Joining the ‘real’ world

Many Service leavers meet people who believe that those in the Services are protected from the realities of existence and cocooned against the difficulties of everyday life. They may be asked if they can think for themselves rather than receive orders, if they can work with members of the opposite sex without causing problems, or if they have to shout to get things done. While some of this is fuelled by stereotyped images, some is certainly based on the simple reality that the vast majority of civilian occupations are concerned, directly or indirectly, with the creation of wealth. The Services, on the other hand, are involved in spending money – no matter how efficiently and effectively they do it, the profit motive may be alien to many.

All jobs have plusses and minuses, and the Forces are no exception. The job security enjoyed by Servicemen and women is exceptional, and the pension provision is both generous and protected. Most Service leavers discover that the pay, holiday entitlement and opportunities for sport and entertainment they have enjoyed are better than in most other environments. Allowances, too, are a strange concept to the civilian who may get expenses reimbursed but will probably not receive travel or educational subsidies.

Some people in uniform can over-promote the uniqueness of military service or use words like ‘civvy street’, ‘squaddy’ ‘NAAFI-break’ and ‘bull’. There are, too, some Service people who believe that they are part of a ‘superior’ group of people to civilians and who do not have the wit to keep quiet; just as some members of the public may believe the military are ‘unemployable mercenaries’.

Charges range from ‘not living in the real world’, ‘free housing, heating, lighting, food, drink, cigarettes, clothes, travel, cars, petrol, etc.’ and ‘excellent free medical and dental facilities’, to ‘not understanding or accepting the basic ingredients of a commercial life – that selling is not a shameful occupation and that profit feeds the family’.

With some justification, Servicemen and women point out that life does not get much more ‘real’ than when a high-velocity bullet is parting their hair or when every incoming missile could contain WMD. But these are not occurrences that the average civilian can easily relate to and they tend to make the individual who has experienced them stand apart.

What many Service people may not realise is just how dull many people’s lives are. For every corporate raider, international sports star and TV personality, there are thousands of untalented wannabes. Millions of people have repetitive, nine-to-five jobs, and watch football on TV and read comics for excitement. Many of these individuals with little colour in their own lives seek it through other people – and this partly explains the fascination with the doings of B and C list celebrities. This does not make them bad people, just different to most Servicemen and women.

Service life certainly does have some protective elements in it, and it does no one any favours to pretend otherwise. Mess accommodation and food are both subsidised, and people living on their own can have it cooked for them – not an option for most civilians. Medical and dental treatment is excellent; anyone who doubts that should stay in a public hospital ward for a few days or try to find an NHS dentist. The social scene is usually cheaper that anything outside, and there are often considerable welfare facilities available free or at a reduced rate, for which a civilian would have to pay full whack.

Many people can stay in the Forces until their last discharge date, with quite a few able to stay until retirement if they wish. Compare this with the civilian who may make a massive contribution to the business but still be out of a job when management fails, a take-over is successful or fashions change. Many people only value job security highly when it is no longer there. However, a world in which reliability and competence may not be enough to avoid the axe can be a very cold place.

Every occupation, then, has its advantages and disadvantages. So Service leavers without a sensible, balanced view of what the military ones are may appear as ignorant as the civilians who accuse them of being human robots with no minds of their own.

The relevance of feature articles on hospitality and catering, the construction industry and project management in this month’s Quest should be obvious to those who read the article about the Olympic Games. They all offer jobs – at least until 2013! However, computing and IT, and franchising also have clear links with major events and their management, and are both areas in which Service leavers have been successful. There is also a maritime theme with our looks at the work of the Merchant Navy and the Maritime and Coastguard Agency, as well as the oil and gas industry. Both are critically important to the UK’s continuing global success, and offer some relatively simple skills transfers from Armed Forces careers.