beer_bosun said:
No please, if you are wishing to be a grunter, please do go straight to the wardroom and let us ratings deal with career ratings rather than have some pretentious twit come in lording it around and then sodding off to the other place.
I find it annoying when you have a junior junior rating come in knowing they are going to end up in the wardrobe and hence do nothing to support the Mess.
{Rant over} - apologies to any offended in advance.
Thank you for your words of "encouragement" beer_bosun. :roll:
I think you'll find that my original post simply asked if anyone had any information about the scheme. I also stated that after applying to join
(as a rating), the AFCO contacted ME about direct entry – NOT the other way around. I am enthusiastic, hardworking and committed, and as mentioned before on this thread, I am joining the RNR a lot later in life than most. I am therefore not a ‘wet-behind-the ears' school leaver, or fresh out of uni, but am a 'mature' new entry with a successful civilian career, currently holding a managerial position. This, I assume, is part of the reason why the AFCO approached me as a suitable candidate for this new scheme. In spite of your comments, I am really looking forward to joining my unit and hope that I will be an asset to the RNR in whatever capacity those more senior to me deem most appropriate, whether this is as a rating or as an officer.
It is NOT particularly helpful to brand an enthusiastic newcomer as a “pretentious twit†who will be “lording it aroundâ€, when elsewhere on this forum I keep reading about recruitment and retention problems within the RNR!!!
I registered with Rum Ration in March and although I have not posted very much (due to not feeling qualified to do so until I had actually joined), I have been an avid reader of the forums. In general, I have been extremely impressed with the genuine help, support and advice offered to all “newbies†regardless of how silly the question, or how many times it has been asked before. The legendary camaraderie of the matelot even extends to faceless strangers on a website!

However, as with everything in life, there are exceptions, and you would appear to fall into this category.
You are of course entitled to your opinion, which I can only assume has been influenced by negative experiences at your own unit, but I do feel that on this thread, this was an entirely unprovoked rant.
Now, would you like me to pick up your teddy and put it back in the pram beside you, or would you prefer to sulk for a bit longer?