I wonder if you all could offer me a bit of advice.


I have been in for my first TA interview. I have the boxes ticked for age/qualifications (early thirties/AAA degree from a redbrick) for Direct Officer Entry.


Advice from the WO2 was to go through phase 1 as a solid background, make sure the TA was for me and then could put my hand up in future. That way if I didn’t pass AOSB I wouldn’t be out of the TA but would be able to continue as a soldier.


He also felt that the NCO’s did more of the interesting stuff and I’d have a better chance of being deployed in comparison to being an officer. A very large percentage of the NCO’s are all graduates anyway.


I’d felt my application was strong, whilst I don’t want to ignore what seems logical advice. Gut instinct says I should just put my hand up for it when I meet with the Commanding Officer.


It’s certainly not about money, I just feel like it’s backing down from a challenge and that doesn’t sit well with me. Part of my reason for applying was to develop as a person in terms of leadership/management and taking on the responsibility that being an Officer brings with it.


Sometimes there’s a fine line between determination and arrogance and I’m in need of a bit of advice.

The TA is not my specialist topic.

The WO2's advice is sound, however it might be helpful if you could get the other side of the coin from a DE TA officer.

While the WO2 is giving you what he thinks is good advice it is not.

All TA DE offrs do go through the first part of Phase 1 (which is where you can see if it is for you). At the ripe old age of being in your 30's you don't have time to be hanging about completing courses you don't need. The TA Offr pipeline is 18-24 months long as it is without trying to be a soldier first.

Your local Brigade will have a couple of individuals whose job it is to advise people in your situation. If you PM me with a location I can try to get a contact for you (in fairness to the WO2 he probably doesn't know they exist thanks to the excellent comms in the TA!!).

My advice is speak to the experts - why be a soldier on ops when you can command troops on ops (and don't listen to those who say that TA offrs don't command, as they do).

Even if you get the nod from your CO you have to do phase one anyway before starting mod 2.

Give it a go, best of luck.

Firstly, in response to JSPrest. There are no Int Corps TA Officers commanding troops in theatre. There are plenty of jobs but none are command appts.

Now, the original question. It may be that the WO2 in question didn't think you were of the right material for a commission but were for a soldier. He is probably correct in that there are more deployable opportunities for a soldier, in more exciting posts.

I got the impression that he felt I was suitable for either really but that being a soldier was almost the better option. More interesting role, more deployment and it also gave me a fall back, so that way he didn't lose recruits.

Your right subbsonic, I'd like to hear the officers side of the story.

Mate if you want to go for a commission then go for a commission, it takes bloody ages to get through recruits courses, then you'd have to start all over again and go through the (long and potentially drawn out ) commissioning process.

Originally Posted by INT_APPLICANT

I wonder if you all could offer me a bit of advice.


I have been in for my first TA interview. I have the boxes ticked for age/qualifications (early thirties/AAA degree from a redbrick) for Direct Officer Entry.


Advice from the WO2 was to go through phase 1 as a solid background, make sure the TA was for me and then could put my hand up in future. That way if I didn’t pass AOSB I wouldn’t be out of the TA but would be able to continue as a soldier.


He also felt that the NCO’s did more of the interesting stuff and I’d have a better chance of being deployed in comparison to being an officer. A very large percentage of the NCO’s are all graduates anyway.


I’d felt my application was strong, whilst I don’t want to ignore what seems logical advice. Gut instinct says I should just put my hand up for it when I meet with the Commanding Officer.


It’s certainly not about money, I just feel like it’s backing down from a challenge and that doesn’t sit well with me. Part of my reason for applying was to develop as a person in terms of leadership/management and taking on the responsibility that being an Officer brings with it.


Sometimes there’s a fine line between determination and arrogance and I’m in need of a bit of advice.

I suppose it depends upon what you're looking for from your TA service. Given that, by the time you finish whichever stream of training you select, Afghanistan will be pretty much over and the UK Army will be out of the expeditionary warfighting business for probably the thick end of ten years, the chances of going on tour are going to be fairly few and far between, unless 12 months' mobilised service in Bulford appeals.

This means that you need to think about the 'peacetime' TA - is being an officer attractive, or is doing int work attractive? If the former, arguably, you'd probably have more fun, commanding things and so on, in a different cap badge. If the latter, crack on, best rank in the Corps is full Corporal.

I presume that it also takes you to get the nod from your commanding officer for direct entry not just be the right age with a alevels/degree etc?

Originally Posted by JSPrest

why be a soldier on ops when you can command troops on ops (and don't listen to those who say that TA offrs don't command, as they do).

Very, very dependant on capbadge.

My infantry Bn have five Officers on H15 and none of them are in a Command position; J2 and Battle Captains ( posh word for Watchkeeper?) I gather.