How much time will I spend working as reservist?

Hi, being a reservist is all about balancing a civilian job / life with Army Reserve work. There may be times / opportunities when you could mobilise and do the army full time for a certain period (ie to support various taskings the army may take on - support to flooding, NHS, training etc) but the Reserve work really should be your part time job alongside a full time job - especially whilst you are in initial training (unless you are already an armourer?). My advice would be to speak with your local Army Reserve unit and attend one of their training evenings this will give you a better idea of what life in the Army Reserves is like. The beauty of being an Army Reservist is you get to pick and choose what you do, how much time you give and how much you do with the Reserves. Good luck with it all. I'm a Regular but i've been an Army Reservist and i am currently working in a Reserve Brigade (i work closely with 10 different Army Reserve units (different cap badges)) so if you have any specific questions i might be able to help or get you an answer.

Thanks Jen, that is very helpful. I guess my next question is, how often are you able to see friends and family as a regular? I'm sure my other half would find it hard to accept me joining the regular army if I would rarely see her. I guess I'm trying to find the best way of balancing both. What has your experience been with this? Thank you in advance!

As a Regular during basic training (14weeks) you have a few (long) weekends off but the simplest answer is not much. However, if you can just gris that then after that and particularily after Phase 2 (ie where you start to learn your trade) how you choose to work is kind of up to you. The hardest part is if you're posted to a different end of the country or Northern Ireland (if you're not in NI already ;) ) It is also capbadge dependent - some capbadges you can literally serve absolutely anywhere in the country however other capbadges you are more limited. The Future Army Model is coming in for accommodation which means regardless of whether you're married or not, you can apply for a house (this used to only be the preserve of those who were married) - obviously this may mean uprooting her from where she is but it may also give you the opportunity to look for a place between where you are and where she is. The Army has moved on a long way from the days where people joined the army for 22+ years, it now understands that they army is seen as a job (rather than life choice) and people have lives outside it. Ultimately the needs of the army will come first but there are so many good opportunities - we do have a bit more flexibility (when we;re not on ops, exercise, guard etc), there's time for sport and competing (regardless of how good you are) all over the UK (quick stop off /night out at home is not unheard of ;) ), we have more leave than i ever did when i was a civi. I left the army for 4yrs and rejoined - there are lots of people who rejoin and it's because it's a great job. You do need to have the support of your other half especially in the early days as that's without doubt the hardest because you are away learning how to be a soldier - and when you do speak to anyone else outside the confines of who you're training with, you're utterly knackered!
In the job i've currently got, i live with my other 1/2 (we're not married but he's also in the army), he gets to see his kids when he wants and the flexibility to go and collect them / watch sports days etc (without putting in leave), we are members of civi clubs and right now this is exactly the same life i'd have as a civi. In a few months time however, i'm away with work on and off for a few months (i get wknds to come home) and after than we go back into our 'civi' style life again. It's also about you guys being flexible and knowing that there's some easy / normal times but also the harder ones too - but it's definitely not boring! If you've got any other questions, just ask. If your other 1/2 has questions i'm happy to try and answer some of them for her too.