God knows what job to choose,RN site has lil info...

Ive been searching for inof on many jobs in the RN but get very little detailed information on certain jobs, so have no clue what to apply for.

I like the idea of Seaman Spec as it seems to offer alot of time at sea and i am interested in the close range weapons side of things. Mine warfare Spec also appealed but does this job include alot of sea time. I also dont want to be stranded come retirement...

The RN website is very limited as are the fact sheets i was told to send away for. In fact all the AFCO info i have got hold of is very propaganda-esque...

 

Seeing as the RN use mines at sea i would have thought that MW would mean you get a fair bit of seatime in.When you say close range weapons,what do you mean?you my find that Seaman spec may envolve shore time on what we called General Duties Draft,buffers parties in shore estabs etc.I was an MA i can olny offer you advice in that dorection.There will be plenty of others in here that can help you out.Main thing i to keep at it.Do you have a local RNR unit?A visit there may be of benefit to you.

 

Its very important to choose the right branch so keep trying. If you are interested in Minewarfare then try considering diver as well.

 

The best thing to do is chose a branch that suits something you like doing and can be transfered into civvy street. As for a long time at sea most jobs have a sea/shore ratio for example 3 years at sea 2 years ashore but these change due to commitments and branch shortages. something like Seaman Spec may sound ok but think what would I do when leaving the service (do I want to work on a ferry). The technical branches offer the best transferable skills on retirement (ME,WE,Medical,FAA,) pisspot jugglers and bean counters not as much. This is of course in my humble opinion

 

Retirement is my main worry about joining as a Seaman Spec, although i do like the idea of the job. Though all im basing that info given to me from the AFCO. But the info i have is also full of pictures of men guarding ships with their best Andy McNab faces on, or racing across the ocean on inflatable speed boats, no mention of a mop, dabbing or what to do when you retire...

Are there any retires Seaman Specs on this site?

 

Hi and welcome to RR, there is a flood of info within this virtual walls. Take a gander through 'the fleet' forum, there is a vast knowledge gained from RR. If you get stuck just drop one of the many Mods or members a PM, we don't bite.

 

Speak for yourself, I do!

Carw, stay clear of Jenny-she swallows!

 

So does the_Matelot :wink:

 

for what its worth heres my two penny worth, but bear in mind these opinions were gained third hand, ( my yougest joined as ommw three years ago ) in a typical 12 months you would spend 3 months in the baltic with a nato squadron , three weeks doing route surveys and perhaps 3 weeks doing exercises off scotland , add to that odd days out for some sort of evolution training, if you like the idea of "the small " ship experiance thats the way to go , strangely enough my daughters doing a branch transfer as we speak to seaman spec. , and so far she seems to be enjoying the move. on her courses are many likeminded people who wanted to get away from the "ops room" which they found a little tedious, oh and bear in mind now that all the sandown class have been moved up to Faslane ! ok if you fancy Scotland ! As for related jobs when you leave It's ideal if you can carry on your trade in civvy life , but I've found from expience that the fact you have served in itself an asset. A good friend of mine is a personel officer with a large chemical company and the other week he was telling me about a recruitement drive and possible candidates , top of his favourites was an ex bombadier , in his eyes this man had got the job before the intervew , as my friend explained that this man had years of responsibitly , determination and loyalty, where else can you get that he says to me, soory to go on, hope this helps

 

Do you want to use weapons or fix them? You won't get too many opportunities to fire weapons and if you join one of the seaman branches you'll certainly become useful with a cloth and a bucket of water. If you want to become involved in weapon maintenance then ET(WE) is the way to go, and you will also get highly transferable skills when you rejoin civvy street. Possibly.

 

Does anyone know if promotion is a common occurance in these jobs, after reading the propaganda it seems that both Seaman Spec and mine warfare offer good promotion oppotunities?

Ive also been thinking about Naval Airman but mainly because its a nice looking job title! :lol:

 

Depends on how quickly you fulfill your task books. i.e. OM - Warfare, you come out of your trade training, join ship and you will need to fulfill requirements of a job aspect and have this marked off. Once completed, usually 4-18 months, you will then attend the nearest OM1's course, finish that then re-join a ship. Complete your task book, then your NBCD book, then await your call up for a leadership course, well more like selected. This can take 4-8 yrs to become a leading hand, rarely you'll meet some one who has been in 3yrs and made leader.

 

Advancement depend not only on how fast to complete your taskbooks, exams etc, but on the requirements of the service, I was a writer unitl 1995 which was classed as a 'dry' branch, and advancement to Leading Writer happend as soon as you passed your exams, other branched at the time could take 3 years or more depending on how many leading hands were serving, and on how many the Navy neaded - i would like to point out that this may have changed in the last 11 years, but somehow I doubt it. One thing though, if you get offered the chance to go CW go for it - I turned it down 3 times - BIG MISTAKE

 

What is CW that you declined ?

 

I think now im really considering the WEapons engineering route.

any ex or current weapons engineering techs posting on here..?