continue, the selection procress proceeds and the officer's interview is considered the hardest part. A common comment from many applicants is, 'At the end of the day we are trying for a job and i am asking him to put faith in me and give me that job.' The personnel selection officer who conducts the interview is usually a former warrant officer with more than 20 years' service, who has been promoted through the ranks and after receiving a late entry commision has been promoted to Major. Mementos of his past experience fill the office in the form of regimental plaques, certificates and awards for merit. Silver figures of infantry soilders take pride of place on the window still,

sercurity checks

Surcurity and checks

With the sargents interview over the applicants is given an appointment date for the officer's interview. In the interim character references are taken up surcurity checks are made, which can take up to six months. Any possible offences are made checked with the police crinimal record office. In some cases credit reference agencies will be asked ro investigate possible county court judgments, and positive vetting checks are conducted by army itelligence in cooperation with military intelligence in Northern irelands and the royal Ulster Constabulary for any family links with paramilitary organisations. Relatives in the republic of ireland are also checked by irish police for the same reasons if any connetion with paramilitarys is found, weather the applicant knows it or not, a refusal is garanteed. Relitives in the armed foces are checked and a breif apprasial of theire positive vetting papers may he requested for any omission or discepancies.

If the applicants origanates from a commonwealth country, these checks are carried out by british high commision in that country.

The sargents interview

The sargent's interview

The sargent's interview is conducted as an informal, fatherly chat, which helps to relax he applicants and bring them out of their shells. Interviewing sergents are posted to the careers office for two years. They are usally carefully chosen by their regiments because they are bright enthusiastic NCOs and are likely to capture the imagaination of casual caller. The sergent skilfuly prises answers from unsespecting applicants and withing ten minutes will have weight them up and know whether they are likely to last training.

'Interviewing is not a skill you learn or can be taught, it takes time and experiance,' said one sergent. 'you get a feeling about the person by the way they avoid your stare or fidget and twitch. Addmittedly we all get nervouse at interviews, some people can handle it and some can't; it's the ones that appear the most confident we are looking for.' This view is comfirmed by other recruiting staff who go further in asserting that if applicants are very nervous, they are less likely to settle into a disciplined life and will find it much harder to gain the confidence needed to sirvive.

The sargent,s interview is the last chance to ensure that all paper work has been completed and all the loose ends tied up. Personal infomation is comfirmed and double checked,including possible debts something that increasingly rules out many married men. There are accecptable limits; the rule of thumb is that the debt must be payable before the commecement of training,because most of the recruits receive only pocket money to buy essential items. Normally anything under £500 is fine but, anything over is considered unacceptable. Married applicants with morgages are considered on theire individual merits, but unless theire parteners are working there is little hope. If the partener is working,however, the queation is often raised as to weather hey are prepared to give up that employment and to move overseas,to places like northern ireland or cyprus, with no guarantee of work. If the partener is prepared to move, the applicant is bafk facing the question of financing the morgage repayments during training; it is a vicious circle.with few options for breaking it.