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Original poster

Not happy my 13 year 's class old had recruitment presentation from armed forces today

185 replies

isitmyturn · 23/09/2009 18:05

DS1 had a talk by someone from the Navy today. My gut reation is to be horrified with visions of my PFB going off to war.
I had no idea that "careers" advice started so soon and in this form?
He's just into year 8, very academic but worried that he doesn't know what he wants to do career wise. DH and I have tried to tell him not to worry, just work hard for now and he doesn't need to make a career choice until he's older.

OP posts:
seeker · 24/09/2009 18:26

Absolutely. But 13 year olds soon become 18 year olds - and a glamourous presentation to 13 year olds will stay with them.

SomeGuy · 24/09/2009 18:33

we had a presentation from them when I was at school. I went along with two other boys and sniggered and took the piss.

Didn't stop them sending out several letters implying I'd signed up to something, and saying I should come to some sort of recruitment weekend.

scaryteacher · 24/09/2009 18:37

I don't think the RN have the money to do glam...and having seen the DVDs the RN send to those serving, there is more exciting stuff on the TV.

If they decide to join at 18, so what? My dh did, and had Uni paid for, and has had an exciting and satisfying 30 year career. He has never got bored as he changes jobs every 2-2.5 years, and learns a new set of skills from stripping down torpedoes to dealing with the French at the EU and NATO. Along the way he has picked up academic, professional and sporting qualifications; earned a decent salary, and will get a good pension when he retires. He has seen most of the world for free. He has loads of transferable skills from working in the international arena to straight engineering and the paperwork to back it up. What is not to like?

ilovemydogandmrobama · 24/09/2009 18:42

Well, this is what happened in the US. The military are allowed to recruit on high school campuses, so some of the the students would be 13 years old.

Not sure that there is glamorizing the military itself, but rather the promise to pay college tuition, and solves the problem for a lot of students who otherwise wouldn't be able to afford college.

piscesmoon · 24/09/2009 19:14

The Forces have always had privileged access to private schools with the cadet forces. My DH belonged when he was a teenager and got lots of opportunities through it, such as gliding. He didn't join the Forces. My 14yr old nephew had a week at an army camp in the summer with the cadet force at his school. He has no intention of joining the army (or the Navy or RAF for that matter) but he had a fantastic week climbing, abseiling etc. As a glorified 'youth club' it is pretty good. They are not putting pressure to join.
Since I know how difficult it is to get in, it gives me a wry smile to think that they want to get their hands on 13yr olds. When the 13 yr old gets to 18 yrs they will probably find that the Navy doesn't want them!

minervaitalica · 24/09/2009 19:31

Seeker,

I personally think some war videogames glamourise combat/killing much more than an army presentation. And besides, 13 yrs old are not stupid - I am sure they know that is it young people who are dying in Afghanistan...

Frankly, if they decide that is a career option for them, all you can do is sit down with them and weigh pros and cons, as you would do with most career choices - and in the long term I am sure that parental support will have the hell of a lot more impact on them than a one-off presentation at school.

PS: I know it is off topic but Monaco, Liechtestein and Andorra? They are never going to be invaded by psychos because these countries are where the psychos, dictators, terrorist and in general the unsavoury characters keep their money hidden. Hardly examples of outstanding moral fibre, I say. Iceland is part of NATO - so if it was ever attacked, it relies on USA defence (which would step in almost immediately given that Iceland is rather close to them).

Even neutral countries like Switzerland have huge armies, so the "I do not need an army if I am good to everyone" argument is great in practice, but unfortunately it takes one psycho somewhere in the world to ruin it.

piscesmoon · 24/09/2009 19:48

I think that the Forces would weed out anyone who was glamourising war and killing during the selection process.

The Swiss have a nuclear shelter place for the whole population here
Perhaps I would be happier without defence if I thought we were more prepared!

scaryteacher · 24/09/2009 20:35

Ilovemydog.....thus is not the US however, and the UK Armed Forces do not recruit 13 year olds.

The competition for the bursaries is very intense, and they are much less generous than the salary my dh went to uni on in the late 70s/early 80s. His parents would have had no problem in sending him; they had shelled out for several years of boarding school; but he wanted to do Engineering, and the RN were prepared to fund his degree.

It is hard to get in; several rounds of selection processes, culminating in an Admiralty Interview Board for the officer candidates, and that is a very tough board indeed. You have to want to do it, and they will weed out very quickly those who don't make the grade or have the necessary commitment to the training.

hottiebear · 24/09/2009 20:45

Thanks for answering my questions. Very interesting and informative. Its embarrassing when you don't really understand properly when everyone else seems to, but I find it difficult to make sense of it all- hope you don't think I'm thick, I'm just curious, open minded and happy to admit I don't know enough!

Very sorry for hijacking the OP a bit.

piscesmoon · 24/09/2009 22:18

The RAF officer selection is very tough too. After the first rounds there are 3 days at Cranwell (if you get that far),and those who make it to the end of the 3 days don't necessarily get offered a place. Some are then weeded out in the training. I'm not sure what it was like at 16, because my DS withdrew early on, but it was starting with written exams (with no allowance for dyslexia except to print them on blue paper).
It really isn't the case that they go into schools to dazzle 13 yr olds and take all they can get! DS2 friend who wanted to join the army from a young age, and was a keen member of the army cadets, hasn't managed to get in.

katiestar · 24/09/2009 22:19

YANBU I would have ben furious too.

piscesmoon · 24/09/2009 22:20

Why? Don't you want career advice or do you want it censored?

scaryteacher · 24/09/2009 22:29

Why Katie? The Armed Forces are alive and well and part of your community. The talk may have been by a Dad at the school. I really loathe all this ghetto-isation of the Armed Services. They shop in Tesco and Waitrose. Their wives teach your kids; they pay tax like you; they use the same services as you; they run scouts and cubs; they are human beings for god's sake. Their kids probably play with yours. The last time I looked dh didn't have horns or a tail! Grow up and get a life.

piscesmoon · 24/09/2009 22:35

If it is censorship then it makes career advice impossible. I don't want mine to work in banking, so I could say how dreadful to get banks recruiting-don't let them in schools. I don't want them to be deep sea divers or pathologists or 100 and 1 things. HOWEVER it is up to them.

piscesmoon · 24/09/2009 22:37

Sorry-getting carried away 101!!

seeker · 24/09/2009 22:47

The core purpose of banking is not killing people. The core purpose of the army is. They may not do very much of it, and some may not do it at all, but when it comes down to it, that's what the army is for. I would be happy for them to come to schools as part of a careers programme if they made this clear.

piscesmoon · 24/09/2009 22:48

I think the core purpose Seeker is to keep the peace and defend people's rights to peace!

katiestar · 24/09/2009 22:51

Getting shot and bombed while you further American interests is not something I want for my babies.

piscesmoon · 24/09/2009 22:57

So I want my babies shot and bombed?!!

My whole point is that you don't own your DC, body and soul. They may disagree! They may want different things out of life. It seemms very much as if 'mummy is always the oracle'and the DC is expected to to have the same opinion. I would rather mine didn't join the army but if they wanted to I would support them. I would have expected them to have thought it out-there are lots of advantages. Have you read the entire thread katiestar?

Iggi999 · 24/09/2009 23:03

Sorry, haven't read all of thread. Armed forces are NOT allowed to do presentations at my school, ie if they ask us we say no. Totally inappropriate. They'd love to get in too, lots of cannon fodder poor, working class white males without many prospects.

seeker · 24/09/2009 23:04

My whole point is that if the Services told the whole story when they do their PR thing in schools I would be happy with that - but they don't.

piscesmoon · 24/09/2009 23:08

I suggest that you read the whole thread Iggi-there are very sensible posts, from jcscott and scaryteacher in particular.
I will leave you to it, but I do think that people ought to let their DCs make up their own minds about things and not be forever telling them what they think. Mine are free thinkers so I don't get frightened that someone is going to brainwash them with a simple talk about career opportunities in the armed services.

piscesmoon · 24/09/2009 23:10

Have you been to one of the PR presentations then Seeker? I have never been to one and they haven't done one in any of the local schools, to my knowledge. I would be very surprised if they all did the same one anyway. DS1 went to a presentation -he thought it a very fair one.

katiestar · 24/09/2009 23:11

I am not anti armed-forces Pisces-M.i recognise the need for them.It doesn't change the fact that I will do my damnedest to brain wash them against joining up.

piscesmoon · 24/09/2009 23:11

He had to find the office and get invited to the presentation-they weren't at school or university.