Changes to LOA July 2021

[Kroneit44]

Most postings abroad (bar Cyprus and Canada) have local hirings rather than pads quarters. They have tax free purchases including booze, fags and cars.
They are likely to be eligible for CEA or any international schools for their kids.
The quality of life tends to better as well.
I doubt anyone will leave over LOA.

LOA is a big part of the "should I stay or should I go" thought process. If you're not a boarding school type of family, it's probably the biggest driver for staying in if a decent job is calling.

 

[SkippedOnce]

This new transparent system means the amount offered to service personnel will not be associated to rank. Rates will be published in June 2021.

Well, that's ok: if it's only an 'offer', you can obviously refuse it and stay with what you have. Yeah, right.

 

[orgASMic]

Rank agnostic means that those OF3s upwards staying in because of the extra money abroad will be offski. Not that that isn't a good thing, but somehow I doubt MOD will be able to fill the holes quick enough.

In my years of service, the MOD has always found a way to fill my holes repeatedly without lube, or so it has felt sometimes.

 

[Tappet]

In my years of service, the MOD has always found a way to fill my holes repeatedly without lube, or so it has felt sometimes.

I found that Glasgow in particular used to get very confused between "lube" and "handfuls of coarse sand".

All in the service interest, if course.

 

[Ceser Romero]

LOA is a big part of the "should I stay or should I go" thought process. If you're not a boarding school type of family, it's probably the biggest driver for staying in if a decent job is calling.

Joe Strummer Walt.

 

[alfred_the_great]

Is this some kind of Germany thing?

All LOA means to me is the first round of casemates square is free!

 

[stacker1]

LOA is a big part of the "should I stay or should I go" thought process. If you're not a boarding school type of family, it's probably the biggest driver for staying in if a decent job is calling.

Not a single person I know is basing a stay or go on LOA, obviously they would like more but they are not basing some free money on a temporary assignment whether or not to continue their career.

 

[Kroneit44]

Not a single person I know is basing a stay or go on LOA, obviously they would like more but they are not basing some free money on a temporary assignment whether or not to continue their career.

That’s interesting, the ability to earn extra money, tied to decent schooling, renting their UK house out is at the forefront of several of my colleagues thought processes.

 

[stacker1]

That’s interesting, the ability to earn extra money, tied to decent schooling, renting their UK house out is at the forefront of several of my colleagues thought processes.

Depending on your location
If you smoke 20 a day, you will save around 230 quid a month (double that if the spouse smoke).
If you like your booze, Smirnoff blue label 1 liter is 9 quid abroad. It at least 25 in the UK.
If you want to buy a car, you get it thousands cheaper (possibly tens of thousands depending on your budget).
Most non consumables are VAT free.
As mentioned before if you have kids, they are almost guaranteed CEA or be educated at international schools whose fees would rival some of the top private schools in the UK.
The housing is usually local, which means when there is a fault, they get off their arse and fix it, none of this "We'll be around sometime in the next 10 days and still won't fix the fault".

People aren't going to give it up because of a cut in LOA.

 

[Kroneit44]

Depending on your location
If you smoke 20 a day, you will save around 230 quid a month (double that if the spouse smoke).
If you like your booze, Smirnoff blue label 1 liter is 9 quid abroad. It at least 25 in the UK.
If you want to buy a car, you get it thousands cheaper (possibly tens of thousands depending on your budget).
Most non consumables are VAT free.
As mentioned before if you have kids, they are almost guaranteed CEA or be educated at international schools whose fees would rival some of the top private schools in the UK.
The housing is usually local, which means when there is a fault, they get off their arse and fix it, none of this "We'll be around sometime in the next 10 days and still won't fix the fault".

People aren't going to give it up because of a cut in LOA.

If you scroll back, I was referring to OF3s, who are looking at losing hundreds a month. If they're not milking CEA, there's not that much to keep them in.
The car swindle is nowhere near as lucrative as it used to be either from what I can see. A significant cut in LOA is a bit more of a tipping point than not being allowed a beard.

 

[stacker1]

If you scroll back, I was referring to OF3s, who are looking at losing hundreds a month. If they're not milking CEA, there's not that much to keep them in.
The car swindle is nowhere near as lucrative as it used to be either from what I can see. A significant cut in LOA is a bit more of a tipping point than not being allowed a beard.

If they don't smoke, drink, buy a car, want to live in decent housing and want to avoid tax free non consumables then yes they might be at a disadvantage. However, I don't know any teetotal, non smoker, none drivers who never buy anything that attracts VAT and don't have children.

The car swindle as you call it still saves thousands (if not tens of thousands).

But yeah there will give all that up for a few hundred a month. Maybe move back to the UK and serve where they will get none of the benefits from serving abroad.

People always complain when there is a cut in LOA.

 

[Stibbon]

If you scroll back, I was referring to OF3s, who are looking at losing hundreds a month. If they're not milking CEA, there's not that much to keep them in.
The car swindle is nowhere near as lucrative as it used to be either from what I can see. A significant cut in LOA is a bit more of a tipping point than not being allowed a beard.

Even so, an allowance isn't a reason to be making a career-ending decision.
The salary as an OF3 is reason enough to remain. LOA ends the minute your overseas assignment does. I doubt any OF3s are that stupid ...

 

[Kroneit44]

Even so, an allowance isn't a reason to be making a career-ending decision.
The salary as an OF3 is reason enough to remain. LOA ends the minute your overseas assignment does. I doubt any OF3s are that stupid ...

I never said it was the only reason. Plenty bounce round the NATO circuit for the money and put up with a short UK stint to line themselves up for the next overseas trip.

 

[Kroneit44]

If they don't smoke, drink, buy a car, want to live in decent housing and want to avoid tax free non consumables then yes they might be at a disadvantage. However, I don't know any teetotal, non smoker, none drivers who never buy anything that attracts VAT and don't have children.

The car swindle as you call it still saves thousands (if not tens of thousands).

But yeah there will give all that up for a few hundred a month. Maybe move back to the UK and serve where they will get none of the benefits from serving abroad.

People always complain when there is a cut in LOA.

None of the OF3's in my place are claiming CEA, none smoke, none are piss heads (though not teetotal). Most have imported a second hand car from the UK. You can get stuff VAT free, but the saving isn't significant, and in some cases stuff is more expensive anyway.

 

[stacker1]

None of the OF3's in my place are claiming CEA, none smoke, none are piss heads (though not teetotal). Most have imported a second hand car from the UK. You can get stuff VAT free, but the saving isn't significant, and in some cases stuff is more expensive anyway.

Sound like a right bunch miserable cnuts, 20% on VAT isn't a significant saving?
Most but not all import a 2nd car? So some do trouser a saving?

 

[stacker1]

I never said it was the only reason. Plenty bounce round the NATO circuit for the money and put up with a short UK stint to line themselves up for the next overseas trip.

There are plenty of people who would take a NATO job without the LOA, if they think they are irreplaceable they are very wrong.

 

[par avion]

Is this some kind of Germany thing?

All LOA means to me is the first round of casemates square is free!

Don't you get LOA when your ship is alongside in a foreign part? A couple of weeks in Singapore on an FPDA exercise?

 

[alfred_the_great]

Don't you get LOA when your ship is alongside in a foreign part? A couple of weeks in Singapore on an FPDA exercise?

You get it when alongside. Beyond maintenance periods, I've never been alongside for more than 4 or 5 days.

As I said, it's a nice bit of buckshee on your pay packet that pays for the first round.

 

[japseyewarrior]

As I said, it's a nice bit of buckshee on your pay packet that pays for the first round.

At my posting, LOA is ~£1000 a month for a singly. More than enough to live on and many bang their whole wage into savings/stocks/crypto so it's a decent little earner over a few years.

Agreed that people probably wouldn't use it as a go/no go criteria but the possible threat of a cut in the rate is ruffling a few feathers.

 

[stacker1]

At my posting, LOA is ~£1000 a month for a singly. More than enough to live on and many bang their whole wage into savings/stocks/crypto so it's a decent little earner over a few years.

Agreed that people probably wouldn't use it as a go/no go criteria but the possible threat of a cut in the rate is ruffling a few feathers.

People getting less money always raises complaints, I doubt anyone would like it. But for the majority of people it wouldnt have any influence on them staying or going.