Alternatives to the Military?

[AsterixTG]

Oh - I thought of another thing last night.

International Disaster Response - the sort of teams that fly out to natural disasters and provide search & rescue expertise.

My understanding is that you need an underlying technical skill set, have a head for self sufficiency yet work well in small teams in environments that most would never want to be exposed to.

Basically sounds like an SF role with a significant difference...

I've some limited S&R experience now and it's something that had I known before, I'd have seriously looked at the path to doing that sort of thing.

Only issue again might be diet unless you can think of a work around.

 

[bob_the_bomb]

If you can’t join the military there’s always the RAF...

 

[Abc173]

Oh - I thought of another thing last night.

International Disaster Response - the sort of teams that fly out to natural disasters and provide search & rescue expertise.

My understanding is that you need an underlying technical skill set, have a head for self sufficiency yet work well in small teams in environments that most would never want to be exposed to.

Basically sounds like an SF role with a significant difference...

I've some limited S&R experience now and it's something that had I known before, I'd have seriously looked at the path to doing that sort of thing.

Only issue again might be diet unless you can think of a work around.

Is that with the British Red Cross? I see they have Emergency Response Officer jobs but they appear to be home based.

 

[Club Swinger]

If you can’t join the military there’s always the RAF...

Bugger, beat me to it....

 

[slick]

I do have a wee job in retail currently and it's so boring. Repetitive, mundane and those in charge are donkey's.

Have you considered the NAAFI ? .... working for naafi

 

[Abc173]

Have you considered the NAAFI ? .... working for naafi

Forgive any ignorance, because I am from the outside and looking in. I thought the NAAFI was just like the SPAR but for the Military? If I am bored in a Supermarket, then surely the NAAFI would bring me that same boredom? I had a look at your link. I find it interesting that if you so choose to work on one of HM Ships, then you could be involved in a non-combative role during exercise. What does that even mean? Are they going to trust a Retail Fill & Till Specialist (just ignore my humour here) to steer the ship? It's non combative anyway, unless you're a fisherman from Iceland and decide to ram one of HM Ships. Cod Wars.

 

[Tartan_Terrier]

Forgive any ignorance, because I am from the outside and looking in. I thought the NAAFI was just like the SPAR but for the Military? If I am bored in a Supermarket, then surely the NAAFI would bring me that same boredom? I had a look at your link. I find it interesting that if you so choose to work on one of HM Ships, then you could be involved in a non-combative role during exercise. What does that even mean? Are they going to trust a Retail Fill & Till Specialist (just ignore my humour here) to steer the ship? It's non combative anyway, unless you're a fisherman from Iceland and decide to ram one of HM Ships. Cod Wars.

John Leake (NAAFI manager) - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[Abc173]

John Leake (NAAFI manager) - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

That's very eye-opening to be honest. Thank you for sharing that.

 

[slick]

Forgive any ignorance, because I am from the outside and looking in. I thought the NAAFI was just like the SPAR but for the Military? If I am bored in a Supermarket, then surely the NAAFI would bring me that same boredom? I had a look at your link. I find it interesting that if you so choose to work on one of HM Ships, then you could be involved in a non-combative role during exercise. What does that even mean? Are they going to trust a Retail Fill & Till Specialist (just ignore my humour here) to steer the ship? It's non combative anyway, unless you're a fisherman from Iceland and decide to ram one of HM Ships. Cod Wars.

My apologies, my post was rather tongue in cheek (hence the smiley) after you mentioned "bored in retail", the NAAFI was the first thing that popped into my head.

Edit: They used to have a branch called EFI (Expeditionary Forces Institute) which used to deploy with the Forces, but I cant` find mention on their website.

 

[Abc173]

I kind of figured that but I wasn't 100% sure haha.

 

[oscar1whisky]

Couldn't agree more on that. I do have a wee job in retail currently and it's so boring. Repetitive, mundane and those in charge are donkey's.

Very much like many army jobs, and, had you joined infantry, a distinct lack of civvy career opportunities thereafter.
Few careers now last over a decade anyway, and the better ones involve fairly constant upskilling, testing, and practice.
However, even the most seemingly mundane jobs can lead to better things for those who put in the effort: one friend of mine began burger slinging at 15, but at 30 she is area manager, Africa & Middle East, based in Dubai and having a great time.
Another began as a trainee assistant in an optician's, and in a similar 15 year period rose to be surgery manager at a private eye hospital
But both put in the long hours on the boring, basic stuff, and grabbed every chance at rising up the management chain.

You'll only find out if you enjoy something by trying it, good luck.

 

[windswept398]

John Leake (NAAFI manager) - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

I want to see that advert.

 

[windswept398]

I have been diagnosed with coeliac disease which means my ambitions to join the army have been forced out the window. Fair enough given the circumstance, because if I fell ill I would be a hinderance. It's still a bit gut wrenching (no pun intended) though because you work hard towards a goal and then suddenly your intestines decide that gluten is the devil. I'm trying to sound slightly humorous but it is a bit of a blow. I can't dwell, I just need to accept the cards that have been dealt and crack on even if it is a bit of a spanner in the woodworks. The problem is, I have no idea what I want to move on to do next.

I like the ideas of discipline, and structure, having a bit of organisation in my life, and a bit of meaning and purpose that brings some job satisfaction with it (are some of you laughing at that?).

None of you can pick for me, I get that. Any suggestions wouldn't hurt though! Some food for thought, something that gets the brain ticking away for new ideas and direction. I suppose that's what I felt I instantly lost, a bit of direction, I was going somewhere, and now I'm not.

I did look at the national careers service. Some obvious ones were the Police, Bodyguarding/Close Protection (it was a stand out but it looks very competitive and without military experience I can pretty much forget about hostile environment work), other various security work. I considered the RFA but their roles aren't as varied and don't appeal to me as much.

Any suggestions greatly appreciated folks!

Thanks in advance.

Also, if it helps, my intended path was combat roles such as Infantry and Guardsman. So it's not as easy as 'If I wanted to be an Army medic then be a civvy medic instead' unfortunately.

Well mate. Advice is odd, it's not really much other than 'What I wished I did' drizzled in nostalgia. That being said, here is what I'd do, if I had my time again.

Get educated. Join mountain rescue.
So now you have a good paying job with your education plus you can tab about in the hills with a team and a purpose.

That's my advice.

 

[oscar1whisky]

Well mate. Advice is odd, it's not really much other than 'What I wished I did' drizzled in nostalgia. That being said, here is what I'd do, if I had my time again.

Get educated. Join mountain rescue.
So now you have a good paying job with your education plus you can tab about in the hills with a team and a purpose.

That's my advice.

This.
I once worked in an area office of Dept of Environment, staffed by highly educated people covering water management, wildlife management, uplands habitat and game management, and probably other things too.
Some also worked in local mountain rescue, lifeboats, Antarctic research, and knew pretty much anything about their particular subject.
But even the lowliest wildlife rangers had, or were working on, degrees in relevent subjects.
Most had more, and higher, qualifications, including the ladies in the admin office.

Education is the key to good jobs.

 

[Abc173]

Well mate. Advice is odd, it's not really much other than 'What I wished I did' drizzled in nostalgia. That being said, here is what I'd do, if I had my time again.

Get educated. Join mountain rescue.
So now you have a good paying job with your education plus you can tab about in the hills with a team and a purpose.

That's my advice.

I'm in the process of applying to the Specials and re-entering education. Circumstances thankfully allow for it as I am low hours in my retail job. Mountain Rescue would be great and it's such great shout! The closest one is an hour and half drive away. You know how these places can like you to be within a 5 or 10 minute drive; or at least that's my experience with RNLI, Retained Duty System Firefighter, and HM Coastguard Volunteers when I looked into them.

 

[Richard Headicus]

I could become a Techie in the Ambulance Service. I have my maths and english. I lack a science though but night school might be optional.

By 'lack a science' do you mean you require another one? Unless things have changed maths is a science subject.

 

[Ayatollah]

I have a gut feeling that anything causing stress is not for you, So although you would like to do certain things you would find the same restrictions working against you as the Military has.

 

[Abc173]

By 'lack a science' do you mean you require another one? Unless things have changed maths is a science subject.

As in I have a Science qualification titled 'Science' but it's neither sought after (Paramedic Science looks for Biology specifically, or a Healthcare subject from college which has Biology as a module) nor a high enough attained academic level to use to get into a Healthcare subject at college. Math and Science are my weak points and I share the same grade on them both. I have looked at my qualifications and decided to stick to my academic strengths and study a Social Science subject, specifically Criminology.

 

[Richard Headicus]

I have a gut feeling that anything causing stress is not for you, So although you would like to do certain things you would find the same restrictions working against you as the Military has.

I once read, true or not, that theoretically the bumble bee should not be able to fly. Fortunately no one informed the bumble bee. I'd advice the OP to follow the bee's example.

 

[Abc173]

I once read, true or not, that theoretically the bumble bee should not be able to fly. Fortunately no one informed the bumble bee. I'd advice the OP to follow the bee's example.

I suppose the message is persistence, or defiance? Am I close enough? A google search never helped much, other than the myth dates back to 1930's.

I have a gut feeling that anything causing stress is not for you, So although you would like to do certain things you would find the same restrictions working against you as the Military has.

I hope that gut feeling isn't Coeliac haha. In all seriousness, stress isn't a component, it was more frustration than anything else. However, a lot of people came here with good ideas and advice and got the mind ticking away with some ideas. I decided to go back into education and seek volunteer opportunities. Career wise, I am looking at the likes of the National Crime Agency, Border Force, Police, and Prison Service mainly on the back of the course I have picked.