**British Armed Forces Discussion Thread**

Yeh it’s a difficult one to resolve I think. The whole X Factor thing baffles me, how they justify that as a bit of a positive is a joke. On the flip side, there already is a financial incentive to go away (LSA), and people still “avoid” going away.

It’s peaks and troughs I guess, I think I had an 8 year period where I was away every year for a good chunk of each year, then I was static for 2 year… got bored ha then my last unit I was in the UK about 4 month in total from a 2 year posting. Now I am very much in a static job again. Which tbh come at the right time and I started of really enjoying regular home/work balance.

But now I’m getting itchy feet again and getting FOMO of people going away again ha

It’s a nightmare. I love going away, but then too much of going away I want to be home… then too much of home I’m like… get me away.

I think what the main issue I believe is the inconsistency now. In the past things were more “organised” with regiments on an operational tempo , train, deploy, off. Now it’s all very last minute all the time, and lots of VHR. Doesn’t appear to be much of a cycle. But I’m assuming it’s all very different I bet dependant on capbadge etc and who is aligned to what.

Its really not a great financial incentive though, for being in **** accommodation, **** food, working 6/7 days. I mean mine were all a piece of cake. But realistically the hours done is far below minium wage to be dragged away from your family and normality. Damn half yhe time I done less away than I done in the UK. They need to raise incentives if they want to keep people in and going away.
 
I’d agree it’s not the most lucrative incentive no, especially the lower levels.

Op allowance is a bit of a con too really, effectively just tax back and they try spin it like here is a bonus for going somewhere “dodgy”.

If you deploy you should get tax free allowances as a minimum… but clearly bean counters will not agree.

As for the food, I’ve generally never eaten so well whilst being away ha for the most part anyways :)
 
I loved the continual deployments. I had a busy career, most of the units I served were high/very high tempo. I spent majority of the last 4 years of my time in bouncing around the world/UK. I despised standard RD's and camp life in general. I was always actively seeking out reasons to get away.

Looks like they are copping out and going with the General Dynamics company line, blaming it on the crews. Whilst I still feel that it needs to just push on into service. Work towards developing better fixes for it in the background. We have enough capability gaps as it is without another gaping hole. At least get something for all the billions that have been sunk into this.
 
I loved the continual deployments. I had a busy career, most of the units I served were high/very high tempo. I spent majority of the last 4 years of my time in bouncing around the world/UK. I despised standard RD's and camp life in general. I was always actively seeking out reasons to get away.
Was that as a singley or when married with kids? The high tempo turnaround novelty soon wears off when wifey and kids are involved.

I spent a significant amount of time away when the kids were younger, but not when they got older, also the Mrs was threaders being a single parent. Marriage is for life (in some cases), the military as soon as you leave? Don't let the barrier hit you on the ass on the way out.
 
When I read this thread, it just reminds me how sad I was when I couldn't get into the reserves (Signals at Colchester) over ten years ago.

I still consider myself incredibly lucky that I got into the RAF with only having to lose a bit of weight to pass the medical.

It’s the one thing you have no control over when it comes to joining up (weight excepted) and if I’d suddenly found out I had something I never knew about that precluded me I’ve no idea what I’d have done.
 
I remember throwing all my eggs into this basket when going through the application process before getting in. I’d pretty much dropped out of education system and it was Army or bust at that point… I remember the medical feeling really nervous for no other reason than it could just stop there and then if I had something they picked up on.

It’s pretty much made my life what it is and pretty much who I am today as naff as it sounds.

For all its faults, I’d recommend this career to anyone still. I’d never set out to do a full term but looks like I’m heading that way, and it is true what they said that it’s over in a flash and you’d do it all again if you could
 
I remember throwing all my eggs into this basket when going through the application process before getting in. I’d pretty much dropped out of education system and it was Army or bust at that point… I remember the medical feeling really nervous for no other reason than it could just stop there and then if I had something they picked up on.

It’s pretty much made my life what it is and pretty much who I am today as naff as it sounds.

For all its faults, I’d recommend this career to anyone still. I’d never set out to do a full term but looks like I’m heading that way, and it is true what they said that it’s over in a flash and you’d do it all again if you could

I left a few months ago after 25 years - absolutely no idea where that went!
 
I remember throwing all my eggs into this basket when going through the application process before getting in. I’d pretty much dropped out of education system and it was Army or bust at that point… I remember the medical feeling really nervous for no other reason than it could just stop there and then if I had something they picked up on.

It’s pretty much made my life what it is and pretty much who I am today as naff as it sounds.

For all its faults, I’d recommend this career to anyone still. I’d never set out to do a full term but looks like I’m heading that way, and it is true what they said that it’s over in a flash and you’d do it all again if you could

I left school after getting abysmal GCSE results. Scuppered my chances of joining the police, they also told me to go away and get some life experience. Coming from a NE coal mining village, i had no idea what to do and tbh, there wasn't that much aside from factory work!

Joined the Army for that life experience > fun, but not for me > during my army time i saw how differently the RAF had it (and treated!) > joined RAF > ended up doing 30+.

Never saw that coming and "pretty much made my life what it is and pretty much who I am today as naff as it sounds" - not naff at all, i 100% agree and have no idea how my life would have turned out if i hadn't signed away my soul.
 
I left school after getting abysmal GCSE results. Scuppered my chances of joining the police, they also told me to go away and get some life experience. Coming from a NE coal mining village, i had no idea what to do and tbh, there wasn't that much aside from factory work!

Joined the Army for that life experience > fun, but not for me > during my army time i saw how differently the RAF had it (and treated!) > joined RAF > ended up doing 30+.

Never saw that coming and "pretty much made my life what it is and pretty much who I am today as naff as it sounds" - not naff at all, i 100% agree and have no idea how my life would have turned out if i hadn't signed away my soul.
I'm also from a NE coal mining village (Seghill), also joined the army, also transferred to RAF.

It's that 30+ part I take issue with :cry:
 
I'm also from a NE coal mining village (Seghill), also joined the army, also transferred to RAF.

It's that 30+ part I take issue with :cry:
I had to google Seghill! I'm no longer in the NE, but i was from a village just outside Bishop Auckland, so you were about an hour from me.

What trade are/were you in the RAF? Anything exciting? :)
 
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