Concern regarding academic requirements

[MonsterMo]

Hi,

I have graduated with a Bachelor Honours degree in “Mathematical and Theoretical Physics” and I have also attained the required GCSE grades but I messed up my A-Levels (my conditional offer for university changed to unconditional offer on the A-Level results day); will my A-Levels still be an issue considering that I have a BSc (Hons) degree in Theoretical Physics? Also I have been working as GCSE Maths Lecturer at a College for a year as well.

Thank you very much, and good luck to those attempting the 2018 entry.

 

[ThreadpigeonsAlpha]

Hi,

I have graduated with a Bachelor Honours degree in “Mathematical and Theoretical Physics” and I have also attained the required GCSE grades but I messed up my A-Levels (my conditional offer for university changed to unconditional offer on the A-Level results day); will my A-Levels still be an issue considering that I have a BSc (Hons) degree in Theoretical Physics? Also I have been working as GCSE Maths Lecturer at a College for a year as well.

Thank you very much, and good luck to those attempting the 2018 entry.

Damn. I struggle with “Math for Marines”.

I can’t imagine your A levels will affect it, if you have your Hons.
I think the A levels only count if it’s a minimum.

One of the gurus will be along to confirm it. But I don’t think you have anything to worry about.

How’s your phys?

 

[Ninja_Stoker]

180 UCAS points (in old money) at A Level or acceptable equivalent are still required even if you have a PhD in Commando Studies, unfortunately.

Best bet is talk to your afco. Those with a second degree (Masters) can sometimes use one in lieu of the academic entry standard.

Again, a good many Other Ranks join as graduates, in fact there was a guy with a PhD in astrophysics who was a Mne 1 in the RMR. The thing to remember is the job of Other Rank and Officer are quite different and a degree certainly doesn't automatically mean someone has the required leadership and management potential we seek.

 

[MonsterMo]

Damn. I struggle with “Math for Marines”.

I can’t imagine your A levels will affect it, if you have your Hons.
I think the A levels only count if it’s a minimum.

One of the gurus will be along to confirm it. But I don’t think you have anything to worry about.

How’s your phys?

Thank you for your reply, I was far fitter before getting injured through an injury in sports (Grade 2 ankle sprains on my left ATFL and AITFL etc), I was off for 5 months but have been fine for 3 months and have returned to regular training, I am currently focusing on bringing my fitness back up, aiming for more than the required reps for push-ups, sit-ups, and pull-ups (push-ups and pull-ups are fine, sit-ups are harder); I am running 2 miles every morning, and have switched from Powerlifting style training to KettleBells and Bodyweight Circuits with a Weighted Vest, I am trying to get my swimming back but this is taking the longest. However I am waking up around 04:30 every morning to train 1-2 hours before work everyday and am doing 6 hours of Freestyle Wrestling a week (which I’ve been doing since 2004) during the evening time.

 

[MonsterMo]

180 UCAS points (in old money) at A Level or acceptable equivalent are still required even if you have a PhD in Commando Studies, unfortunately.

Best bet is talk to your afco. Those with a second degree (Masters) can sometimes use one in lieu of the academic entry standard.

Again, a good many Other Ranks join as graduates, in fact there was a guy with a PhD in astrophysics who was a Mne 1 in the RMR. The thing to remember is the job of Other Rank and Officer are quite different and a degree certainly doesn't automatically mean someone has the required leadership and management potential we seek.

Hi Ninja,

I had 200 UCAS Points for the 2013 entry I think (I had a C in Physics, D in Maths, D in Chemistry), I also had a D in AS Biology but I didn’t count that in my UCAS Points.

 

[ThreadpigeonsAlpha]

Thank you for your reply, I was far fitter before getting injured through an injury in sports (Grade 2 ankle sprains on my left ATFL and AITFL etc), I was off for 5 months but have been fine for 3 months and have returned to regular training, I am currently focusing on bringing my fitness back up, aiming for more than the required reps for push-ups, sit-ups, and pull-ups (push-ups and pull-ups are fine, sit-ups are harder); I am running 2 miles every morning, and have switched from Powerlifting style training to KettleBells and Bodyweight Circuits with a Weighted Vest, I am trying to get my swimming back but this is taking the longest. However I am waking up around 04:30 every morning to train 1-2 hours before work everyday and am doing 6 hours of Freestyle Wrestling a week (which I’ve been doing since 2004) during the evening time.

Smash it mate. Keep it up. And keep us updated with your progress. Crack a Mock PJFT to see where you stand with that.

End of the day, if you can’t make Officer, you it can give Other Ranks a bash.

 

[Chelonian]

@MonsterMo Just out of interest, may I ask why your preference is for Officer rather than for Other Rank entry?

 

[MonsterMo]

Smash it mate. Keep it up. And keep us updated with your progress. Crack a Mock PJFT to see where you stand with that.

End of the day, if you can’t make Officer, you it can give Other Ranks a bash.

Thanks mate, my sit-ups and swimming are holding me back but I’m trying. I’m doing this thing called EMOM training to increase my endurance, and noticed some improvements.

 

[MonsterMo]

@MonsterMo Just out of interest, may I ask why your preference is for Officer rather than for Other Rank entry?

I feel there’s a lot more in terms of development for an Officer, you’re still a Commando so you’re actually leading your troops on the frontline AND you plan too, you’re required to take ownership regardless of the situation etc. I’ve been told by a few of my friends (who have served or are still serving) that if I have a chance to become an Officer then I’d be a fool if I didn’t take the option. Charisma, motivation and maintaining unit cohesion are key requirements too, so I think there’s a lot to build upon as Officer. I also like the training, career progression and specialisations of an Officer as well

 

[Chelonian]

I’ve been told by a few of my friends (who have served or are still serving) that if I have a chance to become an Officer then I’d be a fool if I didn’t take the option.

Fair enough. I wasn't intending to put you on the spot; the tone of my question was perhaps a bit blunt, for which I apologise.

My reason for asking was that in some ways—arguably—the Officer role can be more limited than OR, depending of course on what one wants from a career. Because, by definition, Officers do a lot of 'officering' and management stuff.

Obviously the salary and pension benefits for Officers are better. Which in the real world are very good reasons for taking that path. Although I guess that neither would be considered the 'perfect' answers to questions about motivation at AIB.

Over the years I've had the privilege of meeting some very talented academically qualified service personnel. Some Other Rank, some Officer. More than a few former Officers have expressed the view that they might have enjoyed their service career more if they'd gone OR. They could have got stuck into the detail of specializations rather than managing specializations. But clearly my anecdote is just that, and not more widely representative.

As for career development—from personal experience—life can take us in strange directions!

Hopefully once your AFCO has dissected your academic qualifications you will have options—OR or Officer—available. Very best of luck.

 

[MonsterMo]

Fair enough. I wasn't intending to put you on the spot; the tone of my question was perhaps a bit blunt, for which I apologise.

My reason for asking was that in some ways—arguably—the Officer role can be more limited than OR, depending of course on what one wants from a career. Because, by definition, Officers do a lot of 'officering' and management stuff.

Obviously the salary and pension benefits for Officers are better. Which in the real world are very good reasons for taking that path. Although I guess that neither would be considered the 'perfect' answers to questions about motivation at AIB.

Over the years I've had the privilege of meeting some very talented academically qualified service personnel. Some Other Rank, some Officer. More than a few former Officers have expressed the view that they might have enjoyed their service career more if they'd gone OR. They could have got stuck into the detail of specializations rather than managing specializations. But clearly my anecdote is just that, and not more widely representative.

As for career development—from personal experience—life can take us in strange directions!

Hopefully once your AFCO has dissected your academic qualifications you will have options—OR or Officer—available. Very best of luck.

This is the issue I’ve been struggling with too because I want to be stuck into the detail of the specialisations ie being an operator as opposed to an administrator etc yet still Leading etc

 

[Chelonian]

This is the issue I’ve been struggling with too because I want to be stuck into the detail of the specialisations ie being an operator as opposed to an administrator etc yet still Leading etc

There are others on this forum far better qualified than I who can give you opinions about feasibility, etc. Hopefully some will chip in with their comments.

 

[MonsterMo]

There are others on this forum far better qualified than I who can give you opinions about feasibility, etc. Hopefully some will chip in with their comments.

Thank you very much, I appreciate your advice. *text deleted* I’m currently focusing on getting into excellent condition in order to get through the PJFT and POC/PRMC and once I am in the said condition, I will arrange a meeting with my local AFCO and see how things are looking.

 

[Ninja_Stoker]

Must admit I frequently have to resist the urge to thump people who tell graduates "What on earth were your AFCO thinking of, putting a graduate in as a Rating/Other Rank? ....and you sound so educated too".

 

[MonsterMo]

Must admit I frequently have to resist the urge to thump people who tell graduates "What on earth were your AFCO thinking of, putting a graduate in as a Rating/Other Rank? ....and you sound so educated too".

I wanted to be a reservist at first but now that I’ve made the decision to go full time; and like I said people I’ve spoken to have all recommended going in as an Officer if going full-time, the website sells the Officer role more too; which made sense to me in terms of development/progression however I want to do more soldiering than desk work; is it possible to go in as a Rating/OR and then get Commissioning later on? If so, then do I do another 32 weeks of training? (As officers have 64 weeks of training as opposed to 32 weeks for a Rating/OR); and also how will that affect the Specialisation choices?

 

[ThreadpigeonsAlpha]

I wanted to be a reservist at first but now that I’ve made the decision to go full time; and like I said people I’ve spoken to have all recommended going in as an Officer if going full-time, the website sells the Officer role more too; which made sense to me in terms of development/progression however I want to do more soldiering than desk work; is it possible to go in as a Rating/OR and then get Commissioning later on? If so, then do I do another 32 weeks of training? (As officers have 64 weeks of training as opposed to 32 weeks for a Rating/OR); and also how will that affect the Specialisation choices?

Short answer, yes and no. If you don’t hold senior rank or are under a certain age, you have to do the Officers RT with a green lid. You will be held to a higher standard.

You can go Corps commission if you hold Senior rank and pass the board. You don’t need to do or pass the Officers RT. But you won’t be a Troop Boss. You will be an officer for an admin or support role.

 

[Ninja_Stoker]

It all boils down to what you want to do.

The only assured route to becoming an RM officer is by joining as one. It can be achieved by Joining as an Other Rank, but competition is far more difficult as you are competing against other RM trained ranks for two to five places on each YO batch rather than untrained civilians for the forty or fifty places available each year.

The rough rule of thumb, for most RM Officers, is they can expect two or three years on the ground, at the sharp end, as a Troop Commander. Thereafter, the higher they progress, the correspondingly more distant they are employed from the sharp end, looking after the bigger tactical picture of their assets rather than personally closing with the enemy, squeezing the trigger and engaging in one to one combat.

Horses for courses.

 

[MonsterMo]

Short answer, yes and no. If you don’t hold senior rank or are under a certain age, you have to do the Officers RT with a green lid. You will be held to a higher standard.

You can go Corps commission if you hold Senior rank and pass the board. You don’t need to do or pass the Officers RT. But you won’t be a Troop Boss. You will be an officer for an admin or support role.

I see, thank you very much for your advice, much appreciated.

 

[MonsterMo]

It all boils down to what you want to do.

The only assured route to becoming an RM officer is by joining as one. It can be achieved by Joining as an Other Rank, but competition is far more difficult as you are competing against other RM trained ranks for two to five places on each YO batch rather than untrained civilians for the forty or fifty places available each year.

The rough rule of thumb, for most RM Officers, is they can expect two or three years on the ground, at the sharp end, as a Troop Commander. Thereafter, the higher they progress, the correspondingly more distant they are employed from the sharp end, looking after the bigger tactical picture of their assets rather than personally closing with the enemy, squeezing the trigger and engaging in one to one combat.

Horses for courses.

Thank you Ninja, and with the Specialisations as an Officer, would they be troop commanders too ie SBS Officer, Mountain Leader, Heavy Weapons Officer etc, or is it more about the managerial aspects as opposed to the combat aspects? Or is it after the Specialisation that they progress away from combat?

 

[Ninja_Stoker]

Thank you Ninja, and with the Specialisations as an Officer, would they be troop commanders too ie SBS Officer, Mountain Leader, Heavy Weapons Officer etc, or is it more about the managerial aspects as opposed to the combat aspects? Or is it after the Specialisation that they progress away from combat?

Much the same. The higher you go, the more you become involved in the planning rather than the actual execution.

As an Officer, you are responsible for your men and all the administrative elements therein.