Hello Guys, I am in the ACF and I am wanting to join the full time Soldiers at 16, any tips or anything that can help?

Hi Ethan, thanks for your question.

I would say that you've already achieved what i would usually suggest to potential candidates by joining the cadets. This can give you a good idea of the basics in being a soldier, and if you enjoy the time you are there, then chances are you will also enjoy army life.

Along with this, another thing to do in preparation for joining AFC Harrogate would be preparing yourself mentally and physically. Whilst the training is progressive and you wont be thrown in at the deep end so to speak, it can be so beneficial for yourself if you've already managed to gain a good level of fitness. In terms of mental preparation, you're probably already where you need to be, since you would have experience of spending time away from family via the cadets. That is usually the biggest mental struggle some of our new soldiers have over the first period of their basic training.

I always try to tell people to be like a sponge. Absorbing all of the information given to you, because there will be a lot and it will be required of you to step up and retain that information and then put it to the test when required.

Possibly one of the biggest ways to prepare is to continue to focus as much as you can on your education.

Being in your last year of school and looking to join the army when you leave can of course be an exciting yet stressful prospect. So remaining focused as best you can on this will help to set up your career not only in the army but also for future employments.

Yes, there are jobs in the army which require no GCSE qualifications to join, but by no means should that lead to someone not bothering to give their best effort at achieving good grades. Regardless of which job in the army you go into, in order to promote and start taking those steps up the ladder of responsibility, GCSE (or equivalent) qualifications will be a minimum requirement for this. The army will help you to achieve these qualifications if you are unsuccessful through school/college, but it's much better to get it out of the way early and then not have to worry about ticking another box to progress your career in the future.

I hope this has been beneficial and I wish you all the best for your future.

If you have any more questions feel free to ask, or give your local Army Careers Centre a call.

In addition to the comprehensive answer above, I would highly recommend that you research the job roles available to you, especially as some are only available when you are older.

As mentioned above, Although GCSE's (or equivalent) are not required for some jobs, I would strongly suggest that you work hard to achieve the highest possible grades as it will both open up more job roles and mean you won't have to do them again when in the Army.

Good luck!