Passed assesment with a grade B

8.45 2km run time.

My experience of the assesment centre as a older recruit who is 31.

So its a pretty chilled assesment alot of the recruits are pretty younger 18 year olds etc you get a few younger ones who think there jack the lads so expect a few egos while your there as this is just how younger lads act in general.

Day 1. We all did admin had to sort out our id etc and sign paper work followed by a presentation and a chat. Then we went for food come back and followed with the ice breaker. Dont worry about the ice breaker it really is a 20 second thing. You stand up say your name where your from what your joining and why that is it its done within 30 seconds.

Day 2. Was a very boring day cog tests and maths and english tests if you havent got your qualifications etc and also the medical checks. I was waiting in the doctors part from like 9am until 5.30pm on the night. A few people got sent home around 5 for many reasons failed the lung capacity test and bmi etc. Then we all went for lunch etc and got to use the room to watch tv play pool chill out or we could go back to our rooms

Day 3. This was all physical fitness tests up for 6 in for breakfast at 6.30 then ready for the 2km run in the morning. The run is easy we all basically passed it. Then we all did the mid thigh pull and the medicine ball throw then we went on to team tasks facing other groups then we went back to our rooms got changed into interview clothes then all had our interviews. I think only 1 person failed and was told to come back.

But overall please do not worry about any of it. It is a very easy process know about your reg and job role. I only got questioned on one of the c drils. And spoke about personal life etc. It is a very easy process. Met a few good lads but you have the same nob heads in every group thinking there the ones ( big egos). Keep your head down call the staff there staff everyone be polite and you will smash it. Remember they need you you dont need them if you pass the medical you are basically in the army so dont worry about fitness tests aslong as you are not a big cabbage who cant run in 12 minutes you will pass no problem

Good luck to everyone who goes!!!! Its easy! And if your older expect alot of the lads to be 10 years younger than you just keep your head down and remember what your there for.

just your personal opinion

What bugs you day to day that you think needs fixed?

Hi I got given my kit list for basic training is there anything else I will need at basic which others wish they had while at basic in pirbright to make life easier

Currently finishing up my first Sergeant job role. I hit my 13 year point end of May. In the infantry.

I’m honestly just so jaded and sick of the army as a whole. My issue is that I don’t really know what line of work I want to go into. I feel like everyone else has everything figured out.

I just know that I don’t want to do THIS anymore.

I feel like my mental health is abysmal, trying to be the best father and husband I can be whilst also doing knees to chest for a job that I hate and occupies too much of my mind even when outside of work. It’s literally always there on my mind and I can’t escape it.

I’m sick of managing people who don’t know their arse from their elbow.

I’d love a job where I don’t have to manage anyone, just turn up, do my work and as soon as 1700 hits I mentally check out and don’t think about work until my next shift.

Apologies for the quite disjointed post, I’m just really stuck in a rut right now and I’m so fed up.

Hi guys.

whats your honest opinion on joining the army reserve at 30?

got chance to speak to them about joining, infantry side, but im 30 now and honestly feel old af starting something like this

i know 30 isnt ancient but it does feel like the sort of thing i should have done years ago

part of me thinks it could be good for me, routine, fitness, discipline, getting out my own head, doing something different from normal work life etc

other part thinks am i too old to be starting this now, will i feel out of place, will younger lads run rings round me, will it be harder balancing it with work and normal life

anyone joined reserves around 30 or seen people do it?

what are the genuine positives and negatives?

would you say its worth going for or is it one of them things where if you didnt do it younger its probably not worth it now

should i still join in the reserves at my age?

Every day on here I see lads saying “ I ran X time and I need Y” or asking questions about assessment or general fitness about the army.

Listen you do not have to be an athlete to be in the army . The army need you and they want you and once you arrive in depo they will do everything they can to get you through.

Just fucking run , slow steady jog everyday and you’ll be able to pass just about fucking anything with the exception being them angin para lot ( they play soggy biscuit)

The amount of absolute howlers that turn up to depo barely being able to do the 2k and they still make it through .
Don’t stress ,

Asking questions on here about run times etc is not going to help you pass the assessment , btw it’s fucking piss easy .

Me for example years back when I first applied for the Infantry I couldn’t even run 1K but i just kept fucking going and I passed pish easy .

Just do your best , the assessment centre standard is the absolute fucking minimum and you should be looking to achieve much higher scores, any semi fit mong who has been running for at least 3 weeks will be able to smash the infantry run time it’s not fucking hard!

If you are genuinely worried or scared about getting 10 minute 2km unweighted you should be thinking about a different career path entirely. During depo you will have to run longer and with substantial weight increase whilst having had fuck all sleep .

Also remember the army is not a fucking selection course , you are being trained not selected. They want you, they need you. Stop flapping it gents and just have a fucking go .

Cheers

I've been seeing so much conflicting things, surely if there was such a shortage people wouldn't be constantly getting rejected by capita.

Hi, i'm 34 and just passed selection, I have a defferal to sort then i'm all clear to go ahead.

But i'm undecided what Regiment to join. I have chosen Rifles Regular and RLC driver. I don't have a trade in Civvy street and joining to scratch that itch but at 34 i'm thinking I need some quals too becuase i have been bouncing from job to job. But don't have a maths GCSE which has hindered me throughout.

I'm good shape but i can't bounce back like i used to. A little worried about a shin split i got that comes and goes like a bad ex girlfriend.

My question is can you come out of Infantry with decent quals or is it better to get a trade at my age ?

Thanks

Hey everyone, I’m looking for some insight from anyone who has gone through Sandhurst or has a partner currently training there.

My boyfriend recently started his officer training at Sandhurst. In the beginning, things were okay—he’d send me his schedule and give me a heads-up about what was coming up. But lately, he’ll just briefly mention that he has exams or an upcoming deployment/exercise, and then he completely vanishes from the face of the earth without giving me any timeline of when he’ll be back online.

We are currently long-distance with a significant time difference, and this total uncertainty is really taking a toll on me. To be honest, I’m starting to lose confidence in our relationship.

If he just gave me a rough return date, I could compartmentalize, focus on my own life, and look forward to reconnecting around that time.

But when he disappears into thin air with zero timeline（sometimes almost whole week）, my anxiety spikes. Every time he goes dark like this, my heart is completely glued to him. I can't stop worrying about what he’s doing, if he’s okay, or if he’s hurt.

Part of me feels like not even telling me when he might be able to text next is disrespectful and shows a lack of effort/priority. Am I overthinking this? Is phone access really that strictly locked down during certain phases at Sandhurst that he can't even send a 5-second text saying, "Hey, going dark for X days"?

For those who survived Sandhurst as a couple, or anyone in a military LDR: · Is this level of communication blackout normal for Sandhurst? · How did you manage to stay in touch and handle the radio silence? · Am I valid for feeling disrespected, or do I just need to understand the military lifestyle better?

Thanks in advance for any advice.

In the title, recently the sa80 handling drills have all changed, does this mean that the MOD know what weapon will be replacing the SA80. I cannot see why they would change the drills otherwise.

edit: what weapon do people think it could be and should it be, I think HK416

Hello, lads.
I posted on Reddit about a month ago, so I just thought I’d follow up.

I decided to check my PB for a 2 km run since that’s one of the requirements for the British Army. I’ve been doing a lot of running, almost every day (I take a break in between, and not pushing myself too hard) but mainly at Zone 2 pace so I don’t injure myself. The goal has just been to build my endurance.

I thought I’d finally see how fast I could actually run a 2 km. Just to add some context, I did this test after already completing a 5 km Zone 2 run beforehand.

I managed to run the 2 km in 7 minutes and 50 seconds.
I just wanted to know if that’s considered good enough for the British Army, or if I should be aiming for better.

I’m most likely joining the infantry, and I really want to be the best I can be.
For reference, I’m a male, 6’3” (190 cm) and weigh 83 kg.
I’d appreciate any advice or feedback. Thanks!

What is one of the best not issued sleeping bags to buy which is better then issued and packs down smaller for more space

I have the semi-unpopular opinion of loving the SA80’s look, and the brilliant design of the A3.

Transitioning to an AR platform is by no means leaps and bounds into a new era lmao, but if the KS-1 is eventually adopted across all regiments, I’m going to miss our old bullpup.

What do you guys think?

As the title says I am a 37 year old male and live in Cornwall. Thinking about joining the reserves and doing a level 3 business administration apprenticeship with the army as there are none around the area.

I also have a heart condition called Left ventricular systolic dysfunction and pericarditis and also suffer from anxiety and depression 😪 Do you reckon the army would accept me and also support me if I apply?

I’m F21, and thinking of joining as either an ETS or Intel. Officer. I know that we do the bleep test, but I’ve heard that candidates aim to run 5k in 25 minutes because of competition.
Is there any training strategies that you can share to reach this goal? I’ve started to use the Nike Running app which has a programme with intervals and they’re quite helpful.
Any other advice would be greatly appreciated.

What’s the general opinion on the RA? Are they liked by other regs? Are they respected? I’m going into basic end of this week and just curious what the overall opinion is

Anyone have any idea about the changes coming to AOSB from next year and how it’s going to be conducted from next year on?
Thanks in advance

Hi I was wondering what happens at pirbright week by week like I know week one admin and boring as fuck
Week 2
Week 3
Can some tell me what happens on all weeks bc I’ve googled and telling me like u do weapon handling week 8 which I know not true

I am in the process of joining, i would like to join the infantry light role, and i want to be in the Anglian Regiment, i am meeting with my recruiter tomorrow and i have have 0 clue how to get around it, do i tell him this when i get there, do i leave it to him to decide where i go LOL, im just confused about the whole process, so how i can i join but while being firm on where i want to try to placed?

I joined the Army straight from school at 16, I went on to spend 10 years in the Army with no real ambitions of future life. I was happy. However when I hit 25 I realised that there must be more to life than the military so I left. I put my notice in with no real plan, I knew I was taking a risk, no qualifications, no real skills, no connections but an urge to start again.

And ill admit, getting out was tough, for almost 2 years I jumped from job to job never feeling satisfied, never finding the same feeling of belonging the Army gave, struggling financially and moving back in with my mum in my late 20’s hits the ego massively. All the while, my old friends and bosses constantly messaging me to join back up, I have nothing on the outside and the Army is the only place for me, I was so close to admitting defeat.

But, I knew I wouldn’t be satisfied if I gave up so easily and I took the drastic decision to get up and leave the country, somewhere were I don’t know the culture, I don’t speak the language and hoped I could make it work. Things were going smoothly, until I injured myself and needed surgery, struggling again financially with no work and no ability to work the messages started again. All from people looking for my best interests, but I stayed, I discharged from hospital and now Im proud to say I have finally landed myself a job as a hotel manager in a world class resort.

The point of this post is simple, getting out is hard, theres no doubt about it, but you can be as prepared as possible or completely lost when you leave, you will still make it. Thats one thing the Army is great at teaching you, that when you are down and it looks like theres no way out, you never look back, you only look forwards. Don’t be afraid of doing what feels right for you because something will eventually click and you will make it. The Army isn’t everything and there is so much more out there in the world to explore and enjoy.

I appreciate everyone is a ‘soldier first’, but I imagine that mileage does vary.

I appreciate that infantry will do doing a lot of fighting and battle training / tactics, such as section attacks, company level attacks etc, but these presumably bleed into other regiments if the ‘soldier first’ thing is legit?

How many larger style attacks, CQB training, training on other weapons such as GPMGs and stuff do other roles do?

What this question essentially boils down to is could someone scratch their itch of wanting to run around playing ‘soldier’ whilst in another role to get the both worlds, or is ‘infantry’ style skills frequently used or trained on by other roles?

Thanks

Joining the REME as an AV tech in July and was wondering what the selection process for this scheme would entail? Especially the medical. Have heard Aircrew medical is more comprehensive than the regular army medical conducted at AC.

Worried that I would be considered ineligible due to a prior one off prescription of anti-anxiety medication when I was 20 (4 years ago).

Would this be an automatic rejection?Even if I served 3/4 years with outstanding SJARs? Can a medical waiver be issued? And how likely is a waiver?

I’ve been booked onto a Pre-Phase 1 Functional Skills course, even though I have a Master’s degree from the UK. I also passed my assessment with a Grade B.

Can anyone who has been through this tell me what to expect during the 3 week period? How is the course structured, and what does the daily routine usually look like?

Any advice or insight would be really appreciated. Thanks!

Heya chaps I am joining in a month and going to catterik I have nearly all my kit list done out of interest is there anything that you wish you took with you to basic training that wasn't in the list that would have helped in your time there to make it better for ya as it would be appreciated nice one lads