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Forces sweethearts

If you have a family member in the Royal Navy, RAF or army, find support from other Mumsnetters here.

Original poster

whats the married quarters really like?

208 replies

YouNeverKnowIMightFlounce · 18/11/2008 17:37

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

what are schools and houses really like?

thanks!

OP posts:
Original poster
YouNeverKnowIMightFlounce · 20/11/2008 13:43

thats very helpful thankyou

OP posts:
Original poster
YouNeverKnowIMightFlounce · 20/11/2008 13:45

is corporal one up on soldier? i was trying to look through that table they have on the site but found it hard to undersatnd as i am not up what rankings are etc...

think i would ghet bit more in taxcreds as a the moment the combined is £28k i think a yr

OP posts:
Original poster
YouNeverKnowIMightFlounce · 20/11/2008 13:46

i have all paper work here but whats the private levels mean? just getting higher within your job?

OP posts:
hf128219 · 20/11/2008 13:49

Private
Lance Corporal
Corporal

So Level 1 is like year 1, Level 2 the next year and so on.

notyummy · 20/11/2008 13:52

Ranks are Private, then Lance Corporal, then Corporal. Pay generally goes up each year because of senority in rank (i.e if you have been a Lance Corporal for 3 years you will earn a bit more than someone who has been one for 1 year), plus everyone gets annual rises to cover inflation etc.

Original poster
YouNeverKnowIMightFlounce · 20/11/2008 13:55

that great thankyou! i have been staring at paperwork for ages!

is it right that in army you will go as far you want... ie you dont necessary have to be ther yrs to promote?

OP posts:
hf128219 · 20/11/2008 13:57

Correct for soldiers - as long as you have the ability.

Original poster
YouNeverKnowIMightFlounce · 20/11/2008 14:05

yes of course ok thanks.

im getting there with what i need to know!

whats life in general like on camps? are they normally near a town etc?

OP posts:
VanillaPumpkin · 20/11/2008 14:11

My DH is an RAF PTI. They start as a Cpl after they complete their training, so more money, but not as much as a tech trade. There are less deployments and our housing has always been good especially for what we pay. I have two dd's 5 and 3 and I haven't worked since I had dd1.
We are saving for my pension and to buy a house etc and so don't have lots of money but the rent is so minimal we have a comfortable lifestyle really (eat out twice a month but no holidays this year..) without me working.
We are currently in an officers quarter due to an excess but we pay less than the actual officers as there is a different scale for the housing and they don't charge my DH (a Sgt) the same as an officer. We have my dream home currently and pay less than we did for my last quarter.
There is def a shortage of childminders, particularly ones who understand that the dc Daddy or Mummy might have to go away.
The job security is a MASSIVE factor for us at the moment. Dh has a job and therefore roof over our heads for another 15 years .
Living off one wage is manageable because the housing is so cheap. This is part of the deal imo though as you don't get to choose where you live.
Good Luck with your decision. Don't believe everything the recruitment people tell you. It sounds like you have already been misled a bit and they have tough quotas to fill at the moment.
PTI's need to be mature. His age might help. Not sure if there is a maximum though I think it is likely ..

VanillaPumpkin · 20/11/2008 14:13

Promotion not so easy in the RAF (I believe...)

trockodile · 20/11/2008 14:19

With regards to promotion, some trades will promote faster than others.

I only really know dh's, he was a craftsman(private) for 2 1/2 years until he had completed training, he was then promoted to Lance Corporal and then Corporal 1 year later. However he had to wait a minimum of 4 years before getting promotion to Sergeant. This was the quickest it could be done, with all training courses passed and good reports etc, lots of people in his trade could take longer.

However in other trades it would be unheard of to make it to Sgt in 8 1/2 years-my friend's DH worked in logistics (bright, good reports etc) and he only picked up his Corporal after 9 years. So it is really impossible to say how quickly your DH could get promoted and he should ask the Careers Office.

trockodile · 20/11/2008 14:24

Camps vary as well, where I am in Germany there are 2 barracks in the town and the housing is scattered around in small pockets. We are about 6 miles from camp, I think the furthest are about 12. Schools, toddler groups/English supermarket etc are situated in the barracks and the army run a (limited )bus service to them.
When we lived in N Ireand we lived in the camp(behind the wire).

hf128219 · 20/11/2008 14:37

Camps vary and very few army houses are 'behind the wire'. I lived in Northern Ireland and that was behind the wire.

Life is very much like normal on a camp/army base - except you happen to live next door to the guy your dh works with!

Good social life too.

weepootle · 20/11/2008 14:41

There's a huge difference in promotion between army and raf. At our last posting, dh (army) had all raf working for him- he had served 10.5 years and was a staff-sergeant. The raf were all cpls (equivalent trade) who'd all served over 20 years and were much older than dh. Not that they're bitter about it .

Romy7 · 20/11/2008 14:45

hf - have you got an mod publications list in front of you?

hf128219 · 20/11/2008 14:45

What are you after?

Romy7 · 20/11/2008 14:49

ref for how they decide whether a sn dependent's needs can be met in an o'seas location...
specifically if says it is down to local budget... not a ceas/sce location

just started another thread

and i know what a policy geek guru you are...

VanillaPumpkin · 20/11/2008 14:50

@ weepootle.
I didn't want to say too much.
Dh was a very young Sgt for the RAF (and we deferred promotion...)

hf128219 · 20/11/2008 14:51

Will have a look for you!

jcscot · 20/11/2008 15:32

Promotion does vary massively across the trades. My husband's capbadge is notorious for rapid promotion (partly because of the huge retention problem they have due to to very enticing and well-paid equivalent jobs on civvie street). Officers' promotion doesn't work quite the same as soldiers' but as an example my husband got commissioned in Aug 1999 and put up his Maj's crown in Jul 2005. Soldiers can advance pretty quickly if they have the aptitude and ability.

notyummy · 20/11/2008 15:55

jcscot....that is incredibly speedy for your DH! Well done him! Am being nosy...was that him joining straight from civvie street and starting as a 2nd Lt, or was he already serving?

I am ex-RAF officer, and DH is still serving and I cannot think of anyone who got Major equivalent in less than 7/8 years...and that is really motoring.

jcscot · 20/11/2008 16:03

That was straight from civvie st as a 2nd Lt, so he's a bit of a thruster. Hopefully, he'll pick up his half colonel rapidly too - he gets his first look in three years but it's more likely to be four or five years before he gets it.

He's rather ambitious (in a good way, if you know what I mean, not in a stab-you-in-the-back way!).

hf128219 · 20/11/2008 16:05

What regiment is he? That's brilliant!

jcscot · 20/11/2008 16:11

Don't want to be too specific (PERSEC, you know) but he's Green Slime... .

hf128219 · 20/11/2008 16:14

Of course! My dh is infantry and it is so competetive - particularly for Pink List. He made it last year at 39 though!