What would be the most suitable age to join the army?

Good Afternoon and thanks for your question. I wouldn't say there is any "most suitable" age to join the army. We accept many people from all different backgrounds and different ages to join the army and they all have different things they can bring to their chosen career path. For example someone of a younger age might bring a natural fitness level and a quick thinking attitude whereas someone joining after the age of 30 might bring a wealth of life experience and maturity. All of these and the things in between help to shape the ideal soldier and the model for which we strive to achieve. Identifying everyone's strengths and weaknesses in order to utilise their full potential not only as a soldier but also as a person. In terms of the most suitable age, this would be entirely down to yourself as an individual. Some people join the army from the age of 16 and flourish a wonderful career from this, others prefer to wait and gain experience elsewhere before joining. It's entirely up to you and what you feel comfortable doing. I can relate to your concerns too. I joined at 16 but decided actually it wasn't the right time for me and i decided to pursue something else before re-joining a couple of years later. This worked perfectly for me and i am glad that i made this decision for my own career and personal experience. But as i mentioned before, this is completely down to you as a person, so everyone has a different idea of what would work best for them. I hope this answers your question and best of luck for the future.

I can't agree with Ash's answer above more - it really does depend on the person, where they are in their life in terms of maturity, relationships, responsibility, career etc etc. I wanted to join at 16 and my parents wouldn't sign the paperwork, then at 18 but i didn't actually join until i was 22 and went a completely different path. Only you will know when the right time is. Good luck.