Looking for the ultimate in job satisfaction?  Nothing else in life offers the challenge of being a British Army Officer; they are amongst the most highly trained leaders in the world, employing the latest technology to achieve their goals, making decisions in a split second often under extreme pressure. 

To be an officer in the British Army is to embrace everything life has to offer; international travel and enjoying a wide range of sporting and adventurous activities.  So if you think you have the right qualities, we will train you to be the best.


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L.t HMM Stamp - Armoured and CIS Troop Commander
L.t Aidan Turnbull - Forward Platoon Commander



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Lt HMM Stamp, 32 Engr Regt,
Armoured and CIS Troop Commander
Graduated 2002, The University of Manchester
Music Degree - BMus (2:1)
Aged 28





It sounds like a bit of a cliché, but really there is no ‘typical’ day in the Army.  After a couple of years post University working in London, I joined the Army and commissioned from RMA Sandhurst in August 2006, joining the Royal Engineers.  After a 5 month Troop Commanders Course, I was posted to 31 Armoured Engineer Squadron, 32 Engineer Regiment, and became the Armoured and the CIS Troop Commander.

I suppose my typical day in barracks begins at 08:00 am with either some physical training or straight to my desk.  I then spend the morning ploughing through emails and popping across to Squadron Headquarters (SHQ) to pick up post and clarify any of the days or forthcoming events with the SHQ staff.  Coffee break arrives at 10:00am where everyone returns to their respective messes, usually for some tea and toast.  The rest of the morning is generally spent hopping on my bike and running various errands to either Regimental HQ or SHQ.  Lunch again is at the Officers Mess, although I often try to get to the 50m swimming pool that we are fortunate enough to have on site.

The afternoon is spent dealing with any forthcoming exercises or events in the calendar that acquire my attention, or spent writing reports or sorting out any issues that have occurred with the soldiers.  Every Wednesday afternoon is supposed to be a sports afternoon, but quite often this has to be forgone for catching up with work!

The day ends for the soldiers at 04:30pm and with myself and the other Troop Management at around 05:30pm which then leaves some time for either a quick trip to the gym or chilling out in front of the TV before dinner, again in the Mess.  Dinner is a fairly informal affair with the rest of the live in members of the Mess.  Depending on Operational commitments about three times a month there is a dinner night at the mess in our formal dress, which always ends in the early hours of the morning!

My responsibilities are huge and vary enormously.  I am in charge of 40 soldiers ranging from 18 year olds who have been in the Army for a year, to 40 year olds who have been in a lot longer!  I contribute to, or write reports on all of these soldiers and I am responsible for their welfare and overall career.  On exercise I work from and live in a small tracked vehicle from which I command the rest of the troop.  Our tasks vary from assault bridging to laying minefields, blowing up bridges and generating a clean water supply.

I have been very fortunate in my first year of command in the field Army.  I have completed two large Battle Group exercises, one in Poland and one in Canada, I have taken the Regimental Alpine Ski Team away for 2 months of competition in Austria and France, and in the next couple of weeks I am off to Iraq on a construction tour.



  L.t Aidan Turnbull

 Forward Platoon Commander – Corps of Royal Electrical and   
 Mechanical Engineers (REME)

 Nottingham Trent University - BEng (Hons) Electrical and 
 Communications Engineering, Grade: 2.2, May 2004








I began Officer training at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in May 2005.  After commissioning into the REME I spent eight months completing a Young Officer course, designed to teach engineering principles and the technical aspects of leading intelligent, highly trained soldiers.

I then took command of Forward A Platoon, 3 Armoured Company, 6 Battalion REME in Tidworth, Wiltshire. Consisting of 18 soldiers trained as vehicle mechanics, 3 Warriors (repair and recovery armoured vehicles) and numerous HGV's, along with other smaller vehicles, this was quite a challenge as many of the soldiers are very experienced, some are considerably older than me and most have served abroad on operational tours. I knew that before I could really achieve anything I needed first to gain their respect.

Typical Week/Day:

It sounds a cliché but there really is no typical week in my job. I could be doing anything from adventurous training, playing sports, deploying on exercise, overseeing the repair of vehicles in barracks, firing on the ranges or even preparing to deploy on operations overseas. 

I live in an Officer’s Mess 400m from camp which means I can get up at 7.00am have a leisurely breakfast, a cup of tea, read the paper and still be in work for 8.00am. I usually cycle into work but have been known to drive if the weather is really terrible! The first job of the day is to open my inbox and check my emails and orders. All the officers in the Battalion usually meet up for coffee and biscuits at 10:00am. This gives us an opportunity to ’talk shop’ and I usually get a lot of my work done in this half hour! I regularly have to write reports on all the soldiers in my Platoon and this can take a lot of time, but it is important to get it right as it will directly affect their chances of promotion and job satisfaction. I could be running live firing range packages or organising social functions for the Company and their families. 

Lunch involves going back to the mess for a two course lunch and it gives me an opportunity for another cup of tea and a chance to relax with my fellow officers. I will sometimes be tasked with the responsibility of Duty Officer which entails carrying out various checks around the Battalion and being the first point of contact for any emergency within the Battalion. There are a wide variety of duties that an army officer has on a day to day basis and no two days are ever the same which my job all the more exciting and demanding.

I will usually finish about 5pm and try and get an hour in the gym before dinner. Dinner is a social affair and will normally involve meeting in the bar for a pre-dinner drink before heading into the dining room for a three course meal followed by cheese and biscuits and coffee.  It’s a great opportunity to find out what all the other officers have been up to during the day and there’s usually quite a lot to chat about!

Social Life:

The social side of the Army is excellent. There are many mess functions to attend all through the year. These can range from summer balls, leaving dinners for fellow Officers, small fancy dress parties and larger, formal dinner nights. It is great fun living in an Officer’s mess as there is always something to get involved in, and someone with similar interests to do it with. There are also Platoon and Company functions that I attend with the soldiers and their families. It certainly helps to have a well developed social streak to do this job!

Main Responsibilities:

My prime role as the Platoon Commander is to balance the career development and welfare of the soldiers with the job my Company Commander has asked me to achieve. With the fast pace of operations in the British Army there is always a lot of work to be done and I need to manage my platoon to ensure this happens whilst also making sure that individuals attend relevant training courses at the right time, spend time with their families and also that they have fun! In addition I often have to send individuals or groups of soldiers and equipment to other units, sometimes overseas, to provide engineering support where there are shortfalls in manpower.  In addition if a complex engineering problem arises I need to be able to make the right decisions. I have a number of very experienced soldiers to seek advice from, but ultimately the buck stops with me!

One of the less technical but just as demanding aspects of the job is the welfare side.  With such a close working environment my soldiers often see me as the first person to turn to if they have family or personal problems that may impact on their professional effectiveness.  This requires a different level of leadership and understanding than most other jobs, but it is hugely rewarding when you can help a young soldier overcome a problem.

What Makes the Job Worth Getting Out of Bed For? 
           
Being a British Army officer has lots of benefits. The main one is seeing your soldiers progress, as professional tradesman but also as individuals and as a team. To see your soldiers enjoy what they do and want to do more is very rewarding.  The REME repair and maintain all of the British Army’s equipment and there is a lot of satisfaction when you receive thanks on behalf of your soldiers from another Corps or Regiment for the 1st class work that they have carried out.

The Army also provides great opportunities outside work. There is always sport and adventure training available to anyone who wants to do it, from beginners to those at an advanced standard. I have been lucky enough to go walking in the Drakensburg mountain range in South Africa, skiing in Italy, Germany and Austria, kayaking in the Lakes and diving in Egypt.  There is also a plethora of individual and team sports that you can take part in and the Army will often authorise both time and money to encourage participation by both you and your soldiers.

Ultimately my job is about training to deploy on operations oversees and although I have yet to do this I can’t wait for my first Operational Tour. My job is definitely worth getting out of bed for!

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