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Working for the British armed services or one of the UK’s many geographical or specialist police forces, can be exciting, challenging and rewarding, with the sort of opportunities and experiences found in no other type of work. Few office jobs can offer the experiences that these jobs bring, along with the chance to make a real difference to both people’s lives and the interests of the UK. Make a mistake in an office job and your firm may lose money, but make a mistake in the armed forces or police and lives may be at risk.

Certainly jobs in the forces can be hazardous, especially those in the frontline during military action, but being in the Army, Navy or Air Force doesn’t necessarily mean you have to be a combatant. There is also an incredible number of support, managerial, administrative and technical roles that are needed to make sure the soldiers, sailors and air crew can all do their jobs properly. However, what you still need for any role is a real strength of character. Colonel Paul Farrar OBE, from the Army Recruiting Group, says: “There is a wide variety of jobs to choose from in either commissioned or non-commissioned ranks, spanning 140-plus trade groups and over 1,000 different job types.”

Col Farrar adds: “There are unrivalled travel and challenge opportunities plus teamwork and camaraderie that’s second to none. We welcome those graduates who are professionally qualified in a chosen area as well as those looking for new challenges or training opportunities.”

Now is a good time to join up as all the services are actively recruiting, offering careers that can avoid some of the uncertainty of working in the private sector, where many jobs are being shed during the current period of economic gloom. The RAF is currently on a large recruitment drive, aiming to take on 4,500 new people. Group Captain Gordon Bruce, head of RAF recruiting, says: “We need the best people. We are particularly keen on graduates because of the intellectual and academic experience they bring. We offer a very competitive package – we try to be comparable to similar jobs in the private sector but also offer lots of other advantages.” He adds: “A career with the RAF can bring very early responsibility and personal development, along with a real work-life balance and the opportunity to learn lots of new skills, such as flying, skiing or sailing.”

Qualifications
While solid academic qualifications are important, military and police recruiters will be looking for candidates with strong personal skills and the practical ability to get the job in hand done properly and professionally.

For officer, support and administrative positions, the armed forces will accept all degree subjects, however certain degrees are needed for specialist or technical jobs, often within healthcare, science and engineering. Similarly the police will accept any degree. There are no formal education requirements at all to join as an officer, but candidates still have to pass written tests. Police staff – those in admin or support jobs – may need a degree or qualification relevant to their roles, such as IT or accountancy.

Recruiters are looking for well-rounded personalities with commitment, motivation and aptitude as well as management and leadership potential. Resourcefulness, decisiveness, responsibility and the ability to give or follow orders are all important.

Strong analytical skills are crucial to think through problems that at first may seem insurmountable, as is the need to work well within a team and communicate effectively especially in frontline roles that can require high-levels of stamina. Candidates should be emotionally and mentally strong in order to cope with the sometimes harsh realities of serving in the armed forces or the police.

Employers are keen to see candidates with evidence of a wide-variety of experiences, jobs, voluntary work and participation in university clubs and societies. Many universities have affiliations with the armed services, with the opportunity to join the training squads organised by the Army, Navy or RAF. Participation in these groups isn’t essential, but is a great way to pick up practical skills and will be a bonus when it comes to adjusting to military life.

Variety of jobs
Obviously graduates are a crucial and essential part of frontline and active service personnel in the armed forces, with the recognition that skills and experiences picked up at university make them natural leaders and high achievers. Being an officer in the armed forces or the police means you are directly responsible for the men and women under your command, including their welfare, fulfilment and sometimes even their survival. Depending on the job role, the further up the line of command your career takes you, the more people you will become responsible for.

Being a soldier, marine, sailor or aircrew doesn’t mean you’ll be constantly facing gun-toting enemies. Much of the work done by the British armed forces revolves around peacekeeping and natural disaster and humanitarian relief, with other duties including search and rescue and ceremonial duties.

All three services, as well as the police, have an incredible number of different job disciplines, roles and professions needed to support and help the soldiers, sailors, air crew and police officers. These include specialists within accountancy, information technology, legal services, human resources, recruitment, logistics, catering, healthcare, animal trainers and veterinary care, marketing and press liaison, vehicle fleet management and building management to name just a few.

Benefits
Unlike many other jobs, being in the armed forces or the police is often likened to being part of a big family, where loyalty and duty are important, not just to your employer but also to your colleagues.
You have to be able to totally trust your co-workers – sometimes with your life. The other side of this coin is that friendships, bonds and camaraderie in the services are stronger than in almost any other job. Graduate pay differs from service to service but compares well to other public and private sector positions, starting at around £20,000-plus and rising substantially to £25,000 or more after about a year’s initial training. Benefits often include good pensions, thorough and extensive training, excellent holiday entitlement – six weeks a year is common – subsidised accommodation and catering, and the opportunity to acquire further qualifications. Sports and social facilities are usually first rate. In many roles within the armed forces foreign travel is an important part of the job.

Career progression
Depending on the role and service, career progression can be swift, with relatively quick promotion through the ranks. In all the armed forces and in the police, performance is closely monitored and initiative, success and the achievement of specific goals are rewarded. Many service men and women stay in the armed forces for their entire career, but there is also the option, after serving an initial number of years, to leave and join jobs in the public or private sector. Employers are keen to recruit ex-military staff because skills picked up in the forces are acknowledged as a stepping stone to many other opportunities, especially those in management.

Chris Eccles, MD of website Employment 4 Students (www.e4s.co.uk), says: “Graduates should learn to look beyond the politics of military recruitment and evaluate whether a career in the services will benefit their future career plans. The training and skills learnt via the armed forces and the police are well recognised as being thorough and robust. Graduates should investigate if this approach will help provide them with the expertise they will need in later life.”

British Army
The Army is the largest employer in the armed forces. Trainee officers begin training at Sandhurst military college, where graduates spend a year learning military skills and developing their leadership and managerial abilities.

Jobs are grouped into seven key areas:

• Engineering
• Intelligence, IT and Communications
• Combat
• Logistics and Support
• Human Resources and Finance
• Medical
• Music and Ceremonial

www.armyjobs.mod.uk

Royal Air Force
As well as fighter pilots, the RAF is home to more than 50 career areas and 700 different types of job. Graduates attend an officer training course at RAF College Cranwell for up to 30 weeks and then go on to professional training in areas such as administration, air traffic control, engineering, fighter control, flight operations, intelligence, law, medicine and physical education.

Key job areas include:

• Aircrew
• Engineering and Technical
• Catering and Hospitality
• Security and Defence
• Medical
• Personnel Support
• Air Operations Support
• Communications and Intelligence
• Logistics and Equipment

www.rafcareers.com

Royal Navy
The oldest of the UK’s armed forces and for 250 years the most powerful navy in the world, the Royal Navy’s fleet includes warships, aircraft carriers, supply ships and submarines as well as seaborne fighter jets, support aircraft and helicopters.

The Royal Navy’s infantry component are the Royal Marines Commandos – regarded as one of the most able and toughest fighting forces around.

Graduates joining the Royal Navy spend a period at the Royal Naval College in Dartmouth before training at sea, with continuous training in areas such as aviation, engineering, warfare and management.

www.royalnavy.mod.uk/careers

Police
The police works across all aspects of society and British life, with officers aiming to reduce crime and the fear of crime, protect and help the public and detect and prevent criminal activity. There are 52 geographical police forces across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, including the largest, the Metropolitan Police Service responsible for Greater London, and the smallest, the City of London Police responsible for the Square Mile.

In addition there are also special police forces with a particular role, including British Transport Police, the Civil Nuclear Constabulary, Ministry of Defence Police and the Scottish Crime and Drug Enforcement Agency.

www.policecouldyou.co.uk

CASE STUDIES
Nathan Blencowe
Troop commander in the Army Royal Engineers

Nathan, 28, graduated from Nottingham Trent University with a degree in Graphic Design. He was attracted to the Army by the responsibility and challenge of being an officer as well as the lifestyle offered. After joining, Nathan first trained as a soldier before being promoted to an officer – his current rank of troop commander is equivalent to a lieutenant – and he has served in both Afghanistan and Iraq.

“My job as an officer is to make the most of my soldiers’ skills. I lead 20 soldiers on construction tasks that range from building bridges to constructing bases for the infantry. You’re never going to have an in-depth knowledge of every trade yourself, so you rely on the soldiers’ input – they’re the experts. It’s my job to get the best out of them.

“We don’t have people breathing down our necks – how we solve the problem is down to us. And because of the range of tasks, there’s a great opportunity for all the members of the team, including me, to keep learning.”

Emily Oxley-Green
Air traffic controller officer flight lieutenant – RAF

Brought up in a military family, Emily, 29, applied for and won a university sponsorship from the RAF while still doing her A-levels – even at that early stage recruiters said her aptitude meant she suited a career as an air traffic control officer. She went to the University of Liverpool where she studied Economics and was also a keen member of the University Air Squadron. After graduating, Emily completed her initial officer training and specialist air traffic control training before being posted to RAF Leuchars in Scotland as an Air Traffic Control Officer.

Her current posting is at RAF Valley in Wales – home to the RAF’s fast-jet training centre where she leads a team of 12 people.

Emily says: “We can be responsible for controlling up to 16 aircraft at one time in extreme conditions. I get a real buzz from the job. We guide planes within 10 miles of the tower and in bad weather they will need a lot of assistance, so I make sure everything runs smoothly and safely.” She says of her RAF career: “It’s my perfect job and I can’t imagine doing anything else.”

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