whats the married quarters really like?

[YouNeverKnowIMightFlounce]

dh and i both applying to join army. w e are married with 2 dds

what are schools and houses really like?

thanks!

I think you have to realise that going away on courses, exercises etc is par for the course.

My dh was away in Afghan for 9 months last year.

It could be a good life for you and your family though. You have to be independant and strong though to cope with the time apart.

Have you thought about training to be a nurse or a teacher? They are very portable skills. I am a civil servant and have always managed to work where we have been posted.

its been something that i have considered yes but to be honest there has been no way i could can't afford the courses privately or can't affors the childcare.

i know that he could be away a lot and so does he. but what worries me is we struggle like hell to put food on table its awful. i dont want the same in army life but without my husband

i couldnt cope with struggling to live on my own... does that make sense?

romy can you tell me about the raf air movements please?

Maybe I've got the wrong end of the stick here Flounce, but it seems like you are looking to the Army as a bit of a life raft in your uncertain times.

The thing is, no matter what Trade you are in, no matter what the housing is like, schools, etc, when you join you are a SOLDIER first. (well, that's what DH told me anyways when he was in )

So, you need to ask yourself: "Do I want to be a Soldier?"

It just seems a bit extreme - and I am saying that in the nicest possible way.

It must be very scary to be facing everything you are against at the minute, but honestly, although the Military is secure job-wise, you have very little control over your life.

My dh left after we had our ds because he couldn't bare to be away from us for months at a time - missing Christmas, birthdays and the births of any future children.

It sounds like you are prepared to work hard - but be honest with yourself - do you really want to be a soldier?

Good Luck

bear not bare

contact the AFCO and ask about trade group 19 movements. mainly based at lyneham or brize norton but there are a few other places. still deployable (the posts at lyneham particularly so, but shorter and more frequent whilst in that job)
general aircraft loading/ unloading - cargo, passengers etc.
for part time look at royal auxiliary air force 4624 sqn, raf brize norton. they run information days where you can have a good look
part time reserve can also be called upon to deploy full time when necessary, with full civilian job protection, at a legal max of 12 months in 3 years.

thing is my husband does want to do it he's very keen.

me not so much now at the thought of leaving girls with others.

however yes its very scary at the moment. but he is cutting fine on joing either the raf or army.

believe me we are looking at all the options

romy AFCO? erm is that the number on the raf site?

raf dot mod dot uk/careers/jobs/mover dot cfm

armed forces careers office - sorry, wasn't sure if you had been talking to a local recruiting team anywhere.

just realised thats what you meant lol
yes we were there the other day and spoke to army but not raf so maybe worth anotrher visit..

sorry - we all speak like that

yeah im just trying to get used it all!
what kind of jobs are that squadron? he was looking at the weapons system operator..... can you tell me any more about that?

nah, just suppliers and movers lol, sorry!
make an appointment with the raf recruiter at the afco - you are better off getting all the info 'from the horse's mouth' as it were. think they might be on the 'in demand' list though... has he trawled through the website to look at each trade? or just gone by what the afco are trying to push?

Hello

I know a bit about the WSO query. This would involve flying and would possibly mean being based on NImrods at RAF Kinloss in SCotland, although that is not the only aircraft he could end up on. I assume he is looking at entering as Airman/Aircrew rather than officer from what you siad about his qualifications earlier in the thread? Airman/Aircrew generally need 5 good GCSEs (A-C)inc maths and a science (although dont take my word for it because these qualifications do change). The training is at RAF Cranwell in Lincolnshire and to get in (it is competitive)your DH would have to show good leadership skills as he would be coming in as a Senior Non-Commissioned Officer. Also, the course is very maths/science (part Physics) based, so if he is useles at that he would really struggle.

Having said all that, it is a good career and fairly well paid as you get flying pay. Just check he meets the age requirements.

I would say RAF over Army every time frankly (but I am sure others will come on to shout me down!). Training gives you better qualifications, housing usually better, and not as much snobbery between officers amd other ranks (and subsequent back biting between partners!) Also most RAF bases now have very good childcare/nursery facilities with childcare offered at slightly below market rate.

no hes gone through it all himself too

he seems more on the army side of things than raf though

i think that hes made his decision etc and now i paincking and wanting to know all i poss can aboiut every single thing

the raf seems to offer better pay on some jobs but you are tied in longer...

sorry notyummy cross post

thanks that helps

dh after the air side of things as he loves it
maths and science hes good at and he has 5 gcse's
hes in age limit too one of few jobs with raf that take at his age!

alot of people hae said same to me on raf

what happens with training? do after it all tehy offer you a job you are suited too?

You apply to do a particular job (such as WSO) and they will put you through a series of tests (if he gets through the interview at the AFCO he will go RAF Cranwell for 2/3 days and do leadership test/interview/hand and eye coordination and medical). If he passes all that and gets through he will do airman/aircrew training at Cranwell which I think is about 4 months. On passing that he would then do specialist WSO training (another few months) also at Cranwell, and then would move to the base where his aircraft operates from. You wouldn't know where that is until a couple of months before, as it depends on how he does on the course, and what people they need in each place.

BTW the medical is VERY strict for flying and I think this is the same for all the forces. If he has the slightest thing (eyesight/hearing/asthma/esczma/hayfever etc) then he is likely to have problems.

oh ok. explained to dh just now and think he's not keen on lots of studying hes such aphysical guy he just wants to get out there and work hard.... think that hayfever may be a problem sometimes in past hes had a bad time with it. saying that last year and this he was fine!! odd really lol.

Fair enough....to a point it will be money versus studying i.e the trades that have slightly higher entry standards and more studying will pay better!

The trade group 19 that Romy mentioned would involve a lot less study I believe, but would earn about 25% less....still a liveable wage though if you are in quarters.

yes that seems very much so and rightly so too
i think at 32 he just doesnt want all the studying which is a shame really as the money is very good

he's just not very much the academic person despite having all the knowledge iykwim? hes more physical

Purple duck makes a good point. Life on civvie street might be hard for you right now (as it is for a lot of people) but you need to be certain that the Army/RAF/Navy is what you want to do because it's a vocation, not a job.

There will be times when your husband has to put his job or his men before you and your daughters, he will miss important days in your lives and he will be apart from you at times when you feel you need him. As far as is humanly possibly, the Services are sympathetic to family situations but when it comes to the crunch, the needs of the Service come first. Even when they're not on deployment, there's a lot of time spent on courses and excercises etc.

So, make sure that you're joining because you want to, not because you see it as a solution to current problems. My husband is one of those who will probably have to be forced to retire - he's never wanted anything other than to be a soldier and he's good at it, so he's a very happy man, despite the difficulties of Service life.

oh no like i asid to pd my dh wants to do it always has

that on top of stability for us is appealing

but i'm just trying to get my head aroiund it

Accommodation charges in the Army for a private soldier are:

Between £150 and £275 per month. The top price would be for a house in perfect condition!

That would include your council tax and water. Gas and Electricity, Telephone etc extra.

A private's annual salary after training is £16,226. Approx £1070 in your hand every month - so after accommodation charges of a minimum of £150 you could be left with £920 per month.

But remember there are Annual Pay increases. And of course promotion.

A Lance Corporal starts at £22959 and a Corporal £26314.