Thread: Demographics of people who join the TA?

I joined the TA to serve in the Defence of this country, choice of unit was down to being local, on a regular bus route. Leaving choice of Inf vrs Sigs, I choose Inf (and local regiment over nearby mercian regiment) as it appeared to be most fun (I considered Sigs as I was thinking of going regular).

Many years later, when distance didn't matter did I consider units where my natural skills would help my TA carer.

I've been in the TA in several cities and the location/cap badge seems to alter recruiting patterns. When situtated in city centre locations people choose cap badge with a big tendancy to teeth arms from most and those wanting an easier life choosing CS/CSS units. In the suburbs this doesn't matter most will join their local unit but has the disadvantage of the unit becoming like the local area, what I mean is that you put a TAC in a council estate you get poorer level of education with your soldiers, place it near a student area its better educated.
Obviously with some cap badges it goes that you can't place them in areas of poor education or they will suffer. Its worse now as many of the 'easy life' soldiers don't join them anymore because of continuous operations.

Or put another way, engineering/technical area in the city so you put aSignals/Engineers TAC there

Is this an observation or do you have proof?

Personally I feel you are talking shit

I live right out in the sticks, and the closest unit is REME.

I travel nearly two hours to get to my unit (Inf).

Demographic? Nah.

Originally Posted by slimjim

Is this an observation or do you have proof?

Personally I feel you are talking shit

Happens in my own sqn, using the same tricks to get recruits but all the more upper pay band soldiers are in the one near the uni and all the lower in the one on a council estate.
The same was visible in my old regiment many upper pay band soldiers from the troops near uni's had to be sent to another sqns from near council estates otherwise they couldn't deploy on exercise.

Originally Posted by slimjim

Is this an observation or do you have proof?

Personally I feel you are talking shit

Well, up here someone had the bright idea of moving the Int Corps out of their raither naice Great King Street TA Centre, in the heart of Edinburgh's New Town, and shoving them off to Livingston.

Apparently, the theory behind this was that they would now be able to recruit in both Edinburgh and Glasgow, because they were nearly half-way between them (i.e. at least 45 minutes in a car away from both). Oh, and the old TAC should have fetched seven figures.

Strangely, it all went horribly wrong, and they moved back into Edinburgh a year or two later. Having failed to recruit anything like their targets, because Livingston is not really well blessed with the suave and elegant types who can be persuaded to inhabit Cypress Green berets. Whereas Edinburgh is full of them ;)

They eventually swapped with the RMP - the RMP got a nice, spacious, modern, purpose-built TAC in Livvie, and Int Corps got a slightly run-down and cramped TAC back in Edinburgh, just up from Leith.

You make it sound as if there is a plan.

JPALegend - I live in a council estate, the Civil Service Office I manage is on the same estate.... does that make me cannon fodder too?

demographics are an interesting point in the reserve review debate apart from anything else. I haven't served at a TAC within 50 miles of my home since 1993, and sitting here writing this, I am beginning to wonder why.....my current one is over a 100 miles away.

Why?

Originally Posted by wobbler

JPALegend - I live in a council estate, the Civil Service Office I manage is on the same estate.... does that make me cannon fodder too?

No offence intended, my mum came from a council estate and my eldest lives on one but I'd expect council estates to provide a lot of the regular army cannon fodder. I'm not making this statement as an insult

Originally Posted by Wingletang

demographics are an interesting point in the reserve review debate apart from anything else. I haven't served at a TAC within 50 miles of my home since 1993, and sitting here writing this, I am beginning to wonder why.....my current one is over a 100 miles away.

Why?

I was thinking that when I posted the topic. I know quite a number in similar situation. 2 x TA CO's from my city command signal regiments in other cities, around 50% of the TA supervisors in the same two regiments are also come from the same city and employed elsewhere.

Oddly many of the regular techs/supervisors (PSI's in both regiments) also come from the same city (or a nearby small city/large town). Nearly matching the patterns in the TA 100%.

Even my civilian employer has offices in the same areas I see these techs/officers coming from (the area has many IT/tech jobs).

TA Sigs generated 4 regiments in WW2 from this area, two of them pioneering comms between the army and the RAF.

Now it doesn't even have a complete Sqn but is still generating two RHQ's (probably a couple more if you include regulars) but I suppose we should make do with our regiment of elite sqns/coys.

If you believe there is a pattern to TAC distribution JPA Legend, then you probably believe there is a force development plan for the TA too...

Wouldn't you think that they would sit down with some of the larger supermarkets and utilise their demographic mapping software to find the optimum location for TACs?

No.

MSR

Optimum location for TA Centres is on good bus routes.

The biggest proportion of recruits are in the 'Don't own/have full access to a car' bracket. Make it easy for those to get to the drill halls and your chance of better recruitment is improved. A lot of people travel on the buses and going past a smart well presented building gets them thinking.

Originally Posted by BuggerAll

You make it sound as if there is a plan.

Go and wash your mouth out immediately, how dare you insinuate that things are planned. You silly twisted boy you.

Originally Posted by JPALegend

I joined the TA to serve in the Defence of this country, choice of unit was down to being local, on a regular bus route. Leaving choice of Inf vrs Sigs, I choose Inf (and local regiment over nearby mercian regiment) as it appeared to be most fun (I considered Sigs as I was thinking of going regular).

Many years later, when distance didn't matter did I consider units where my natural skills would help my TA carer.

I've been in the TA in several cities and the location/cap badge seems to alter recruiting patterns. When situtated in city centre locations people choose cap badge with a big tendancy to teeth arms from most and those wanting an easier life choosing CS/CSS units. In the suburbs this doesn't matter most will join their local unit but has the disadvantage of the unit becoming like the local area, what I mean is that you put a TAC in a council estate you get poorer level of education with your soldiers, place it near a student area its better educated.
Obviously with some cap badges it goes that you can't place them in areas of poor education or they will suffer. Its worse now as many of the 'easy life' soldiers don't join them anymore because of continuous operations.

What a patronising load of labia entrails.
Suppose you live on a council estate but go to a university ? Suppose you don't go to a university but have the misfortune to live near one and find yourself surrounded by smelly students ?