Please, PLEASE read this if your DC is thinking of signing up

[GeneralMelchetsMoustache]

Regular poster but NC for this.
Not many people know that ordinary soldiers are not allowed to speak to the media without permission - they can be sent to military prison if they do. Because of this, there is virtually no information out there telling people what life is like for the average squaddie. Everything is controlled by the Army recruitment people.

https://home.crin.org/readlistenwatch/stories/teenage-army-recruits

https://www.vice.com/en/article/xgydwj/british-army-sexual-assault

This article tells you what it's really like for many recruits. I have so many friends who experienced the same as this guy but they are terrified of speaking out. Please, please, read this carefully if your kid is talking about joining. This is not an isolated issue. It is absolutely systemic. Feel free to PM me if you want to know where to find more sources of independent information about army life to read, alongside the official recruitment materials, before you or your kid make any decisions.

Oh dear. DS was thinking about training as an engineer in the RN.

Horrific 😔

@DeepSeededUrbanDecay please make sure he gets independent advice, i.e. not from the Navy recruitment office before he signs anything. A good place to start is https://beforeyousignup.info/. It's mostly focused on the Army, but there should be some info on there about the Navy too. You could also try http://www.atease.org.uk/.

Thanks.

DD has thought about this as a way if being sponsored through a degree. The one she wants is on the list. Id not show any enthusiasm and now i'm feeling even less

Thank you for highlighting this OP. Sadly, too many power hunger characters in the system.

I would have no issue with my DD following me into the forces, but would not want her to go to Harrogate. Basic training at 18 is supposed to be brutal, but not to that extent and not to children.

@listsandbudgets Going to Harrogate will NOT give your daughter sponsorship for a degree. They only offer sub-GCSE courses (functional skills) in English and Maths, with some basic ICT. The education provision doesn't meet the basic requirementn for this age group but they get away with it because the armed forces are exempt from legislation on child rights and education.
What degree is she interested in? There are lots of industry-sponsored routes. Good luck.

@GeneralMelchetsMoustache biochemistry

Thank you for the links.

@listsandbudgets Has she tried looking at https://www.thescholarshiphub.org.uk/ or https://www.biochemistry.org/grants-and-awards/grants-and-bursaries/?

Fuck.
Why did I look at this on the day I am dropping dd off for basic

* hugs * I'm sure she will be fine