YOUR GUIDE TO BECOMING AN OFFICER IN THE BRITISH ARMY “ARE YOU READY TO BECOME AN ARMY OFFICER?” P4–9 CHALLENGE MAKING THE RIGHT DECISION The ability to make decisions is at the heart of what it means to be an Army officer. Some of those decisions will be day-to-day choices made in consultation with other people. Others have to be made on the spot and acted on in the demanding environment of exercises or operations. P10–17 Before making any decision, you need to have the right information. LEARNING The purpose of this guide is to provide the information you need to help you decide whether you want to become an officer full time, or in your spare time with the Territorials. It will tell you about some of the challenges you’ll face and the rewards you can look forward to. It will show you how one of the best management training programmes in the world prepares you for leadership. It will give you an idea of what you can expect from an Army career. Becoming an Army officer is a big decision. But no matter which unit you hope to join, whether you want to stay for the long term or go on P18–27 to do other things, few other choices you can make will offer you so much in return. REWARD CONTENTS CHALLENGE 4–9 LEADERSHIP 28–33 06 Life on operations 30 How you develop your 08 Leading a team of soldiers leadership skills 09 Serving as a Territorial officer 32 Your five-year career path LEARNING 10–17 CAREER 34–63 P28–33 12 Officer training at Sandhurst 36 The selection process LEADERSHIP 14 A term-by-term guide to the 39 Support during your studies Commissioning Course 40 Your route to becoming 17 Training as a Territorial officer an Army officer 42 Where to use your skills REWARD 18–27 44 Regiments and corps 20 A day in the life of an officer 60 Joining as a Professionally 24 Rewards of front-line service Qualified Officer 26 Adventurous training and 62 What to do next financial benefits 2 P34–63 CAREER CHALLENGE Life in the Army is about challenging yourself. From serving on operations to being a better leader, you’ll get the support you need to succeed 06 Life on operations 08 Leading a team of soldiers 09 Serving as a Territorial officer CHALLENGE Folarin joined the Army after completing a degree at Newcastle University. He’d been set “ I WANTED for a career in the oil industry but chose the Army because it offered a more varied career. After officer training, he joined the Grenadier THE CHANCE Guards and prepared to face a soldier’s biggest challenge – serving on operations. WhatconvincedyoutojointheArmy? TO MAKE A I knew that camaraderie and the chance to make a difference were important to me. I’d always been interested in the Army and I began to DIFFERENCE” realise that commanding troops on operations would give me the opportunity to experience all FOLARIN KUKU of those things. LIEUTENANT INFANTRY What’stheappealofbeingonoperations? It was the most intense situation I’ve ever been in and it brought with it a huge adrenaline rush. As an officer there’s an extra dimension to going on operations because you have to think about the welfare of the people you command as well as the best way to complete the mission. Howdoyouprepare? By training. You do officer training at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, and if you’re joining the Infantry you then do the Platoon Commanders’ Battle Course, where you learn all OPERATIONS FACTS about commanding a platoon during high- intensity operations. Before you deploy you do n WhentheArmygoesonoperations n An intensive training programme prepares extra training specific to the area you’re going to. overseas,differentunitsareselected you for each tour Whatchallengesareyoulookingfornow? totakepartforafixedperiodoftime n Duringatouryougetatwo-weekrestand I’m keen to go back and command troops in that knownasa‘tour’ recuperation(R&R)break situation again. I’ve been there, seen it and I n Operational tours are the ultimate test of n Friends and family can write to you for free want to test myself again. You’re always thinking your skills as an officer – and a chance to n Manybaseshaveaccesstophones,email, about ways you can improve, ways that you can put all your training into practice satelliteTVandDVDs do things better. There’s also a massive sense of n Mosttourslastforsixmonths n On completing a tour you get 20 days’ leave bonding while you’re out there and that’s quite a special experience. 7 CHALLENGE John works for an engineering consultancy. He TERRITORIAL FACTS joined his local Territorial unit as a soldier, and after 18 months he was selected for officer n AsaTerritorialofficeryouwillhavethe “ BEING AN training. After gaining his commission, he sameopportunitiesandresponsibilities served in Afghanistan. His challenge has been asyourRegularcounterparts,withthe ARMY OFFICER to combine civilian and military careers. addedadvantagethatyoucankeep yourexistingciviliancareer IS ALL ABOUT WhydoyouenjoybeingaTerritorialofficer? n The minimum training commitment You get the best of both worlds. I have the in Territorial units ranges from 19 to LEADING freedom of my civilian career as well as all the 27 days per year advantages of the military lifestyle. And as an n Trainingtakesplaceatweekendsor SOLDIERS” officer, I’ve got extra responsibility and more intheevenings involvement with the larger-scale, tactical stuff. n Training will boost your fitness and IsitdifficulttocombinebeinganArmyofficer develop your leadership skills withyourcivilianjob? n Mostpeoplejointheirregional With careful management, the two complement Territorialunit.Ifyoujoinanational each other really well. My job involves managing unitinaspecialistrole,thereare projects and people, and that’s also a big part of differentconditionsofserviceand being an officer. After being on operations I’m levelsofcommitment no longer stressed or fazed by what happens in the office – I know I can deal with it. DoesbeingaTerritorialimproveyourcivilian jobprospects? Definitely. My company were very interested in my Army role. From its point of view, there aren’t many chances to employ someone who has experience of managing 30 people at a time and doing all the day-to-day admin that goes with it. LEADERSHIP FACTS n Inyourfirstpostingyou’lltakecommand “ A CIVILIAN CAREER AND ARMY ofatrooporplatoonofupto30soldiers. GEMMA MASON Leadingthemwillbeyourfirstchallenge asacommissionedofficer LIEUTENANT n ROLE CAN COMPLEMENT EACH You’re responsible for the day-to-day ROYAL ENGinEERS management of your soldiers n Sergeantswithmanyyears’experiencewill Gemma graduated with a me close to the action. The have a sergeant there to help betheretogiveyouexpertadvice OTHER REALLY WELL” degree in Zoology. She chose soldiers are intelligent, they’re you out and pass on some of the Army because she wanted experts in their field and many his expertise. JOHN DOLPHIN an active lifestyle and to be have good experience. They’re What’syourfavouritepartof LIEUTENANT INFANTRY “in the thick of things”. Her rewarding to command. beinganofficer? challenge has been to take Whatwasitlikemeeting Seeing the development of command of her own troop. yoursoldiers? new soldiers who come into As a Troop Commander you’re the troop. They’re nervous and Howdidyouchooseyourunit? in charge of 30 soldiers. You unsure of themselves, but as Women can’t join the Infantry meet them on your first day they learn they become much so I opted for the Royal with the unit, which can be more confident and capable. Engineers as I knew it’d keep pretty nerve-wracking, but you That’s extremely rewarding. 8 LEARNING As an Army officer you’ll develop existing skills and learn some surprising new ones, so you’ll be able to withstand whatever the future throws at you 12 Officer training at Sandhurst 14 A term-by-term guide to the Commissioning Course 17 Training as a Territorial officer LEARNING “SANDHURST my time at sandhurst IS A STEEP TIM JARVIS combination. I couldn’t see myself What’s the most valuable thing you’ve OFFICER CADET sitting at a desk for ten hours a day. learned on the course? LEARNING How did you prepare for Sandhurst? That the best way to get through Why did you decide to join the Army? I took six months out between university Sandhurst is to keep your head down CURVE, BUT The Army challenges you mentally and and starting the Commissioning Course. but your chin up. It means that you need physically, and being an officer is about It gave me a chance to unwind. I travelled to get on with it but you also need to YOU CLIMB IT leading from the front and caring for Europe with some friends and worked keep your sense of humour. Sandhurst is TOGETHER” your soldiers. That’s a very appealing on my fitness ready for the course. tough but it’s also very, very enjoyable. The Royal Military Academy Sandhurst is the place where officer cadets learn to become leaders. They are taught military skills and the different contexts in which to apply them – and about what it means to lead soldiers. Over 80 per cent of the officer cadets who arrive at Sandhurst are graduates, but as Tim Jarvis found out, the Royal Military Academy provides a very different learning experience: “I come from a completely non-military background. Before I came to Sandhurst I’d been at university, which is about as different a learning environment as it’s possible to get. “There, you spend years becoming an expert in one subject. What Sandhurst teaches you is that the best officers do everything well, not a few things perfectly. There’s no point mastering weapons handling if you can’t use the radio. “So when you start Sandhurst you’re at the foot of a very steep learning curve. But everyone is in exactly the same position so you all start climbing it at the same time.” THE SANDHURST EXPERIENCE “In military academies around the world you’re taught by other officers.