My son wants to join the Navy. Can I ask for advice?

[upahill]

I posted on chat and it was suggested that I come here.

My DS is 15 and is really keen to join the Navy.
He has been told to come back at 15 and 9 months.
We went to the Navy office yesterday and heard what they have to say but I am interested in hearing from people who have partners in the Navy. At the moment he is interested in the Royal Navy.

Can any one help?
I want to know what he can expect, what really happens, that kind of stuff really.

I know next to nothing about the forces so it is new to me.

I'm In the RAF work with navy and dad and brother are both navy.

What trade/branch is he looking at?

He is looking at the Royal navy.
I think he wants to be an able seaman.
He is studying engineering at school and that may be a possibilty for him.
I will ask him when he gets in from school at 4.00 for more information.

Has he looked at The Navy Net Rum Ration? It'll give some interesting insights, and has a "joining up" section which might be very useful.

Be warned - the content of their talk boards - especially Diamond Lil's - is very adult.

Afternoon

My DP has just left the Navy after 9 years and has come out through medical discharge. I always say if DS wants to join the forces the Navy it will be.

They have to do 6 week at Ralley - basic training then a spell at sea being general dogs body.

DP was a marine engineer and was based at Portsmouth for 3 years doing his degree. Then sent to sea once he had qualified.

It is a great opportunity to see the world, get paid and education and random drug testing.

Although lots of hard work a long time at sea with little contact with family/friends.

If he is sporty they are very supportive of this and encourage it.

That is all I can think of but I am sure others will be along to add more.

Thanks for your help. I will show him the Rum ration website.
I'm not concerned about the language, he listens to rap and goes on face book so I think he has heard it all before!!
Although DS isn't over sporty, that is he isn't part of a football team he does keep himself fit and is a tall powerful lad.

He does have interests such as being a member of a gun club with his dad, he follows our local ice hockey team and is thinking of taking it up. So I am hoping that will go in his favour , what I mean is that he has interests IYSWIM.
All I'm seeing is a future with very little contact from my lovely son (sob) although if he truly wants this I will back him totally and do everything I can.

Ok might be easiest if I break things down into areas obviously I'm RAF but will loosely be apicable

Firstly I love it! and whilst I would prefer my DCs not to join up and stay near home etc it is a good life so as long as was not routinely a front line trade I would sign the papers.

Financially

I joined at 17 (ranks not officer) and have always felt a little more well off in comparison to my peers from back home.

Been in 13 years and on £34,000 which I think is a good wage but this can vary between trades and there are two pay bands higher and lower so this is one to research if DS comes home with a list of available trades.

Training

Excellent training and qualifications are available but depends again on trade some courses result in civi recognised quals (I have NVQ l3) some don't.

Lifestyle

Younger

Cash in back pocket, brilliant social, work hard - play hard ethic, lots of banter, travelling the world and a girl in every port

Older (married/kids)

Vvv cheap housing (but looks it!) my
House costs ..... £80 PCM! But it is nicknamed "the barn"

Obviously working away from family is hard but whilst away there can be good support and loads organised depends on the place really.

I have made friends that are now more like family and when we go to each others houses we are all treated as family by their mums etc this even includes tellings off!!

Just a few quick bits as I'm trying to herd my DC out of the door soon. To finish if it was me and my DS joining up I would be very involved in the picking of the trade as it can make a huge difference. The careers office will have certain trades which have more spaces to fill so keep vigilant for being sold something DS does not want.

Research trades on forums army has arse and RAF has egoat so navy will have an equivalent.

Hope this has been of some help

That has helped a lot.

Thank you.

I don't see why there will be little contact. My Mum speaks regularly to my brother, and lived 20 minutes away before he moved back to Hampshire. I ensure dh talks to his mum once a week. The leave is 30 days which is generous, and more than he would get in a civilian job.

If he is interested in engineering, then he could consider doing A levels at Welbeck, which is the Forces sixth form and aimed at those wanting to do engineering in HM Forces. There is a chance of uni sponsorship thereafter, and even as a Weapon Engineer, my dh has had three jobs abroad.

There are far more options for contact now than there were when I got married in 86 - email and texts now, rather than letters and grumblegrams.

As Eve said, they do six weeks basic training at HMS Raleigh which is at Torpoint in Cornwall, and then go on to train elsewhere depending on their branch/specialisation/rank. If he wants to do A levels though, encourage him as he could then get a commission, and there will be a better idea by then of what the RN is looking like after the redundancies are made.

Well Torpoint is a shit hole (I'm allowed to say that I lived there for a few years when I was a kid.)

I would second scary about maybe looking in Welbeck it's up near Loughborough. And I would definatly say for him to do his Alevels.

Keeping in contact is easier than what it was when I was a kid (Navy dad) - skype, txt, calls as well as letters do make it easier. That said you do have periods of no contact (i'm slightly different DP is a RM) but ultimatly you get use to it.

The Navy is good though (Dad, BILs and DP are in it so I can't really say it isn't) It doesn't suit everyone though. and definatly not something to be taken lightly. any chance you know anyone in Navy to talk to your son? the office is good will tell info and have got a lot better but having worked in one nothing beats someone you know tell you worts and all.

Umm can't really think of anything else really. All that planet said I would tend to agree with really.

My DH joined the Royal Navy at 16, and has been in for 26 years now!

He has had to be away a fair bit, which was especially hard when the children were young, but he gets other time off. Having left school at 16 with no qualifications, he was earning more than I was (as a qualified vet) when we met and has a secure job and good pension. He has also been able to advance and has had a good career.

He does say, however, that he wishes his mum had refused to let him join up at 16, as he found it tough at first being so young, and he says if ds or the dds wanted to join up he would try to dissuade them until they were 18.

Torpoint is OK now Ryd, and Plymouth has improved a lot.

I am RN so happy to advise where I can
If he is interested in engineering he has 2 real options
Join straight from school as a rating and train either as a marine engineer or weapons engineer rating, there is potential throughout the job to get lots of additional qualifications for those who work hard and are keen, if selected he then has the potential to commission as an officer later
Or he can do a levels and or degree and enter as en engineering officer straight away - more demanding but higher earning potential sooner
I would ask about both routes at the career office

my dp is in the navy. joined 11 years ago and is now a chief. he did a foundation engineering degree and was fast tracked- not sure they still do that now- but if they do, they pay, rather than you. so that might be a better option than going to uni.
dp is a weapons engineer. he has been to so many countries- i couldnt list them all. some of them include, france, monaco, sweden egypt, uae (dubai) china, japan, and hong kong.

it is definately a great life and i would be happy for our son to join when he is older. i do think they have curfews/different rules for under 18's though, which are not as great as they seem. my dp's sister joined at 16 and would have to be back on ship before midnight (i think) but this meant going back alone, in a foreign country, while everyone else stayed out.

i wouldnt be happy for any of our daughters to join though, as they arent treated very respectfully from the tales i hear. dp feels the same way.

it is the best section of the armed forces to join imo, as you are very rarely sent to war.

the only negative is it can be very boring whilst away at sea and there is no where to go if you want some peace. there are 60 men messes for the lowly seaman.

Have to disagree about the rarely sent to war bit given the RN presence of two ships companies all the time in Afghanistan, plus the war patrols that are carried out by sea going units. If you also factor in the Royal Marines, who are part of the RN, and their part in Afghanistan, then actually, the RN go to war a lot.

If you look at the RN involvement in Kosovo and Iraq, it was large, especially with mine clearance, and the Armilla patrols. The Falklands if I recall, was also predominantly RN and RM.

The RN are also currently involved in anti piracy off Somalia; have been involved in Libya, and are also part of the Permanent Joint HQ at Northwood, where RN personnel are involved in tri service ops. These have included Sierra Leone under the then Brig Richards who is now CDS.

It is the best section of the Forces to join as whilst it can be hierarchical at times, it also the most open, especially in the Submarine service.

If I had a daughter I'd be happy for her to join, as the opportunities are much the same (bar submarines) as they are for the men. It won't be long before we get our first female admiral, as we already have women at Commodore level and very good they are too.