Minimum time to be spent in Army Reserve and a few other questions for a newbie

[stacker1]

Not if you apply to a specialist unit. I'm pretty sure they don't do Tuesday nights.

As an aside, which country are you in? I believe that there is still an AR unit in Biefefeld, Germany, if that's any use to you.

Norway, I had already spoken to the unit I wanted to join, they didnt care where I lived so long as I could make the weekend.

I remember quite a few TA living in Germany and the Netherlands joining us on exercise rather than travel back in the UK, something must have changed, Im not massively bothered but if they said that at the start, it would have saved a lot of time wasted.

Although I still cant find anything online about having to live in the UK or having to attend Tuesday nights.

 

[The_Duke]

It depends on the unit. If you are in one of the specialist units (whatever they are called), they don't have them. As per olafthered, not mandatory but required for a standard unit.

I didn't expect people to do all of them, but none of them wasn't an option either.

 

[olafthered]

It depends on the unit. If you are in one of the specialist units (whatever they are called), they don't have them. As per olafthered, not mandatory but required for a standard unit.

I didn't expect people to do all of them, but none of them wasn't an option either.

I used to have a senior NCO who worked on the rigs. He would attended everything and more for 6 months, then disappear, we knew what his situation was and planned round it.

 

[stacker1]

I used to have a senior NCO who worked on the rigs. He would attended everything and more for 6 months, then disappear, we knew what his situation was and planned round it.

I know someone who is in an AR postie unit who lives in the Orkneys or the Shetlands, I doubt he pops down to England for Tuesday drill.

Rules are rules, but maybe they should be a bit more clearer.

 

[olafthered]

I know someone who is in an AR postie unit who lives in the Orkneys or the Shetlands, I doubt he pops down to England for Tuesday drill.

Rules are rules, but maybe they should be a bit more clearer.

Are they a national unit? In which case no drill nights to turn up to.

Is the distance the result of changes and closures? If already in and qualified he may well have had a good chat with the PSAO/OC and come to an agreement.

TBH I knew a senior SPS bloke who lived in Kenya, he used to be part of a national pool, and come back for annual exercise, then do extra days wherever needed to make up his time.

 

[stacker1]

Are they a national unit? In which case no drill nights to turn up to.

Is the distance the result of changes and closures? If already in and qualified he may well have had a good chat with the PSAO/OC and come to an agreement.

TBH I knew a senior SPS bloke who lived in Kenya, he used to be part of a national pool, and come back for annual exercise, then do extra days wherever needed to make up his time.

He been in ages, I have no idea what the situation is, but I know that he does do the weekends and battle camp. Which was what I was going to do.
Maybe it's a new rule, maybe they are just reading a script without exceptions.
It's not a massive drama, it gives me an excuse to do less running and more drinking. My only observation is that the rules do not appeared to be well advertised.

 

[Roadster280]

I never experienced any racist bollocks in 22 years. I did experience some perpetual victims who wanted a trade and a quick way out of their obligation though.

We had one of those on my T3. He was intelligent, but lazy. On one of the equipment modules, the instructor was a civvy. But no ordinary civvy. He was an ex-WO1 FofS and could not abide laziness. From day 1, these two clashed. It wasn’t that he was mixed race, it was that he didn’t put the effort in to understand say what unit 2aa did. So when you’re doing faults, and he hasn’t a clue, the instructor would have to waste his time teaching the same shit again to the same bloke. He failed the bloke, and a shitstorm then ensued with the student playing the race card. Eventually the Chief Instructor passed him. The ex-WO1 was livid. Not a pretty sight.

5 years later and I do my T1 and get posted to the School instructing on the same courses. No sign of the student in question, where I either went through my T1 with my T3 contemporaries or instructed them over the next 3 years. I am guessing he did his three years and left.

 

[Cregg Bristle]

I was in the process of applying for the reserves, after sending in various bit of paperwork and getting to the bit about medical documents, I got a message saying that I couldnt join because I didnt live in the UK. (Fair enough but I wish they said that at the start)
When I called them they said it was because I would have to attend drill nights on Tuesdays and its impracticable to fly back just for a couple of hours. I was under the impression that it was 6 weekends plus a two week exercise. Is part of the commitment now also Tuesday nights?

I guess it’s down to the unit. We’re located in Bath but have guys from Cornwall, London and Edinburgh. They never attend on a drill night, doing just weekends and exercises. Also we have some people working shifts so can’t do drill nights. I don’t think drill nights are officially part of the commitment.

ETA. We recruit nationally, but engage people on regional terms, so min 27 days, not 19. Is it possible you were given duff gen by a Capita bod, as I’m sure weekday drill nights are not mandatory.

 

[stacker1]

I guess it’s down to the unit. We’re located in Bath but have guys from Cornwall, London and Edinburgh. They never attend on a drill night, doing just weekends and exercises. Also we have some people working shifts so can’t do drill nights. I don’t think drill nights are officially part of the commitment.

ETA. We recruit nationally, but engage people on regional terms, so min 27 days, not 19. Is it possible you were given duff gen by a Capita bod, as I’m sure weekday drill nights are not mandatory.

I was looking at 27 days because my work gives me 2 weeks paid leave to be in reserves. So that's the main exercise covered. That just would have left the 6 weekends which is no hardship.

Capita might have got it wrong, but it wasnt as if it's a major choice in life for me so... Meh.

 

[putteesinmyhands]

We had a bloke who lived in Cyprus and came back for weekends/Camp (Nationally-recruited unit). He had to pay for his flights but was given a nominal, distant, UK address to claim mileage against so he wasn't totally out of pocket.

All was OK apart from when we had Camp in Cyprus as he had to come back to UK to draw and return kit and weapon.

He had joined before moving to Cyprus so abode wasn't an issue when signing up.

 

[Lifeboat21]

I guess it’s down to the unit. We’re located in Bath but have guys from Cornwall, London and Edinburgh. They never attend on a drill night, doing just weekends and exercises. Also we have some people working shifts so can’t do drill nights. I don’t think drill nights are officially part of the commitment.

ETA. We recruit nationally, but engage people on regional terms, so min 27 days, not 19. Is it possible you were given duff gen by a Capita bod, as I’m sure weekday drill nights are not mandatory.

We have lads in South America, Africa, middle East and local universities.

When they're there, they're there. If not, c'est la vie.

We know where they are and they put in the hours when in.

If lads don't tell us in advance where they are, they get asked if they want to stay.

 

[Turret_Monster]

No, the 12 year contract?.

So you didn't read anything you were asked to sign on joining?

As others have stated it's a 'commitment, not a 'contract' you can give notice and leave whenever you like (or just slope off and never answer the phone or reply to email/texts/whattsapp).