territorial army question

[goldenbolls]

my friend got 3 yrs jail in 1992 , its now 2011. he wants to join the T.A . he has been through uni and is 3/4 of his way through a degree . he was working in mental health but got sacked 2 years ago when the new CRB check came out , crb stated his criminal record from past .

he would like to work in the phycology field, he did a lot of conselling etc in past, he wants to work with soldiers who are returning from war zones with p.t..s.d and the likes.

ive asked this question before but did not get an answer so hopefully i will get something this time. thanks

[redman41]

He shoud go and speak to whoever is in charge at his nearest TA Centre and complete his Uni Degree Course also

[factor-fiction]

I don't think you've included a questinuI assume you want to know what he should do to try to get into the TA. As redman says, he should ask the TA or look on their website- they may have an FAQ section covering this topic

[Pimpernel]

Do they have open days? He could try and attend one, and ask his question 'informally'.
How long did he manage to stay in mental health? I've known a couple of nurses who resigned without having found a new job (including male nurses who were single, i.e. were the only breadwinner in their household) because it was such a hard job! I've worked in caring myself (basically, elderly people who can no longer live independently) and I would not do it again, even if it was well paid (which isn't the case)!
If he'd like to work with soldiers who have p.t.s.d., maybe he could look around for charities who do this type of work, or charities who help discharged soldiers find 'civilian' work, accommodation (difficult to get on the property ladder as often they have little or no credit history) etc. My father fought the Japs during WW2 and he had PTSD, though he never sought medical advice about it (he was a commanding officer, so was used to being 'in charge' and watching out for his men, not to being 'mollycoddled' himself). It didn't interfere with his life too much (apart from nightmares and flash-backs, which became more frequent as he advanced in age, after retirement). His own way of dealing with it was to try and forget the whole experience: the subjects of the POW camps was absolutely taboo. However, if he hadn't come home in the golden 50's, when there were jobs galore, which enabled him to launch into a successful career, I don't know whether it would have worked so well.

[Prudie]

What little I know of the TA is that it's a part time occupation that people do over and above a 'normal' job and is paid only a nominal amount. I don't know the chances with his previous history but why not the regular army?

[Buenchico]

A simple phone call might answer your friend's question.
Call 0845 600 8080 to speak to the Army careers team (who also deal with TA enquiries).

Chris