Army recruitment age raised

[Zorro]

The maximum age for Army recruits has been raised from 26 to 33, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) has confirmed.

Recruitment crisis, what crisis!


http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6236345.stm

 

[danielsan]

Well not a surprise really and honestly I believe a good thing, wish theyd done it when I was 28 years old and regretting having wasted my life. Now we wont need the TA/FTRS back door.

 

[Timmypig]

To fight the recruitment and retention problems down here the age was raised a few years back. I had resigned myself to spending the rest of my life wishing I had done it properly when I was in the Army in the 1980s .....

Then HEY PRESTO! Now having just turned 40 I'm back in and loving it. If you're fit enough and motivated enough you're young enough. The only downsides are that those of my age recover from injuries much more slowly and those in their 40s doing a recruit CSE (not in my case thankfully) being shouted at by CPLs 15 years or more their junior have to mentally readjust. For some it's a struggle.

If the British Army does it right, raising the maximum age (why only 33?) should prove a success.

 

[Sven]

Where are You Tim, Australia?

 

[chelwood14]

Makes a bit of a nonsense of making thos who join at 18 leave at 40 though

 

[chocolate_frog]

Three words.

Rentention, Rentention and Rentention.

 

[whit_RE]

I read somewhere that squaddies will be able to serve unitl they're 55, from Jan 2008 I think, so you'd still get your 22 in if you started at 33.

If this is an equal opportunities initiative then I'm all for it, as officers can serve from 18-55. Its been this way for enlisted men in the US forces for ages.

 

[msr]

Or retention?

Anyway, good to see the regular army catching up with the TA again...

msr
P.S. Top tip for 2007 - your officers will be able to stay in as long as ours

 

[DodgerDog]

Investement in retention would be more successful in meeting our needs and a better application of the versatile engagement allowing commanders on the ground with medical back up assess an individual's ability to serve beyond 22 years and contribute widely to the needs of the service. A flat and open VEng will not work due to the number of folks we break too early in their careers who would otherwise continue to block promotion prospects.

 

[Tartan_Terrier]

The MOD spokesperson said that it had nothing to do with the shortage of recruits, and was simply to bring the Army into line with the maximum joining ages in the RAF, and RN.

Strangely enough, that's utter bollocks!

http://www.careers.royalnavy.mod.uk/is_the_navy_for_me/faqs.html

The age limits for each branch are quoted on the relevant job page. Rating/ Other Rank recruits must be within this age limit on the day of entry to HMS Raleigh/ CTC RM Lympstone, including the following birthday. For example, recruits can join most branches between the ages of 16 and 36, including the 37th birthday. Officer entrants must be within the quoted age limit on the first day of the month of entry to Britannia Royal Naval College/ CTC RM Lympstone. The latest entry for the RNR is generally before your 40th birthday although ex-RN applications will be considered up to the age of 45.
n.b. The Armed Forces (with the exception of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary) have a complete exemption, in terms of maintaining operational (combat) effectiveness, from the provisions of the Employment Equality (Age) Regulations 2006.

I trust that the recruiting age will be raised again as soon as the Army find out that they've made a mistake!

 

[jimmys_best_mate]

The MOD spokesperson said that it had nothing to do with the shortage of recruits, and was simply to bring the Army into line with the maximum joining ages in the RAF, and RN.

Strangely enough, that's utter bollocks!

Is anyone stupid enough to believe anything those lying c*nts say anymore?

 

[Tango]

The situation must be getting pretty bad.

Clickety

 

[Fallschirmjager]

I can't see this working for the infantry though. You can't have lance jacks and full screws in their forties! Imagine tring to pass seniors at 45!

 

[Tango]

I can't see this working for the infantry though. You can't have lance jacks and full screws in their forties! Imagine tring to pass seniors at 45!

I'd imagine people trying to join the inf at that age would be gently dissuaded.

 

[obesa_cantavit]

The report states that it is just so that the Army can fall in line with the other Services...mmmm....not!

 

[stoatman]

Can anyone seriously imagine the £12,000-ish starting salary being at all attractive to a 33-year-old?

 

[Ronnie8781]

There is also a large thread covering this, I will try to find the link.

 

[buggrit]

33 year olds are generally set in a career.....or set in their benifit drawing ways. Cant see it working.

 

[Sven]

Can anyone seriously imagine the £12,000-ish starting salary being at all attractive to a 33-year-old?

Stoats

Go and look in Tescos, Asda or Morrisons, the boys and girls there are working for over £1000 less than that. Travelling to Bradford there are several manual car washes - the teams of people on that can't be on more than the minimum wage.

Is the £12,000 the recruit wage, and is it infantry wage or what used to be B4 when I was in. If so what is the B3 wage or B1.


Interestingly, the MoD spin being put out on News24 is that the shortfall in army numbers is part of a two year plan to edge the army numbers down to the new totals they want - they are however, admitting to a retention problem

 

[stoatman]

£12,000 is recruit wage.

On average though, how old are the people working these manual car washes and in supermarkets? Over here, in supermarkets it's teenagers and older married women on the whole. I have also never seen a manual car wash over here, but the last time I saw one in the UK it seemed to be staffed by the family of the Asian gentleman who owned it.