Ex-servicemen have difficulty getting jobs ?

[modeller]

The government says despite their skills ex-servicemen have difficulty in getting jobs.
This applies to all ranks and irrespective of length of service. Why should that be ?

[jake-the-peg]

"Most of the skills" such as loyalty, appearance and bearing, self-discipline, attention to detail, teamwork, punctuality, honesty, the courage to admit when they've made a mistake."

And you tell Rov he's factually incorrect! ROFL!

[bobjugs12]

Smart1, I'm getting out so that I can be near my kiddies. Family life does suffer when you live a hundred miles from them, and have to go away all the time.

Jake. What part of that is incorrect?

[smart1]

I agree BJ - have always warned my son that marriage/relationships do not work in the services - too much outside pressure. Hard enough in civvy street. Good luck to you BJ x

[jake-the-peg]

Pretty much all of it I'd say

If they're so wonderful I can't imagine why so many are in gaol!

[bobjugs12]

Smart. Some mariages do work, some don't. I, unfortunately, married a tart who worked her way through camp when I was away. I know others who have been happily married for 30 years. It's horses for courses really.

Do you know many people who have served Jake? Can you point out where those aspects don't come into play in every servicemans dailylife. I have to incorporate them everyday whilst at work and if I don't then big shiny things get broken.
As for the jail comment, I don't know the figures but i'd imagine it's pretty similar to the percentage of ex-forces living in civvy street. Or the amount of ex-forces currently in Watford Tescos doing shopping. As I said earlier there are approx 10 million of them.

[tamborine]

v.sad - my bruvs left for Australia when they retired as UK jobs didn't pay enuf to maintain their families. They dont regret it !

[jake-the-peg]

I do know the figures bob and they're shocking

10% of the prison population are ex-servicemen

Here's an interesting study of the sort of people who find themselves in the Army:

69% were found to have come from a broken home.
50% were classified as coming from a deprived background.
16 % had been long term unemployed before joining.
35% had had more than eight different jobs since leaving school (nearly all on a casual basis). Just over 60% had left school with no academic qualifications.

40% were joining the Army as a last resort.

70 of the recruits had more than five GCSE grades at A-C, and roughly 30% of all recruits were exceptionally motivated and qualified young people who had wanted to join the Army for a long time.

So - is it really a surprise when so many from this sort of background come out they find that actually they still have all the baggage they went in with?

A few lucky ones will have picked up a skill that has an application but the vast majority are essentially unskilled.

[smart1]

That's the truth of it BJ. Get sick of people with no real knowledge pontificating about life in the services. And I hate cheap jokes JTP.

[jake-the-peg]

It's no joke smart

Kids come from tough backgrounds mess about in school and find themselves dumped out at 16 - they can't hold down proper jobs and are easy fodder for those who glamourise the military.

Then they get out and guess what? not everyboddy thinks that ex-squadies are heroic role models who should be snapped up for lucrative careers.

And when they don't get the respect they feel they deserve they often respond violently.

Sorry but I have limited sympathy for people who p1$$ away their opportunities fall into the armed forces as a last resort and come out thinking the world should respect them for it

[bobjugs12]

JTP, i'm sorry but I just don't see your point here. What is it your trying to say with these figures? They can be used to prove any point you want.
As for your 'heroic' comment. I've never said that I'm an all conquering hero and should be afforded special treatment. I just don't expect to be discriminated against due to my current choice of career. By the way, i didn't Fosters my choices away. I studied at school, went to college and then followed my chosen career path to end up in the Royal Air Force.

The 'the vast majority are unskilled' comment was again erroneous. When did you serve JTP? What practical experience do you have of current educational and force development programmes within HM Forces? What experience do you have of the current resettlement package?

[smart1]

See earlier post JTP, my son did his A levels - I do accept what you are saying in that kids with no other avenue look to the services. Not always their wisest choice, and to be frank, if they don't have that vocation, they are a liability to the guys and girls that do.

[Quinlad]

With the greatest respect, bobjugs, few if any of the people on AB have been elected to the House of Commons but it doesn't mean their opinion carries no weight when we discuss MPs.

Same applies for any career.

[modeller]

I remember when I was in the Royal Engr. we were due to take out four mobile power stations to Egypt but none of them were ready on time and we were sent to the company to work on two of them , we completed the work on one, in two weeks on a job that had been allocated three months by the union. We did this because in the Army , you did as you were told irrespective of trade or profession. Unfortunately the union called a strike and we were sent off with just the one we had worked on. We waited 2yrs for all the others to arrive.
I was so use to the army way of getting a job done with the least labour in the shortest period of time that I found it very difficult to adapt. In fact I never did, I ended up forming my own company. So I can recognise the problems on both sides .

[bobjugs12]

Qunilad, I wasn't saying he had no right to comment. I was asking where his knowledge of education within the military came from?