How to Join the British Army

Meeting the Basic Criteria and Filling Out Your Application

Apply as a British citizen to serve in the Army. In addition to British citizens, Irish citizens may also apply to serve. Citizenship regulations have changed recently to allow foreigners from Commonwealth countries to serve in the British Military under specific circumstances. Irish citizens applying to join the Army Reserve must already be living in the United Kingdom. Commonwealth citizens are permitted to join the Army on a more limited basis and are not required to be residents of the United Kingdom. However, Commonwealth citizens have a responsibility to ensure they have permission to be in the United Kingdom during service. This is true throughout the entire period of enlistment. Commonwealth citizens, may not join the reserves.

Review the age and gender qualifications. While many armed forces require you to be an adult to join the Army, the Uniter Kingdom permits you to join as a minor. There are also different requirements for joining as a soldier versus an officer. As for gender, the British Army supports all sexual orientations and gender identities. You must be 16 years old to join as a soldier but may start your application at 15 years and 7 months of age. You must enlist before your 36th birthday, and applicants under 18 require parental consent. Applicants between the ages of 18 and 29 can apply to join as an officer. Applicants over the ages of 30 are not restricted from applying as an office but will be subject to a case by case basis analysis. Separate age restrictions exist for specialists, such as doctors or engineers. To join the British Army Reserves, you must be at least 17 years and 9 months of age to apply. You can serve as a reservist in most capacities until the day before your 50th birthday.

Commit to serving in the Army for at least 4 years. Generally speaking, 4 years is the minimum length you must serve in the Army. However, commitments can be longer if you join as a minor or undertake educational courses in place of your initial training. Applicants under the age of 18 must serve until their 22nd birthday. When you intend to complete your service, you must submit 1 year’s notice before the end of your commitment. Applicants over the age of 18 will serve a minimum period of four years in service, and also must submit their 1-year notice before ending their commitment. Once you have completed your full-time service, you will be transferred into the reserves and traditionally serve an additional 6 years as a reservist. As a reservist, you can be called to serve for up to 16 days a year, with the possibility of additional time in the event of an emergency.

Assess your health and fitness. The Army will want you fit and capable to perform as a soldier. Luckily, they have clearly outlined what you need to accomplish in terms of physical feats and conditioning. The Army will test in three ways by asking you to run, throw, and lift. Luckily, there is a mobile phone app, called “100% Army Fitness,” designed to train you before you undergo your official assessment. The app can be download at the Apple App Store or on Google Play. In addition to the app, you can train for the running portion of your fitness assessment by regularly running 2 kilometres (1.2 mi), and strengthening your legs muscles through squats, and doing burpees. You can train for the throwing portion of the assessment by doing a variety of chest, shoulder, and core exercises, such as push-ups and planks. To train for the lifting portion of the assessment, recommended exercises include lunges, glute bridges, and rope pulls.

Fill out your Army application. Your application can be completed and submitted online at the official British Army website. Alternatively, you can also go to your local Army career center to fill out and submit your application in person.

Attending Your Army Brief and Assessment

Take the necessary post-application steps once contacted. After your eligibility is reviewed and accepted, the Army will send additional questions as necessary, including a medical questionnaire. Fill out all questions truthfully and accurately. There are medical requirements to join the British Army. Some physiological and mental disorders may prevent you from joining. The medical team will assess each individual to decide whether you are medically fit to serve. If you have used illicit drugs in the past, you may still join the Army, but you must be clean for at least 3 years before joining. Random drug testing is carried out, and you should expect to be tested during your initial training. Failing a drug test will likely lead to being discharged.

Speak to your recruiter and attend your Army Brief. After the application and medical questionnaire stage, you’ll be assigned a recruiter to look after you. You will then need to show up the nearest Army career center, where you will meet face-to-face with Army staff. They will explain what you need to work on before your official assessment. This step is known as the Army Brief.

Attend your assessment for additional testing. At this stage, the Army will invite you to an assessment center and put you through a battery of tests, both physical and mental. You will get a better feel for Army life to help you further determine whether this is the path for you. The testing is carried out over a period of two days. You will go through a full medical examination during that time. You will also attend team exercises and have a private discussion to review your career options in the Army.

Complete the physical assessment. As indicated previously, the Army has provided a mobile app to help you pass your physical. The specific exercises you are required to carry out are rather simple and straight forward. As long as you can do the minimum requirements, you will be deemed physically fit. You will be required to complete a warm-up jog of 800 kilometres (500 mi) between 6 min 30 sec and 7 minutes. After that, you will need to run a 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) in 11 min and 15 secs or less. You will also need to throw a 4 kilograms (8.8 lb) medicine ball at least 2.9 metres (9.5 ft), while sitting with your back against a wall. Finally, you will be asked to stand in front of a horizontal bar, set at mid-thigh height. You must be able to lift the bar at least 46 kilograms (101 lb) for 5 seconds.

Getting Your Assignment and Attending Basic Training

Check your mail for a letter stating your starting date. Your starting date will depend on the role you will be going into. For instance, those joining the infantry might get a different starting date than those going into the Army Air Corps.

Move on to basic training. As start dates may differ, sites for basic training will also differ based on your Army role. There are 3 separate locations which you can expect to be transferred to for basic training. Infantry members can expect to attend basic training in the city of Catterick, in Yorkshire County. Members of the Air Corps, Artillery, Royal Signals, Adjutant General’s Corps, Medical Services and Intelligence Corps should expect to attend basic training in the city of Pirbright, in Surrey County. If you are assigned to the Royal Armoured Corps, Engineers, or Electrical and Mechanical Engineers, your training will take place in the city of Winchester, in Hampshire County.

Maintain your physical fitness throughout your assignment. Keeping a proper diet and consistently exercising will help keep you stay in Army shape. Staying in shape will also decrease your chances for injury during your service.