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Soldier Careers

Soldiers play vital roles at home and abroad, making sure the Army’s work gets done. When you become a soldier you sign up for at least four years including the time you spend training. Whether you serve for four years or twenty four, there will be promotions and pay rises to recognise your hard work and courses to develop your skills.

YOUR SOLDIER TRAINING

All soldiers complete an initial military skills course known as Phase 1 training. You learn soldiering skills such as how to fire a weapon and look after yourself when you’re living outdoors. You also work on your fitness. Phase 1 lasts for 14 weeks unless you’re under 17 where you would attend the Army foundation college. If you join the Infantry your Phase 1 and Phase 2 training is combined in a 28 (30 for Para and Guards) week soldier training course.
soldier training

LEARNING YOUR TRADE

Next you move on to Phase 2 training where you learn the specialist skills that you need to do your chosen Army job. The length of your course depends on the job you do. Some roles can be learned in a few months. Others might take more than a year to master. No matter which role you’re training for, you’ll be taught by civilians and soldiers who are experts in their trade, and you’ll get plenty of hands-on experience.
engineering

GETTING THE JOB DONE

There’s no substitute for doing the job for real. After you’ve done your training you join your new unit, where you’ll be using your skills every day. This is not the end of the learning process as you'll have other, more experienced soldiers around to give you their advice and help you develop your skills. As you gain experience, you might have the chance to try some specialist roles and go on trade courses.
soldiers in afghanistan

MOVING UP THE RANKS

If you work hard at your job and show skill, you could soon get your first promotion. You’ll lead a small team of soldiers and your job will be to help set their tasks for the day and check that the work is getting done. You’ll get a pay rise, too. As your career continues, you’ll get extra promotions, more responsibilities and more pay rises.
saluting

Ready to apply?

Ready to fill in an application form? It’s your first step towards Army Life

Get the details

Soldiers on Facebook

Find out more abouit becoming a soldier on our facebook page

Army Jobs - Facebook