Hi Josh,

It's a great question and one only you can probably answer yourself. Have you had a look at the army careers website to see which roles match your interests? That's probably the most pertinent thing to ensure, as you can end up having a very long, fulfilling career.

Whilst there are a number of officer roles that will see you sat behind a desk, there is in actual fact a large number that will get you out in the field in a hands-on environment. Royal Artillery, Royal Engineer and (perhaps in a greater capacity) Infantry officers will see you get out and about, working alongside your team.

Regardless of whether you join as a soldier or an officer, there will be occasions throughout your career where you could be assigned a desk-based job, but there will still be elements of your day-to-day life that will get you outside and hands-on per se, such as weapon handling/ range days or physical training.

Hope that helps, but if you wish to know more about a particular job trade or role, then let me know and I can do some digging for you!

21 November, 2022 10:58

Do you know of any routes into the army from university for a regular soldier or are university routes only for officers?

22 November, 2022 12:43

Hi Josh,

I'm reading this question from two perspectives.

University > Army: Regardless of whether you have a degree or not, pretty much all soldier roles are open to you, and a number of officer roles also, depending on your A-Level/ GCSE qualifications. For example, I went to university, but the job role I wanted to do was a soldier role, so I opted for this direction within the army. Going to University is essential for certain officer roles, such as ETS, and many will argue it provides valuable life experience. There are also UOTC offered through a number of universities, which again give you valuable military experience. You mentioned previously you want to join the army after university, so definitely Google and look into UOTC.

Army > University: There are certain trades that provide you with a degree. For example, Geographic Technician (Royal Engineers) offer a BSc in Military Geospatial Science. Similarly, officers are offered the opportunity to gain degree level (Level 5 & 6) Diplomas in Management & Leadership. Going forward, after you've served a number of years, there are funding opportunities to study towards a degree of your choice.

Take a look at the army website, as there is a lot of information there regarding funding/ uni/ scholarships etc - https://apply.army.mod.uk/how-to-join/entryoptions/officer-bursary

Hope that helps Josh!

25 November, 2022 10:31