Introduction & couple of questions about joining RMR

[T.J.]

Hello everyone,
I hope you all are doing great. I´m really happy to be here. First of all, I just wanted to say thank you to all of you who have served the country for your committment and hard work.
Secondly, little bit about me. I´m 26 years old and I am just about to graduate. I have been studying most of this time in various universities firstly something I was not really passionate about but then (the last year) I decided to finally study something that I like, so I´m glad, since it also gave me the opportunity to come to the UK.
I have always wanted to join some tactical forces since I was little (it was actually the first thing I was really considering of doing as a job when deciding at the age of 16). I always wanted to be a part of some commando team fighting against drugs or terrorists, I always thought it was very cool and brave when I was a kid. So later I considered Navy, SAS, etc..but then I thought the training is really too extreme (e.g. BUD/S - I heard some people have died there) and I also got scared of the deployment and how dangerous it can be. I have always wanted to have a family and I just didnt want to put them in danger or put them through the pain if something would happen to me, God forbid. So I went on to study at university.

However, now I plan to kind of settle in the UK, get a job related to my studies + I am also starting my own business. I really feel drawn to joining the marines, I dont know why. Honestly, I just really want to acquire all the crucial skills (physical and mental), e.g. knowing how to survive, how to fight, how to use guns, how to cooperate, experiencing the simulated raids and assaults in training. I would just like to get mentally and physically tougher to be able to protect those who I love, which is my family. Plus, I have always been really fascinated by the brotherhood that is always in such environment and it reminds me of the great friendships I have made during athletics. Those are the main reasons I am really considering to join. And last but not least, it would also make me proud of myself, and it would be something I could remember when Im old. First I wanted to go for Royal Navy, but then I thought that Royal Marines are probably the closest to what I am looking for (in terms of all the skills I mentioned I would like to learn). Also, if I would apply it would be Reserves only, because I have a lot of other things going on in my life that I want to do, like my business, etc. So at the end, I thought the RMR would be the best option, but I am open to your suggestions, since you all know so much more than me.
Athletically, I have been working out and doing martial arts since I was 15 years old. For the last couple of years I have also dedicated to playing american football, so I was training on quite a high level as a serious amateur athlete.
I have couple of questions that I would really need to get clarified:

1. I am not a UK citizen, can I join the Royal Marines Reserve (RMR)? I am from a EU country.
2. I don´t see very well into distance. I have glasses but use them very rarely, mostly have contact or nothing because it´s not like I can´t see, I just can´t see as much detail like maybe someone´s face from distance, but I can see shapes and colors perfectly. I think I have like -2.00 glasses. Would this be a problem? Or how would I be able to function with this?
3. How dangerous is RMR? Honestly, I would really like to join but I don´t want to risk my life. Would I get deployed to some crazy fighting zone or a place like that? I would really like to get deployed to some country like Belize (which I have read that royal marines have been deployed there for training), which I think would be very cool. But I would not like to get send to some place where I would risk my life each day, where there would be shootouts and bombings each day or something like that.
4. Do you think RMR would be the right fit for me (in terms of what I mentioned I´m looking for)? Or do you recommend something else? I was also thinking about SAS but I soon realized the training and dedication required is (just in my opinion) much more brutal and extreme, at least in the sense that you have to do it full time, not as a reservist.
5. Training wise, how much of a freedom would I have as a RMR? As an athlete, especially playing american football, my training is all about strength and extreme explosiveness as well as a lot of quality muscle mass, agility and speed and general athleticism. However, recently I have also started to run a lot to get my cardio up. But I was wondering (since I see that marines are so enduranced based, 30 miles runs, hundreds of pushups and pullups, etc.), would I still be able to do my training sessions? Or do you think I would be forced to switch my training style completely? I mean I truly enjoy heavy lifting, especially olympic weightlifting, calisthenics, also some strongman movements. I am also incorporating cardio a lot but I feel like if I would join marines, I would just need to be 100 % endurance based and I would lose my strength and size, which I would need for american football, which I would also like to keep doing.
6. How is the diet? Currently, I have a very strict diet, taking care of my macro and micronutrients, quality whole foods, lot of vegetables and overall good eating habits. I have seen than in most places marines do not get such nutritive foods as they should have (considering the amount of hard work they do). That makes me kind of worried because obviously my athletic performance would suffer then.
Also, I am a vegetarian, do you think I could manage to eat like that in there?
But actually, it all depends on how long would I be without my diet. If it would be only for a weekend or so, where I could (hopefully) bring some protein powder etc. I could manage. But I am thinking more about the possibilities that I would need to be somewhere for several weeks or months, how the diet would be then and could I bring something with me that I would eat to have more healthy and nutritious diet. And this brings me to my last question:
7. What would the process for joining the RMR be for me? Could you give me some brief overview? All the requirements I would need to fulfil. I am asking this especially from the perspective of time committment. What is the average or longest that I could be away from home? For example, I am not sure how I would manage to be away for 6 moths or so. I think I could do couple of weeks but I would really need to have the possibility to also use my PC from time to time to manage my business, etc. (I know how stupid that sounds, but its something that I really need to work on...I would not like to make marines my 100 % fulltime committment, thats why I am thinking about reserves only)

Thank you all so much, I would really appreciate any tips or suggestions that you can give me. I apologize if I have said something incorrectly, I really do not have that much knowledge on this. I hope you can understand where I´m coming from and I´m looking forward to any advice.

 

[Squatmonkey]

Waah?

 

[Omega]

Hello everyone,
I hope you all are doing great. I´m really happy to be here. First of all, I just wanted to say thank you to all of you who have served the country for your committment and hard work.
Secondly, little bit about me. I´m 26 years old and I am just about to graduate. I have been studying most of this time in various universities firstly something I was not really passionate about but then (the last year) I decided to finally study something that I like, so I´m glad, since it also gave me the opportunity to come to the UK.
I have always wanted to join some tactical forces since I was little (it was actually the first thing I was really considering of doing as a job when deciding at the age of 16). I always wanted to be a part of some commando team fighting against drugs or terrorists, I always thought it was very cool and brave when I was a kid. So later I considered Navy, SAS, etc..but then I thought the training is really too extreme (e.g. BUD/S - I heard some people have died there) and I also got scared of the deployment and how dangerous it can be. I have always wanted to have a family and I just didnt want to put them in danger or put them through the pain if something would happen to me, God forbid. So I went on to study at university.

However, now I plan to kind of settle in the UK, get a job related to my studies + I am also starting my own business. I really feel drawn to joining the marines, I dont know why. Honestly, I just really want to acquire all the crucial skills (physical and mental), e.g. knowing how to survive, how to fight, how to use guns, how to cooperate, experiencing the simulated raids and assaults in training. I would just like to get mentally and physically tougher to be able to protect those who I love, which is my family. Plus, I have always been really fascinated by the brotherhood that is always in such environment and it reminds me of the great friendships I have made during athletics. Those are the main reasons I am really considering to join. And last but not least, it would also make me proud of myself, and it would be something I could remember when Im old. First I wanted to go for Royal Navy, but then I thought that Royal Marines are probably the closest to what I am looking for (in terms of all the skills I mentioned I would like to learn). Also, if I would apply it would be Reserves only, because I have a lot of other things going on in my life that I want to do, like my business, etc. So at the end, I thought the RMR would be the best option, but I am open to your suggestions, since you all know so much more than me.
Athletically, I have been working out and doing martial arts since I was 15 years old. For the last couple of years I have also dedicated to playing american football, so I was training on quite a high level as a serious amateur athlete.
I have couple of questions that I would really need to get clarified:

1. I am not a UK citizen, can I join the Royal Marines Reserve (RMR)? I am from a EU country.
2. I don´t see very well into distance. I have glasses but use them very rarely, mostly have contact or nothing because it´s not like I can´t see, I just can´t see as much detail like maybe someone´s face from distance, but I can see shapes and colors perfectly. I think I have like -2.00 glasses. Would this be a problem? Or how would I be able to function with this?
3. How dangerous is RMR? Honestly, I would really like to join but I don´t want to risk my life. Would I get deployed to some crazy fighting zone or a place like that? I would really like to get deployed to some country like Belize (which I have read that royal marines have been deployed there for training), which I think would be very cool. But I would not like to get send to some place where I would risk my life each day, where there would be shootouts and bombings each day or something like that.
4. Do you think RMR would be the right fit for me (in terms of what I mentioned I´m looking for)? Or do you recommend something else? I was also thinking about SAS but I soon realized the training and dedication required is (just in my opinion) much more brutal and extreme, at least in the sense that you have to do it full time, not as a reservist.
5. Training wise, how much of a freedom would I have as a RMR? As an athlete, especially playing american football, my training is all about strength and extreme explosiveness as well as a lot of quality muscle mass, agility and speed and general athleticism. However, recently I have also started to run a lot to get my cardio up. But I was wondering (since I see that marines are so enduranced based, 30 miles runs, hundreds of pushups and pullups, etc.), would I still be able to do my training sessions? Or do you think I would be forced to switch my training style completely? I mean I truly enjoy heavy lifting, especially olympic weightlifting, calisthenics, also some strongman movements. I am also incorporating cardio a lot but I feel like if I would join marines, I would just need to be 100 % endurance based and I would lose my strength and size, which I would need for american football, which I would also like to keep doing.
6. How is the diet? Currently, I have a very strict diet, taking care of my macro and micronutrients, quality whole foods, lot of vegetables and overall good eating habits. I have seen than in most places marines do not get such nutritive foods as they should have (considering the amount of hard work they do). That makes me kind of worried because obviously my athletic performance would suffer then.
Also, I am a vegetarian, do you think I could manage to eat like that in there?
But actually, it all depends on how long would I be without my diet. If it would be only for a weekend or so, where I could (hopefully) bring some protein powder etc. I could manage. But I am thinking more about the possibilities that I would need to be somewhere for several weeks or months, how the diet would be then and could I bring something with me that I would eat to have more healthy and nutritious diet. And this brings me to my last question:
7. What would the process for joining the RMR be for me? Could you give me some brief overview? All the requirements I would need to fulfil. I am asking this especially from the perspective of time committment. What is the average or longest that I could be away from home? For example, I am not sure how I would manage to be away for 6 moths or so. I think I could do couple of weeks but I would really need to have the possibility to also use my PC from time to time to manage my business, etc. (I know how stupid that sounds, but its something that I really need to work on...I would not like to make marines my 100 % fulltime committment, thats why I am thinking about reserves only)

Thank you all so much, I would really appreciate any tips or suggestions that you can give me. I apologize if I have said something incorrectly, I really do not have that much knowledge on this. I hope you can understand where I´m coming from and I´m looking forward to any advice.

1. You need to have a valid British, Irish, Maltese, Cypriot or Commonwealth passport.

 

[Rob20]

Crikey, that was a tough one.

Right, firstly I have no idea whether or not you're elligble to apply as I'm not a recruiter.

What I have gathered is you want to play soldiers at the weekend but do not want to be deployed on operations. With this attitude, 100% the Corps is not for you. Its not a social club where you can pop along when it suits and choose which bits you'd like to do. We dont choose where we go, that's the sacrifice.

You seem to think the diet needs to fit you, the fitness training needs to fit you, the training needs to fit you. That is absolutely not how it works. I apologise if this seems harsh but I think you need to have a think about what the Corps is about.

 

[The guide]

First off you are not eligible to join as a overseas foreign national,!

With your content in paragraph 3, you would struggle to get in, I as a Careers Advisor would not pass you as suitable for the RMR if that is your view it is not a "play" soldiers club. And that s not even considering all the other bit,s you mention.

You really need to think about what you actually want? and what it entails and also what you are prepared to commit to if you do ever hold a UK passport.

 

[ThreadpigeonsAlpha]

Hello everyone,
I hope you all are doing great. I´m really happy to be here. First of all, I just wanted to say thank you to all of you who have served the country for your committment and hard work.
Secondly, little bit about me. I´m 26 years old and I am just about to graduate. I have been studying most of this time in various universities firstly something I was not really passionate about but then (the last year) I decided to finally study something that I like, so I´m glad, since it also gave me the opportunity to come to the UK.
I have always wanted to join some tactical forces since I was little (it was actually the first thing I was really considering of doing as a job when deciding at the age of 16). I always wanted to be a part of some commando team fighting against drugs or terrorists, I always thought it was very cool and brave when I was a kid. So later I considered Navy, SAS, etc..but then I thought the training is really too extreme (e.g. BUD/S - I heard some people have died there) and I also got scared of the deployment and how dangerous it can be. I have always wanted to have a family and I just didnt want to put them in danger or put them through the pain if something would happen to me, God forbid. So I went on to study at university.

However, now I plan to kind of settle in the UK, get a job related to my studies + I am also starting my own business. I really feel drawn to joining the marines, I dont know why. Honestly, I just really want to acquire all the crucial skills (physical and mental), e.g. knowing how to survive, how to fight, how to use guns, how to cooperate, experiencing the simulated raids and assaults in training. I would just like to get mentally and physically tougher to be able to protect those who I love, which is my family. Plus, I have always been really fascinated by the brotherhood that is always in such environment and it reminds me of the great friendships I have made during athletics. Those are the main reasons I am really considering to join. And last but not least, it would also make me proud of myself, and it would be something I could remember when Im old. First I wanted to go for Royal Navy, but then I thought that Royal Marines are probably the closest to what I am looking for (in terms of all the skills I mentioned I would like to learn). Also, if I would apply it would be Reserves only, because I have a lot of other things going on in my life that I want to do, like my business, etc. So at the end, I thought the RMR would be the best option, but I am open to your suggestions, since you all know so much more than me.
Athletically, I have been working out and doing martial arts since I was 15 years old. For the last couple of years I have also dedicated to playing american football, so I was training on quite a high level as a serious amateur athlete.
I have couple of questions that I would really need to get clarified:

1. I am not a UK citizen, can I join the Royal Marines Reserve (RMR)? I am from a EU country.
2. I don´t see very well into distance. I have glasses but use them very rarely, mostly have contact or nothing because it´s not like I can´t see, I just can´t see as much detail like maybe someone´s face from distance, but I can see shapes and colors perfectly. I think I have like -2.00 glasses. Would this be a problem? Or how would I be able to function with this?
3. How dangerous is RMR? Honestly, I would really like to join but I don´t want to risk my life. Would I get deployed to some crazy fighting zone or a place like that? I would really like to get deployed to some country like Belize (which I have read that royal marines have been deployed there for training), which I think would be very cool. But I would not like to get send to some place where I would risk my life each day, where there would be shootouts and bombings each day or something like that.
4. Do you think RMR would be the right fit for me (in terms of what I mentioned I´m looking for)? Or do you recommend something else? I was also thinking about SAS but I soon realized the training and dedication required is (just in my opinion) much more brutal and extreme, at least in the sense that you have to do it full time, not as a reservist.
5. Training wise, how much of a freedom would I have as a RMR? As an athlete, especially playing american football, my training is all about strength and extreme explosiveness as well as a lot of quality muscle mass, agility and speed and general athleticism. However, recently I have also started to run a lot to get my cardio up. But I was wondering (since I see that marines are so enduranced based, 30 miles runs, hundreds of pushups and pullups, etc.), would I still be able to do my training sessions? Or do you think I would be forced to switch my training style completely? I mean I truly enjoy heavy lifting, especially olympic weightlifting, calisthenics, also some strongman movements. I am also incorporating cardio a lot but I feel like if I would join marines, I would just need to be 100 % endurance based and I would lose my strength and size, which I would need for american football, which I would also like to keep doing.
6. How is the diet? Currently, I have a very strict diet, taking care of my macro and micronutrients, quality whole foods, lot of vegetables and overall good eating habits. I have seen than in most places marines do not get such nutritive foods as they should have (considering the amount of hard work they do). That makes me kind of worried because obviously my athletic performance would suffer then.
Also, I am a vegetarian, do you think I could manage to eat like that in there?
But actually, it all depends on how long would I be without my diet. If it would be only for a weekend or so, where I could (hopefully) bring some protein powder etc. I could manage. But I am thinking more about the possibilities that I would need to be somewhere for several weeks or months, how the diet would be then and could I bring something with me that I would eat to have more healthy and nutritious diet. And this brings me to my last question:
7. What would the process for joining the RMR be for me? Could you give me some brief overview? All the requirements I would need to fulfil. I am asking this especially from the perspective of time committment. What is the average or longest that I could be away from home? For example, I am not sure how I would manage to be away for 6 moths or so. I think I could do couple of weeks but I would really need to have the possibility to also use my PC from time to time to manage my business, etc. (I know how stupid that sounds, but its something that I really need to work on...I would not like to make marines my 100 % fulltime committment, thats why I am thinking about reserves only)

Thank you all so much, I would really appreciate any tips or suggestions that you can give me. I apologize if I have said something incorrectly, I really do not have that much knowledge on this. I hope you can understand where I´m coming from and I´m looking forward to any advice.

The food is horrendous in the forces, so that’s your diet out the window.

I’ll try and address your points later on when I have a bit more time.

 

[T.J.]

The food is horrendous in the forces, so that’s your diet out the window.

I’ll try and address your points later on when I have a bit more time.

Thanks I would really appreciate that.

 

[T.J.]

First off you are not eligible to join as a overseas foreign national,!

With your content in paragraph 3, you would struggle to get in, I as a Careers Advisor would not pass you as suitable for the RMR if that is your view it is not a "play" soldiers club. And that s not even considering all the other bit,s you mention.

You really need to think about what you actually want? and what it entails and also what you are prepared to commit to if you do ever hold a UK passport.

Thanks a lot for your answer. I definitely do not think it is a play soldiers club. I know it is serious. But I know 100 % I would not be able to do it full time since I have already other things going on at this point in my life. But it is still I would really like to do because I have been drawned to it since I was little, as I mentioned. For that reason, I was asking about the Reserves.
I really don´t know how much of a difference there is between the full time marine commando and marine commando reserves. I just guessed that I probably would have to commit to something during weekends. But I really have no idea what the time commitment for the reserves is in comparison to full time commando marines, and also what is the difference in their duties. That is why I am asking here.

 

[T.J.]

Crikey, that was a tough one.

Right, firstly I have no idea whether or not you're elligble to apply as I'm not a recruiter.

What I have gathered is you want to play soldiers at the weekend but do not want to be deployed on operations. With this attitude, 100% the Corps is not for you. Its not a social club where you can pop along when it suits and choose which bits you'd like to do. We dont choose where we go, that's the sacrifice.

You seem to think the diet needs to fit you, the fitness training needs to fit you, the training needs to fit you. That is absolutely not how it works. I apologise if this seems harsh but I think you need to have a think about what the Corps is about.

Thanks for your answer, I really appreciate it. I understand what you mean.
I know how my original post looks like, but I definitely don´t want to "play" soldiers at the weekends. It is something that I really would like to do, honestly...but at this point in my life I cannot do it full time anymore, because I have other commitments already. That is why I was asking about reserves (which I suppose do their duties during weekends usually, since they have also civilian jobs...but I have no idea about this, I just guessed this, that´s why I was asking for some advice here).
I also know that it sounded probably bad when I mentioned I would not like to be deployed, I did not intend to do that. I simply meant that when people are not serving full time but they are in reserves, they have also other committments and that is why I was asking about potential length of deployment to know if those other committments will just have to stop (and if so for how long approximately) or if there is a chance that they could be kept going (for example, do a bit of some project in some free moments during the deployment). I really dont know how the time schedule looks like on deployment.

I have a friend who is a soldier in a EU country and he was deployed and he told me they are not doing really anything there, just watching the border which is basically safe all the time. So he just worked out in the gym 2 times per day, had fun with the other guys, got to know the city, etc.
That is what I know from him. But I have never been in military so I would really appreciate some more insights from you.
And I really apologize for any things I may have gotten wrong in the original post, I repeat that I don´t know nothing about how this life looks like, that is why I came here to ask you.

 

[Rob20]

Thanks for your answer, I really appreciate it. I understand what you mean.
I know how my original post looks like, but I definitely don´t want to "play" soldiers at the weekends. It is something that I really would like to do, honestly...but at this point in my life I cannot do it full time anymore, because I have other commitments already. That is why I was asking about reserves (which I suppose do their duties during weekends usually, since they have also civilian jobs...but I have no idea about this, I just guessed this, that´s why I was asking for some advice here).
I also know that it sounded probably bad when I mentioned I would not like to be deployed, I did not intend to do that. I simply meant that when people are not serving full time but they are in reserves, they have also other committments and that is why I was asking about potential length of deployment to know if those other committments will just have to stop (and if so for how long approximately) or if there is a chance that they could be kept going (for example, do a bit of some project in some free moments during the deployment). I really dont know how the time schedule looks like on deployment.

I have a friend who is a soldier in a EU country and he was deployed and he told me they are not doing really anything there, just watching the border which is basically safe all the time. So he just worked out in the gym 2 times per day, had fun with the other guys, got to know the city, etc.
That is what I know from him. But I have never been in military so I would really appreciate some more insights from you.
And I really apologize for any things I may have gotten wrong in the original post, I repeat that I don´t know nothing about how this life looks like, that is why I came here to ask you.

The only advice I can offer is the experience I had with our reserves. During my first draft in a rifle company we had a good 7-8 reservists in my troop alone who were all on full time contracts for a year or two (some chose to extend as well). During that time their civvy job was irrelevant. They were marines. They had a role in the troop and we deployed several times all over the place in the space of a year. It was an extremely busy time and they certainly didn't have time to work on anything related to their civvy life. From my experience I've never been deployed and not been busy, unless during periods on ship perhaps. Your friends insight is certainly not relatable to the RM I would say.

As I understand it, if you join RMR, expect to be attached to a regular unit at some point to fill the gaps. If so, you will be working as a full time marine and deploying with the company wherever they go. If that's not for you, personally I don't see why you'd want to join the military. However, I've never worked in an RMR unit so perhaps my experience of reservists in a full time role doesn't tell the whole story. But either way, my point stands, if you're not gagging for deployments, what's the point. If I'm spending months getting smashed and being cold and wet, I'm wanting some good trips at the end of it!

 

[SCOTTY6]

First off you have come to the right place for info. But I’m going to blunt with you here mate. The forces, both reserve and full time are not there to fit around your life. You’re the one that’s going to have to jump through the hoops not the other way around. And the needs of the service always come first not your own. As for checking your laptop on ops/ex? Forget it. Also if you ask for time off to go play with the pig skin, you will probably get laughed out the office. This brings me on to my main point here. If you don’t want to risk your neck, it’s not for you. It’s not an airsoft club. People have died in commando training let alone after. It’s hard dirty graft mate, and if you’re not focussed on it, you’re not passing end of.

 

[SCOTTY6]

Also the foods rubbish.

 

[Ninja_Stoker]

@T.J. , what passport(s) do you have?

 

[T.J.]

@T.J. , what passport(s) do you have?

I have EU passport.

 

[T.J.]

Thank you guys for the input. I really agree with you. Honestly, after reading your words I am starting to think about it again and if it really is for me.

Honestly, I have been an athlete almost all my life, I absolutely love training/strength & conditioning, practicing different martial arts and combat techniques and I have always been very fascinated by weapons. I would really like to do something where I could apply all of this and that´s why marines commando came to my mind. But I guess it is just not for me.

 

[Ninja_Stoker]

I have EU passport.

Are you eligible to apply for a British, Irish, Commonwealth, Maltese or Cypriot passport? If not, then you cannot join the Royal Marines anyway, unfortunately.