Ive signed off and have been offered a job offshore with decent money. They want me to start on 9th of Jan next year. My four year point is the 30th March.

The Army feel the need to be arses and will not early release me until my four year point. But i cant tell the firm to wait 3 months.

Short of going awol how can i get released from the Army?????

I heard you can ask for early realease now because the army needs to be smaller why have they said no?

Put pencils up your nose, wear your underpants on your head and say "Wibble" a lot.

Have you spoken to your RCMO / RAO or was your first port of call the internet?

Ive gone through the Sqn 2IC and the Adj. They're refusing me because apparently i have to have done a minimum of four years before leaving.

They both reckon that theres no chance of release before that point.....must be a way round it!??

No contract, no job. I may sound cynical, but that's because I have had so many experiences of people telling me "the job's yours" only for f-all to happen.

If they want you as a individual, they'll pay you a retainer until the Army releases you.

Just tell the Adj you were shagging his cadet daughter, I'm sure he can make arrangements

There is a way to get out earlier than your time bar. We had two applications at our unit over the last year or so. The good news is, one of them succeeded. The bad news is, one of them was a mong, which was why it succeeded. If you're worth anything, it is highly likely to be rejected.

Start by getting as many key-players on side as possible. Your sub-unit chain of command for starters. UWO could possibly get involved. But an internet forum full of civvies, no-marks, has-beens and a handful of regular serving soldiers who mainly like to rip the shit out of each other is hardly the place you should be looking to for advice.

To be perfectly honest - I'm actually getting a little tired of wiping the backsides of 3-4 year sprogs who bring very little to the party and expect to get what they want and when they want it. You spend a good hour or so of your day explaining the facts to them and giving them the benefits of your 20-odd years of experience, only to find they've gone straight to the RCMO/UWO for a 'second opinion'... It gets tiresome. If I were your OC and you were a good egg, I'd do my best to reach a compromise, but at the end of the day, nobody forced you into this career and so you have to accept the fact that the MS Binding Principle will see to it that the MOD gets a decent return in their investment (i.e. the cost of training you). That's why these time bars exist. You have to also accept that if they let you go, it's almost like saying to the rest of your colleagues, "Hey don't worry about the rules, just throw your weight around and you'll eventually get your own way".

It sounds like a rant, but really - I'm just giving you the other side of the story. They're not being jobsworths for the sake of it. And on that note - I wish you luck in your overseas job, and hope that should you get it, you don't find yourself 'high and dry' in six months time selling the Big Issue.

DC

You signed on the dotted and now you want to renege on your contract,you will will be a real asset to your future employers, maybe Carlos Tevez is a role model.

Had you served a full career you may have had a case, but you've only been in ten minutes,so the answer is quite rightly no.

Cheers for the advice, even though the majority was a slating. I understand its a binding contract and i also understand i SHOULDN'T be able to break it. But to be honest ive been offered an incredible job with higer pay and good promotion prospects based on my actually individual skills rather than how far down some blokes shaft i can get. Who honestly wouldnt take it, given that the army would take every opportunity to screw up a back wall without even a thank you.