Joining the military as an adult?

Joining the military as an adult?

Author
Discussion

GilbertGrape

Original Poster:

1,226 posts

203 months

Wednesday 18th March 2009
quotequote all
Oldest person you've heard of who joined?

Colonial

13,553 posts

218 months

Wednesday 18th March 2009
quotequote all
I'm more intrigued by the idea of children joining the military.

KieronGsi

1,110 posts

217 months

Wednesday 18th March 2009
quotequote all
I joined up with a 29 year old (RAF) but i believe they recently upped the age you can join the Army to 35.

andy400

10,902 posts

244 months

Wednesday 18th March 2009
quotequote all
It can vary a lot between branches, and they will bend the rules to acquire specific skillsets of which there is a current shortage. 99% of joiners (at commissioned level) are 18-23, but I have worked with joiners over 30.

thehawk

9,335 posts

220 months

Wednesday 18th March 2009
quotequote all
I've seen people in their 40's and 50's in a couple of my units when I was a the territorials - in particular surgeons, a psychologist and a chaplain.

Oli748

39 posts

195 months

Wednesday 18th March 2009
quotequote all
i have just left the navy after 4 years, im 21 now, but when i first started training there where a couple of older fella's i think the oldest was 32. he struggled to cope and left after 4 weeks.

if you are older and you are joining the forces you've got to be able to handle being talked to like an utter pleb for the first couple of years. i found that older lads struggled with that.

hugo a gogo

23,409 posts

246 months

Wednesday 18th March 2009
quotequote all
Colonial said:
I'm more intrigued by the idea of children joining the military.
16 yr olds can join and 17 yr olds have gone to Iraq
40% of british military joined below 18

Edited by hugo a gogo on Wednesday 18th March 07:42

Jasandjules

70,896 posts

242 months

Wednesday 18th March 2009
quotequote all
It's a lot easier for younger guys to join IMHO.

The exception would be those who were in the forces for their 3 years, left to do something else, then are heading back to the forces when they are older.

As noted above, being shouted at and talked at like a piece of dirt is more difficult for the elder person to take IMHO.

Scraggles

7,619 posts

237 months

Wednesday 18th March 2009
quotequote all
army likes them young as they are more impressionable and easily led, once the get to mid twenties, it is harder to recruit as they are a lot wiser

having said that, got to know some of the local poachers regiment, back from iraq last year, all injured in fairly major ways and doing hospital and visiting the queen for medals etc, the "old man" of the regiment was 25

andy400

10,902 posts

244 months

Wednesday 18th March 2009
quotequote all
Oli748 said:
being talked to like an utter pleb
We only talk to the utter plebs like utter plebs..... wink

andy_s

19,701 posts

272 months

Wednesday 18th March 2009
quotequote all
One of my mates joined last December and he was about 38, he'd already been in the army prior to this - I think the age was lifted to 42yrs if you'd been in SF previously iirc.

Steameh

3,155 posts

223 months

Wednesday 18th March 2009
quotequote all
An interesting question, I was thinking of joining the navy after finishing uni, I would be around 25/26. I'm assuming that the basic training would be annoying in terms of talking down, however the officers training should be more...respectful?

Ranger 6

7,331 posts

262 months

Wednesday 18th March 2009
quotequote all
I was a reg at 18 and left at 21 - went to Uni at 28 and joined the local TA. Probably the hardest thing I ever did was going back through training - but funnily enough one of the most rewarding.

Stayed for a further 5 years.

andy400

10,902 posts

244 months

Wednesday 18th March 2009
quotequote all
Steameh said:
An interesting question, I was thinking of joining the navy after finishing uni, I would be around 25/26. I'm assuming that the basic training would be annoying in terms of talking down, however the officers training should be more...respectful?
'Respectful' is something the RN tries to be across the board, but the main difference with Officer training is, obviously, you get your 'hand held' a lot less and are expected to show intiative, responsibility and leadership early on. You'd be surprised how many highly intelligent graduates are utterly incapable of this......... (Not suggesting that's you)

Cara Van Man

29,977 posts

264 months

Wednesday 18th March 2009
quotequote all
I'd say joining the military after 30 would be a struggle for most people.

Not just in the physical sense, but the general attitude differences to civvy street. Only an opinion, but having been institutionalised since I was 16 I think an older civvy may find it a struggle to fit in.

Oli748

39 posts

195 months

Wednesday 18th March 2009
quotequote all
andy400 said:
Oli748 said:
being talked to like an utter pleb
We only talk to the utter plebs like utter plebs..... wink
i bet all your subordinates love you....nob

andy400

10,902 posts

244 months

Wednesday 18th March 2009
quotequote all
Oli748 said:
andy400 said:
Oli748 said:
being talked to like an utter pleb
We only talk to the utter plebs like utter plebs..... wink
i bet all your subordinates love you....nob
Hey, thanks for that! I get on ok with the ones with any kind of sense of humour....

Oli748

39 posts

195 months

Wednesday 18th March 2009
quotequote all
andy400 said:
Oli748 said:
andy400 said:
Oli748 said:
being talked to like an utter pleb
We only talk to the utter plebs like utter plebs..... wink
i bet all your subordinates love you....nob
Hey, thanks for that! I get on ok with the ones with any kind of sense of humour....
What that? all your cheesy Chino wearing mates?

andy400

10,902 posts

244 months

Wednesday 18th March 2009
quotequote all
confused

andy_s

19,701 posts

272 months

Wednesday 18th March 2009
quotequote all
andy400 said:
confused
It's a troll - hope that helps your confusion.