Hi guys - multi part question from an Australian.
I had an application in with the Royal Marines as a spritely 18 year old in 2012 when they changed the Commonwealth entry rules and I was, unfortunately, no longer eligible.
This year, when Commonwealth recruiting returned, I began tossing and turning over whether to have a go again. Armed with some nifty pieces of paper from Uni now, I am only really interested in going down the officer path. Being that the RM's don't take officers over 25 (I am currently 25), the Army would seem to be my salvation.
I have absolutely scoured the internet for answers to this, and these forums, but I can't seem to find an absolute fit of an answer. The eligibility/registration on the army.mod website also doesn't work if you're not a current resident of the UK, so the only way I can communicate with Army recruiting is over the phone.
I just called Army recruiting, and they basically fobbed me off. The lady on the phone had no real interest in speaking to me. She advised me that Commonwealth overseas recruiting is currently closed, and that it is for SOLDIER ENTRY ONLY. She also advised me that only British and Irish citizens can enter directly as officers. This seems to be somewhat at odds with the information found on the Army website (which is silent on nationality requirements of soliders vs officers), and also the fact that even under the old system you could go to RMAS as a Commonwealth citizen with 5 years residency.
So I guess my questions are:
1. Can you join as a Regular Officer with Commonwealth citizenship and no UK Residency? My only country of residency ever is Australia, so I have a checkable background from a friendly nation. Intuitively website says yes, other posts on this board say yes, angry army recruiting lady says no.
2. If I can't join directly as an Officer, would I still be entitled to seek a commission from the ranks after 1/2 years? aka Is the barrier to Commonwealth citizens being officers (if there indeed is one) only with the entry method, or is it a requirement to have UK Citizenship to hold a commission at all?
3. Long shot, does anyone know when the overseas commonwealth entry avenue is likely to open again?
I understand that even as a graduate I am getting long in the tooth for Sandhurst at 25, so I just kind of need to know whether I should bother getting my hopes back up for something I've regretted not doing for 8 years.
P.S For the inevitable "join the Australian Army" - My reasoning: 1. Ceremony/Tradition/History (I'm a tragic Empire loyalist) 2. More Travel/Deployment Opportunities (Belize, Canada, Brunei etc.) 3. I intend to work in the UK as a solicitor regardless, and I consider this a good way to build a network and respectable CV boost first.
I had an application in with the Royal Marines as a spritely 18 year old in 2012 when they changed the Commonwealth entry rules and I was, unfortunately, no longer eligible.
This year, when Commonwealth recruiting returned, I began tossing and turning over whether to have a go again. Armed with some nifty pieces of paper from Uni now, I am only really interested in going down the officer path. Being that the RM's don't take officers over 25 (I am currently 25), the Army would seem to be my salvation.
I have absolutely scoured the internet for answers to this, and these forums, but I can't seem to find an absolute fit of an answer. The eligibility/registration on the army.mod website also doesn't work if you're not a current resident of the UK, so the only way I can communicate with Army recruiting is over the phone.
I just called Army recruiting, and they basically fobbed me off. The lady on the phone had no real interest in speaking to me. She advised me that Commonwealth overseas recruiting is currently closed, and that it is for SOLDIER ENTRY ONLY. She also advised me that only British and Irish citizens can enter directly as officers. This seems to be somewhat at odds with the information found on the Army website (which is silent on nationality requirements of soliders vs officers), and also the fact that even under the old system you could go to RMAS as a Commonwealth citizen with 5 years residency.
So I guess my questions are:
1. Can you join as a Regular Officer with Commonwealth citizenship and no UK Residency? My only country of residency ever is Australia, so I have a checkable background from a friendly nation. Intuitively website says yes, other posts on this board say yes, angry army recruiting lady says no.
2. If I can't join directly as an Officer, would I still be entitled to seek a commission from the ranks after 1/2 years? aka Is the barrier to Commonwealth citizens being officers (if there indeed is one) only with the entry method, or is it a requirement to have UK Citizenship to hold a commission at all?
3. Long shot, does anyone know when the overseas commonwealth entry avenue is likely to open again?
I understand that even as a graduate I am getting long in the tooth for Sandhurst at 25, so I just kind of need to know whether I should bother getting my hopes back up for something I've regretted not doing for 8 years.
P.S For the inevitable "join the Australian Army" - My reasoning: 1. Ceremony/Tradition/History (I'm a tragic Empire loyalist) 2. More Travel/Deployment Opportunities (Belize, Canada, Brunei etc.) 3. I intend to work in the UK as a solicitor regardless, and I consider this a good way to build a network and respectable CV boost first.
