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Resettlement…..

Friday July 16, 2010 at 8:07am

I left HM Forces over 14 years ago when resettlement was very different! The course I was to undertake at a college in Grantham was cancelled on the morning I turned up, reason; not enough people to make the course financially viable! (Some things never change!) So due to the late cancellation I took some very seemingly pointless courses at short notice, I bet that is a tale that could be repeated over and over by our ex-military members here!?

So for Service Personnel that are coming up to their transition period or are preparing in advance, what advice, tips or guidance would you offer? E.g. Preparation, courses, CV, training etc.

Or if you are coming up to your transition why not post a question or query, as many of our members and colleagues at Gemini will have encountered, understand and gained experience from their own resettlement and perhaps guide you in the right direction or enlighten you with the positives / negative they met.

» Categories: Advice

12 Comments

Ian Grantham | July 27, 2010, 7:31pm

I'm in the transition period at the moment...25 years in and a SNCO. As part of my resettlement I'm doing a project management package incl. Prince2 and APMP. I'm degree educated in Business management plus an ONC in aeronautical Engineering (mechanical). To complement my plans is it worth spending some money on H & S courses such as Risk Assessors or IOSH and is there any other area anyone could reccomend where I could tighten up in to strengthen my chances of success in the project management field?...

Neil | July 29, 2010, 9:13am

Larger companies will have H&S advisors, so it depends on what direction you wish to take. An IOSH cse will cover things like risk assessments, risk assessments are carried out for everything, which you will know having been a SNCO in the forces. Coming from the forces you will have a strong H&S awareness that is updated yearly, which can be added to your CV. It is a nice notch to have on your belt but not essential. I completed an IOSH cse and haven't needed it yet, however the knowledge is there if needed....

Ian Grantham | July 29, 2010, 6:19pm

Many thanks for the advice! I have been eyeing up an IOSH course just lately and since I'm cherry picking courses I think I'll get it under my belt. I've dived into the world of QCIT as well and am attending the 'Fundamentals of Lean' course at Bristol early August. This opens up a bunch of other stuff that won't do me any harm...Six Sigma has been mentioned as well as being a good tool. I'm DV'd for another seven years and would like to do my GRT over at BAE submarine solutions if they'll have me! I'm not feeling the nervousness just yet of leaving the safety net that is the RAF but I'm certainly aware of the tightening of the job market as I poke around the various groups on linkedin......

Dominic | July 30, 2010, 8:20am

Ian, At Gemini we have a very well established group on LinkedIn that I would advise to join, another great opportunity to seek advice & guidance from other members who are or have gone through their transitional period from the military to civilian life, as well as employment opportunities being posted in the group. It also provides industry news, various national & international defence updates, and an exclusive arena for our members to network. I would also recommend registering with British Forces Resettlement Services (BFRS), who are staging their second job fair / networking event in Aldershot on the 16th September. If you or any other service leavers (or members that have already left HM Forces), would like to register, please email kirsty@bfrss.org.uk or call 0845 308 2406 and a member of the team can explain more about this fantastic event and send you a pre-registration form. ...

Tony Gledhill | August 4, 2010, 8:04am

Hi all, A question for anybody who has recently left the forces. I left the Army in 2007 and the 3 day transition workshop you have to attend prior to starting starting any resettlement was a complete waste of time. The lecturer was a 20 something year old who didn't have a clue about preparing a CV into Civilian wording etc and just went through the motion for 3 days. I would be interested to know if this is still the case, or have they started employing experience people to conduct these workshops and give proven sound advice. My second point, the resettlement personnel was staffed by ex forces people who have never worked in the commercial world ie ex LE or old Warrant Officers who came off the long service list "whats the point of that" the guys leaving need to be advised by experienced people from civvy street??????? Right or Wrong - I look forward to hearing your responses. ...

Ben Skipper | August 4, 2010, 8:05am

Tony you're spot on with the observations. Although when I left we had an ex-guards officer tell us all about civvy street via the CTP. As for the RFEA they're not particularly pro-active, and seem to act as a point of contact for civvy businesses who see, yet alone know about the RFEA as a cheap alternative to mainstream recruitment. The huge downside of this is that the roles on offer are often inappropriate, the propective employers ill prepared, and seemingly no support from the RFEA office. So here is a recipe for disaster before the off. ...

Gordon Rawlins | August 4, 2010, 3:39pm

There is also a question about the way the Services prepare people for the emotional and psychological challenges that lie ahead. Many feel that insufficient attention is paid to this, which is why so many ex Servicemen and women end up homeless, on drugs or the booze, in prison or sadly taking their own lives. (Young ex-Servicemen are 3 times more likely to commit suicide than civilian counterparts). A newish charity called Remount runs (FOC to delegates) short residential courses to help with this, and also has a peer support network for attendees called the 15 Minute Club. It's received 100% positive feedback from all who've been on the course. Our website isn't the best - work is in hand on that - but anybody who wants to know more please contact me on rawlins.email@gmail.com As a start-up we're struggling for funds - each 4-day course for 12 people costs us £10k - so if any of your companies can help, please contact me! ...

Tom D | August 12, 2010, 7:54am

Ton,y Ash Fellows & I did our CTW in Cyprus (mid 2007) & infact the Careers Advisor was good & made a point about achieving a good transition to civi street & having a good CV that reflected your Mil quals in good civi speak & not under selling yourself. As I was moving to NI I was directed to the Resettlement Centre at RAF Aldergrove & they were fairly helpful & are still available to provide advice to me now. At the end of the day I think if you want any help it's up to you as an individual to chase the system to get the best out of it....

Tom D | August 12, 2010, 7:55am

On my Resettlement Course - Facilities Management (at the Resettlement Centre, Aldershot) our Tutor/Lecturer was very good, she had years of experience in the private sector & made us fully understand the value of the demend for ex forces personnel on civi street. Again she loked at everyone's CV's & was able to give valuable advice. ...

Douglas | August 13, 2010, 7:40am

I did my CTW in Aldershot in late 2008. I was impressed by the advisor, he was an executive recruitment consultant so he knew what he was talking about. I also found the RFEA to be very helpful, as a starting point but found myself a position fairly easily. ...

Nigel M | August 16, 2010, 8:01am

Whenh I left in 2004, the CTW advisor I had was rude, obnoxious and dismissive of our comments even after asking for our views. He constantly cut people off mid-sentence and spoke down to them. I have been told by a friend who is about to leave that this gentleman is no longer at that center, I'm glad for my friend at least that that is the case. My local RFEA (Chelmsford) was very good in forwarding me job information, despite it being difficult to log into their site directly. As I'm now unemployed for the second time since leaving the Army, I will be asking for their help again. ...

Steven Preece | October 27, 2010, 9:35pm

Civvy street is by no means an easy fete when the transition is made. The world does not open up for you, as you would like to believe. I was lucky to be able to write about my problems and the obstacles that got in my way. I needed help many times, but had no where to turn. Personally, I think demobbing service personnel should be made aware of the organisations like the Royal British Legion and SSAFA that are there to help them. Plus all the others too, especially the recruitment lines. Article: http://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/archive/2005/12/16/The+North+East+Archive/7152741._I_just_couldn_t_stop_fighting_/ Steven Preece...

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