Adjusting to life as a ‘civvy’

Reams of rubbish have been written about people leaving the Forces having difficulties in making the move into civilian life. TV has numerous stereotyped images of gangsters, thieves, rapists and worse using their military skills to crack safes, act as mercenaries or contract killers, or go completely mental wielding a chainsaw

Reams of rubbish have been written about people leaving the Forces having difficulties in making the move into civilian life. TV has numerous stereotyped images of gangsters, thieves, rapists and worse using their military skills to crack safes, act as mercenaries or contract killers, or go completely mental wielding a chainsaw. The recurring theme is that Service people attempting to adjust will inevitably suffer from psychological problems because they are unable to cope without being ‘told what to do’ and having their every action dictated to them by a superior. They will fail in civilian life.

This gross exaggeration does no one any favours. Unthinking viewers can have their prejudices reinforced, while Forces people dismiss it as rubbish. As a result, some may imagine that the opposite is true: that Service leavers have no problems when they leave, and that life will be much the same as it was in uniform. The truth, as usual, lies somewhere in the middle. There are new truths to recognise, new attitudes to learn and new skills to acquire, but the process is most certainly possible – and even easy for people who recognise that it requires change.

A common statement is that people in the Forces are ‘cocooned’ from reality. ‘B*llocks,’ comes the reply. ‘We see infinitely more of reality in Iraq, Bosnia, the South Atlantic, Plymouth, Aldershot and Brize Norton than you do in the pub on a Friday night.’

This may be true, but it is not the same reality. The world of operations, enemies, friendly forces, refugees, flanks and peace enforcement is very different to that of sales, profit, suppliers, VAT, industrial tribunals and employment legislation. One may appear almost impossibly glamorous, exciting and worthy, but it is the other that is more familiar to civilians.

The latter are comfortable with the word ‘profit’, which some Service people seem to believe makes something connected to it second-rate. Well, in the civilian word ‘profit’ is what pays for housing, meals, cars and holidays. Provided it is gained honestly, the more the merrier! Profits also pay for schools, roads, benefits, hospitals, and … defence. In other words, your salary.

And, while we are at it, let us dismiss another myth and another dirty word: ‘sales’. Everyone is involved in selling – the whole time. Some people, like the marketing executive, the travelling ‘rep’ or the recruiting sergeant, do it overtly, while others do it at a distance. But ‘selling’ involves casual conversations over a glass of beer and the wearing of a T-shirt with a logo just as much as the knock on the door or the persuasive phone call. Service people ‘sell’ their Service and their cap badge at the drop of a hat. Why the hang-up with selling a product or service … or even yourself? What is the difference?

Finding a job for the first time for people who have hitherto been posted can be a culture shock for some. For others, it can be a long-awaited opportunity to make decisions for themselves. All have to learn to ‘sell’ (that word again) themselves to potential employers who may know little and care even less about Service life. Many of the job-finding skills are mechanical and can be learnt on courses, but – and often for the first time – Service leavers have to make hard decisions about their lives and their futures, and put themselves into a competitive and sometimes uninviting marketplace.

They will be entering a world without the safety net provided by the Forces. Before readers’ rising hackles obscure their vision, the term ‘safety net’ simply describes some very generous measures that Service people get as part of their employment. Things like relative protection from business cessation and office closure, index-linked pensions, considerable time off, subsidised sport and holidays, a relatively cheap and high-quality social life, and so on ...

.. and, of course, relative job security. Service people who may not be terribly good but who do not commit an offence may continue to be employed if not promoted any further. Less than fully effective civilians will probably be sacked because employers simply cannot afford to keep them on.

Management styles and interpersonal skills, too, may have to change. The direct command is often replaced by the oblique suggestion. Discussion, negotiation and consent take over from estimates, plans and orders. The words ‘please’, ‘thank you’ and ‘sorry’ may be heard in the workplace, and women are in every front line!

While the majority take it in their stride, some of this can come as an enormous shock to a few leavers. The civilian world is a tougher environment than many seem to realise, and some people who react well to enemy fire can seem aimless and lost when they have to fend entirely for themselves. This is the ‘emergence from cocoon’ that outsiders talk about; and it is something that people need to understand and be prepared to experience.