Hi Sarah,

Great to see you have applied, good luck with your application.

I'm hoping you've already been told that being a parent is absolutely not a barrier to entry. I know many people who have joined the army as a parent, both in a relationship and as a single parent. Many go on to have long, successful careers. The support in place for parents in constantly growing and evolving.

It's great to hear you have a support network at home, as you will be away from your children during training, or if you deploy on exercise or operations. However, your chain of command will be very supportive and try to offer flexibility where possible. For example, I know one person who was posted to a HQ squadron, which gave her routine working hours during the day whilst her child was at school.

There are also flexible working and service options available in the military after training, which again is something you can discuss with your hierarchy once you finish training.

As a parent, you will be entitled to military housing (otherwise known as Service Family Accommodation) once you have completed training, giving you and your children your own private space away from camp. It's heavily subsidised, affordable and speaking as somebody who has resided in two SFA properties, they're very often really nice homes with a lot of space and your own garden.

Just to add, there are also support networks across the military, such as the Army Servicewomen's Network (ASN) and a Army Parents Network (APN) which are in place to offer further guidance and support.

Hope that helps answer your question, allays your fears somewhat and gives you a bit of further information on life as a parent in the services.

04 March, 2022 16:24