Hi Ellis,

So glad to hear you are considering a career in the Army. Choosing what you want to do as a career at this point in your life is one of the most challenging things you will have faced but I hope I will help a little.

So beginning with Regular vs Reserve. Joining the Army as a Regular soldier or officer will be your career and therefore your full time job. If you are a reserve soldier this will be part time and usually alongside you have a different career with a usual commitment for most of 27 days a year.

Soldier vs Officer. For those roles that you can join as a Junior Soldier (under 17 years and 6 months), you’ll do either a 49 weeks or 23-week basic military training course at Army Foundation College Harrogate in North Yorkshire. If you join as a Regular Soldier (over 17 years and 6 months), you’ll do the regular 14-week adult basic training. The entry requirements in terms of education are specific to each role and range from no qualifications to GCSE. To join as an officer directly, you will need 72 UCAS points from A or T-Level qualifications or equivalent. You can also join as a soldier first and then apply to conduct officer training after you have served for four years.

When choosing what to do, you have done plenty of research, I am sure, to come up with these options. It's absolutely my thoughts that you should go for something that you are passionate about and will enjoy. The benefits of joining Harrogate are going to be that you are being paid and trained from day one as well as getting English, Maths and IT qualifications and most of our roles are linked to an Apprenticeship.

I hope this helps a little, but please let me know if you have any other questions.

06 December, 2023 09:28