If you are commissioned for a gap year and apply for a regular commission, how long would the course be?

Hello there, If you complete a gap year commission, and then decide to train to become a regular commissioned officer in the British Army you would return to The Royal Military Academy Sandhurst and complete the full 44 week commissioning course. I hope that answers your question but if not please feel free to come back to me. Katie

what's the difference between a gap year commission and an officer training - I'm so confused ! do they both take 44 weeks ? can someone explain please

Is the 44 week commissioning course (REGULAR OFFICER TRAINING) the same as a gap year commission?

Hi Mirage, No, they are different. The Regular Commissioning Course, of 44 weeks, is for people who wish to commit to joining the Army for between 3 and 12 years (to start with, and this can be extended until your 60th birthday). A Gap Year Commission is almost like a taster to see if being a commissioned officer in the Army is for you. It takes places between completing college, and starting university and lasts for one year. You complete a small amount of training at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, enough to ensure you are safely and gainfully employed, and are then attached to a field Army unit. You will be limited on the tasks you are able to do due to the reduced training, for example you could not deploy on an operational tour, however you can go on exercises, sporting opportunities and adventurous training tasks. It is a great opportunity for either those who are unsure they want to commit to joining the Army, or for those who can’t wait and want a taste before they go off to university. You also get a very good wage for a year which often helps to build up done funds to help students through university. I hope this answers your question but if you wish to know more please come back to me. Katie

What do most overseas Arab royals do ? I’ve seen most of them doing something for a year and then graduating in a parade because I don’t want to join the army afterwards And would I still be able to be in the commissioning parade if I do a gap year commission

They are completing the 44 week British Army commissioning course. Each year the UK trains a number of overseas Officer Cadets, generally the best candidates from that nations Army who join us for the highly prestigious and world renowned course. They then return to their nations armies to lead their own soldiers. Only British, Irish and Commonwealth citizens can go on to join the British Army. Katie

How do most overseas royals do the officer training -the 44 week “commissioning course” and don’t join the army ? And how can you apply for it ? Someone answer ASAP PLEASE

Overseas royals are selected by their own armies to attend the course, and then an agreement is made nation to nation. They cannot join the British Army as they are not British, Irish or from commonwealth countries and are therefore ineligible. If a royal wanted to train at Sandhurst, they would first need to join their own countries Army and be selected to train overseas.

First of all thank you so muchhh of your replies I really appreciate your support ... I have one more question just to ensure - how can I apply for the 44 week commissioning course if I’ve been living in the UK for the past 5 years ? And after finishing it can I do something else like moving to a university and doing a different major ?

No problem, I’m happy to help. If you are not a British, Irish or commonwealth citizen, then the only way to join the British Army would be to gain British citizenship through naturalisation. In order to be naturalised as a British citizen, you will need to meet certain statutory criteria with regard to your immigration status, length of residence in the UK, future intentions, knowledge of the English language and life in the UK, and good character. Have a look at the Government website to see if you meet the criteria (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/form-an-guidance). Once you are have British citizenship you can apply to join the British Army as an Officer. If you successfully complete the selection process and training then you would have to serve a minimum of 3 years before you could leave to peruse other avenues.

Thank you so much I think I have met the certain statutory criteria with regard to my immigration status, length of residence in the UK, future intentions, knowledge of the English language. And I have passed my GCSEs (with very good results) and still working on my A-Levels (year 12) as I’m still turning 17. Now , how can I apply for the 44 week commissioning course if I just want to do it and then do something else in uni? Do I apply through UCAS or what? Thanks once again for your support

You cannot just complete the 44 week course and then do something else. The 44 week course is specifically to train you to be a British Army Officer and requires you to give 3 years military service after its completion. You could apply for a gap year commission prior to starting university which would see you complete an 8 week course at Sandhurst before doing a year attached to a British Army unit. To apply for this you would need to start an application on the Army recruiting website between 1 August -31 December of your final year in school. You can also only apply once you have British citizenship so you would need to apply for that first through the government website.