The British Army is holding a recruitment drive across the Isle of Man next week.
Members of the Isle of Man Army Reserve will be in Castletown, Port Erin, Ramsey, Peel, Onchan and Douglas on Tuesday and Wednesday to talk to the public about the opportunities available in the Army Reserve.
The Army hasn’t said exactly where in each town or village. iomtoday.co.im asked and a press officer hopes to have that information with us by Monday. The story will be updated when we get the information.
A drill night will be held on Wednesday from 7.30pm to 9pm at the Army Reserve Centre in Lord Street, Douglas, where people interested in finding out more can go along and speak to local soldiers.
The recruitment drive will conclude with a display by the {http://www.reddevilsonline.com/|Red Devils parachute display team on Sunday, July 31, at 7pm at the war memorial in Douglas.
Seven different Army Reserve units/corps will be involved, including the 4th Battalion Duke of Lancaster’s Regiment, 4th Battalion the Parachute Regiment, 103 Regiment Royal Artillery, 146 Royal Logistics Corps, 6 Military Intelligence Battalion, 3 Medical Regiment and 75 Engineer Regiment.
Major General John Crackett, director reserves, said: ‘Too many young people aren’t considering the Army Reserve because of false preconceptions: from thinking they don’t have enough time to be a reservist to believing that they will have to join for a long time and it’s difficult to leave when the reverse is true.
‘The Army Reserve should be a top choice for all those wanting to make the most of their spare time. This event will help encourage young people to have open and honest conversations with current Reservists about their experiences, discuss any reservations and consider all that The Army Reserve has to offer.’
Staff Sergeant Ian Openshaw, 156 Regiment the Royal Logistic Corps, from Douglas, will be taking part in the week-long recruitment drive.
He said: ‘I have been in the Army Reserves for 20 years now and I have loved every minute of it. The Reserves has allowed me to travel the world, on both training exercises and operations, where I have made friends for life. The Reserves offers something for everyone, it is an amazing experience.’
The recruitment surge is being held to support the British Army’s new Reserve recruitment campaign - A Better You - after it was identified that over two thirds of 18- to 35-year-olds felt that the amount of personal sacrifice, of which time is a major factor, was too high.
But the Army says the time commitment is a minimum of 19 days a year, much of which is made up of short training evenings during the week.
There are more than 200 different roles on offer in the Army Reserve such as musicians, carpenters, chaplains, teachers, HR specialists, engineers, vets and dog handlers
Army Reserve soldiers:
Have opportunities to travel overseas on exercises, sport and peacekeeping, from training in Kenya to supporting the UN in Cyprus.
Take up adventurous training from mountaineering in the Himalayas, to sky-diving in Florida
Earn an annual tax free bonus of up to £1,725 and could be eligible for a joining bonus of up to £2,300
Get paid for all the time that they spend training and daily pay goes up every year and with each promotion
Will be entitled to a non-contributory pension
Get one day of paid holiday for every 10 days in training
Need to commit to 19 days per year for national units and 27 days for regional units
Can now gain an apprenticeship as an Army Reserve and the Army might even pay for you to get your LGV driving licence, or to gain qualifications such as, City & Guilds qualifications