Quick update - I am told that as of the January intake 2011, there will be no pay differentiation between graduate and non graduate Officer Cadets.

Nice, has that come from a reliable source though?

The loudest "I've been in the Army/Welbeck for ages" guy in my Pl spent the most time in the baggage room, and regularly trashed his command appointments. The ex rankers and ROWCO guys were the backbone of the the Pl well into the second term, some of the military obsessed virgins cried on every exercise, including final ex (one in particular is now a Bde COS, so let those feelings flow), the rest of us just shut up and learned as much as we could.

But of course that was when RMAS was kept pure through educational Aparthaid with Grads in victory college for 2 terms and all the rest of us thickies in Old college for ever.

I joined at 18, straight from school. The best post so far on the subject was Frogit5, when he said if you dont get a degree, and decide the Army is not your future, you are well behind everyone else who have a degree in everything. Despite popular mess opinion, civvy companies are not out head hunting you based on your Officer skills and ability to organise a naked bar.

The Army and the troops have no interest in your education. The backdated years soon even out, and these days Pl Comds are too busy getting their stuff sorted to do well on ops (and they do!) to remember their pay rates and promotion speeds. The troops respect honesty and leadership, they dont self serving cowards. In either case the time flies by so fast that respected or otherwise, you can eek out your promtion to the point where you can avoid or embrace command as you suit.

There are some old school fuckwits who seem to end up on top, and soem good expereinced and battle proven stars who dont, and vice versa. Same is seen in all walks of life.

Bottom line, pick a route and get busy doing it, dont look around you and just concentrate on doing your best whichever path you take, and trust that you will get the reports and sucess or not you deserve. Despite what many say, the Army system is about as fair as any reporting system is going to get, and how you got commissioned isnt part of that.

Originally Posted by cheese

Nice, has that come from a reliable source though?

From a family friend who started at RMAS last sunday.

Originally Posted by frogit5

From a family friend who started at RMAS last sunday.

how does this affect? Pay, the 3 years promotion seniority?? etc...

Originally Posted by frogit5

From a family friend who started at RMAS last sunday.

how could he have started last Sunday, which intake would that be?

Being more educated will probably always be an advantage mind in everything

For info: Graduate ante-dated seniority is to be scrapped ASP and parity in pay scales will be addressed through the 11/12 AFPRB. All offrs will have to complete 3 years reckonable service for promotion to Capt (for the majority this will actually mean 3 years!).

So no distinction in Grad and non-grad pay scales? As questioned above, where does the seniority go? And more cynically, what's the point of getting a degree (unless you only want to do 3 years - or is SSC 4 now?)?

Originally Posted by Sangreal

For info: Graduate ante-dated seniority is to be scrapped ASP and parity in pay scales will be addressed through the 11/12 AFPRB. All offrs will have to complete 3 years reckonable service for promotion to Capt (for the majority this will actually mean 3 years!).

Will this see a fall in the average starting age at sandhurst I wonder? It would remove any financial barrier to non-grad entry at a lower age. As it looks increasingly likely that university tuition costs are going up, will people choose to go straight into the army without doing a degree? Or would the selection process and careers advice push people to apply when slightly older? Or is it simply a recognition that the number of graduate entrants to sandhurst is now so high it doesn't merit having two seperate pay scales.