Can someone explain the process of joining the army as a mechanic at basic training and what happens after Thanks Ollie

Hi Ollie, So as a Mechanic you will go through the same basic training that everyone else does where you will learn all the basic soldiering skills such as, Personal administration, Military knowledge, Physical Training, Weapon drills and Drill (just to name a few). Where it differs is your Phase 2 training or Initial Trade Training (ITT). Where we learn all there is to know about mechanical principles. We learn all about Engines, Transmissions, Suspension/Chassis, Electrics. Once you have a basic understanding of these only then will we start to put them in practice and apply this knowledge onto vehicle platforms. The main vehicles we learn in ITT is Land Rover and Man SV but we will also touch a bit on some armoured vehicles at the end of our course such as Bulldog and Warrior. For us we will only learn the basics in ITT it will be when we actually do our job where we will learn the ins and outs of vehicle platforms. The training in ITT will give you more than enough knowledge to be able to prosper in any unit as a Vehicle Mechanic. Hope this helps Aaron :)

Thank you that has helped a lot!!

Best job in the world if you are interested in being a mechanic !! :)

Hi Aaron after I’ve done the ITT training will I be sent to a base somewhere around the world? Also can I bring my girlfriend with me wherever I go? And how much will I be deployed overseas Thanks for the quick response

I’ve always wanted to be a mechanic and be in the army so it’s the best of both worlds by the sounds of it!

Hi Ollie, So when it comes to finishing ITT you will put in what's called a POSTING PREFERENCE PROFORMA. Where basically you will get a list of places that require Mechanics. All you have to do is look at that list and find out where you want to go, this can be location based, a specific unit or vehicle type. So you do kind of get to choose but obviously only if it is on the list. As to bringing your girlfriend you can apply for long term relationship housing and she can come with you that's only if there is space and priority is usually Married couples with kids but there is definitely a possibility for you to get a house. Deployments overseas can come up pretty often if you are attached to a frontline unit on a deployment year. There is sometimes room to volunteer to go away too as people always need mechanics. This is counter acted by the time in the UK and downtime which will help you find that good work/life balance but realistically deployments come down to the unit you are with. Hope this help. Aaron :)

That has thank you very much I think I’m going to apply for it soon ish I think

As a mechanic when you are not deployed overseas and you’re just at the base what do you do for work during the day? And roughly how many months of the year would you be deployed overseas?

Hi Ollie, With the mechanic role it is very similar when on ops and in the UK, you will still have vehicles to maintain and course to go on. In terms of deployments, you will spend roughly a month a year on exercises of some sort either in the UK or overseas. Operational deployments are six months in length usually and come a lot less regularly - I've done one about every five years.