Which Role?

Soldier vs Officer? Full-time or Part-time? Find out about the different roles in the British Army.

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Discover more about life in the Army from training to time off by downloading the brochure

Any Questions?

Want to know something about the army? Ask us anything and we'll give you a straight answer.

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Tough Questions

• Can I play sport in the army?

  Definitely. The Army encourages all its soldiers to get involved in sporting activity both for their fitness and to build team spirit. It's a fact that many national sporting stars have served in the British Army.

   
• How hard is soldier training?

  Training isn't easy and you wouldn't expect it to be. But it is designed to get the best out of you and to help you succeed. So if you arrive in the right frame of mind you should be fine. Basic training lasts 14 weeks for adults (17-29 years old) and between 20 and 42 weeks for juniors (16-17 years old and 1 month). After basic training you progress to specialist training according to your chosen trade or job.

   
• Will I get to travel the world in the Army?

  The Army currently serves in 56 countries and if you join there's a good chance you'll get to see quite a few of them. There is also the opportunity for sponsored adventure training and sporting activities abroad.

   
• Will I get called up?

  If you are a member of the TA, you are liable for call-out under the Reserve Forces Act, 1996. This legislation was drawn up to help volunteer forces operate readily alongside Regular Forces. So if you join the TA, you indicate that you are prepared to take part in active service, whatever its nature, and there are sometimes circumstances in which you may be mobilised. However, unless the situation is extremely serious, we will usually ask for volunteers.
  If you are mobilised your regular job will be legally protected. Deployment is usually preceded by a period of thorough training, which prepares volunteers for the specific military operation, whether that is a humanitarian, a peacekeeping task or a combat operation such as the recent war in Iraq .
  
  In the event of a call-out, TA Volunteers and their employers have the right to seek exemption or deferral under certain circumstances.

   
• Do I have to pass an entrance test?

  Yes, but the test we give our soldier recruits is just our way of helping discover what types of jobs suit you best. It's known as the BARB test and includes simple maths, English and commonsense questions which are completed on a touch screen.