Share This Page:

  

RMR or TA? - not as simple as it sounds for me...

General discussions on joining & training in the Royal Marines Reserve.
Post Reply
kyle-jdm
Member
Member
Posts: 7
Joined: Mon 10 Jan, 2011 2:29 am

RMR or TA? - not as simple as it sounds for me...

Post by kyle-jdm »

Hey guys,
I have posted this in both the TA and RMR forums to get as many answer as i can.
To cut a long story short, im in my last year of university in scotland and will be finished my course by the end of may. Some people might think this sounds stupid but i intend on working full time for roughly two years in something completely different from my degree, ie i want to do something relatively physical and preferably outdoors. After this i want to travel the world for about a year then come back and use my degree to get a career. This is just a rough idea.

During this period of full time work i want to do either the RMR or TA on the side. If i were to join the TA it would be as an officer. The only issue with the RMR is i would have to wait until November when RMR Scotland will have their next selection day. Although its a while, im currently not at the fitness standards required. I do want to go on tour, but i dont really want to be compulsorily deployed just before i intend to go travelling. I would rather volunteer for a tour soon after i finish training to get it out the way.

The main differences i have found are:
TA - training is easier, less chance of deployment, i have a TA centre a 2 minute drive from my house.
RMR - its what i really want to do, training is much more difficult, more chance of deployment, centre is 45 mins from my house.

The questions i have are as follows:
Which do you think would be more suitable to my circumstances?
Can you volunteer to go on a tour? (what i mean by this is, rather than being hit with a compulsory deployment, is there a chance to volunteer for a tour if it slots into my lifestyle?)
How long is an average RMR tour?
How often can i expect to be deployed with either TA or RMR?

thanks in advance guys, Kyle.
Rover
Member
Member
Posts: 510
Joined: Mon 28 Oct, 2002 3:55 pm
Location: Wimborne

Re: RMR or TA? - not as simple as it sounds for me...

Post by Rover »

Kyle,

For a direct answer may I suggest a 45 minute drive to your nearest RMR unit or at least a direct phone call.
Saves time and better to have the answers direct from the horses mouth!

RMR Advantages.

The potential to earn transferable trades (Including: Assault Engineer, Landing craft, Skill at Arms instructor, Sniper, Heavy weapons, Reconnaisance Operator, Swimmer Canoeist, PTI, CIMIC, Drill Leader, Media Ops, Driver etc.,)
Kudos
Renewable part time employment contract for up to 5 years periods.
Ability to leave within 30 days (when not deployed or mobilised)
Ability to transfer to full-time regular service.
Ability to choose/volunteer for specific operational tours regardless of parent unit.
Free gym membership
Word travel
Camaraderie
Free food & accommodation when mobilised & deployed on exercise or on operations, (or on a ship).
Transferable skills
Additional specialist training courses to prepare you for specific jobs (first aid, fire-fighting, photography, sniper etc.,)
World class training to make you best prepared to serve in a hostile or a life-threatening environment fully integrated with your full-time opposite number.
Free uniform clothing
Life experience
Management Experience
Adventurous Training opportunities wordlwide. (Diving in Cyprus, parachuting in Florida etc)
Disciplined lifestyle with defined structure
A well structured career structure with the ability to advance yourself through promotion.
Annual pay increases
Forces Discount Scheme- over 500 companies offer service people discount. From Holidays to hirecars to spectacles to solicitors.
Possibility of training for civilian driving licence (up to HGV standard) after completing RMR Recruit Training.
Free Welfare Service to help you look after your family if depoloyed or mobilised.
Lifetime Families support network

RMR Disadvantages

Much longer Recruit training programme.
No pension.
Limited flexibility with regard training programme (two missed weekends = back troop).
No pay if injured when training or off work.
Only one Recruit Troop per year.
Separation/Homesickness.
Disciplined lifestyle
High likelihood of serving in a hostile or a life-threatening environment with risk of injury/death
Worry/anxiety for your Family & Partner
The potential to be operationaly deployed at minimal notice, thus making it difficult to plan ahead with utter certainty.
Difficult to maintain a balance with your fulltime employment & keep your employer amenable to the service requirement.
Trying to balance home life/work/education & maintain fitness in your own time.
Difficult to remain current (up to date with procedures, systems & equipment).
No pay to keep yourself fit outside of authorised training periods.
Specialisations more likely to be determined by RMR unit location/tasking rather than by individual's choice.
Limited free social time at weekends due to ongoing training commitment
__________________
Prior to any deployment to an operational unit you will need to have passed the Commando course.
Looking at your two year time span and what you wish to do, perhaps the TA is the better option.

Rover
Admit nothing. Deny everything.
kyle-jdm
Member
Member
Posts: 7
Joined: Mon 10 Jan, 2011 2:29 am

Re: RMR or TA? - not as simple as it sounds for me...

Post by kyle-jdm »

i will be doing just that a week tomorrow in edinburgh.
I thought the opinions of as many people as possible would be helpful to aid my decision making.
the timescale i laid out is only rough but i do know i want to go travelling with my girlfriend in the future at some point.

my heart says RMR but the TA seems the easier option, will have to think seriously.
User avatar
twony
New Member
New Member
Posts: 2
Joined: Thu 25 Nov, 2010 5:26 am

Re: RMR or TA? - not as simple as it sounds for me...

Post by twony »

I'm not serving, so you can take everything I say with a grain of salt. But, I'm in a similiar situation to you Kyle and based on my research, in reference to your questions
kyle-jdm wrote:Hey guys,

The main differences i have found are:
TA - training is easier, less chance of deployment, i have a TA centre a 2 minute drive from my house.

RMR - its what i really want to do, training is much more difficult, more chance of deployment, centre is 45 mins from my house.

RM is scheduled for the next deployment on Op. Herrick i.e. April-Oct 2011. There's no guarantee they'll be going back to Afghanistan and if they do it wont be for a while. Battalions in the SCOTS regiment are scattered round in various Brigades and pretty much certainly will be deploying in the near future. As to training, 4PARA and some SAS units are TA. Don't suppose their training is easy

The questions i have are as follows:
Which do you think would be more suitable to my circumstances?
Can you volunteer to go on a tour? (what i mean by this is, rather than being hit with a compulsory deployment, is there a chance to volunteer for a tour if it slots into my lifestyle?) Most people join the army to get a tour. Ain't calling you a soft bastard, but if you want to get out of a deployment... reckon they'd be ways. It ain't WW1/2
How long is an average RMR tour?Herrick is 6 months

thanks in advance guys, Kyle.
Rover wrote: Ability to leave within 30 days (when not deployed or mobilised)
Can't you just hand in your kit and leave the TA, whenever you want (apart from the deployment/mobilisation thing) with no notice?
Prior to any deployment to an operational unit you will need to have passed the Commando course.
Looking at your two year time span and what you wish to do, perhaps the TA is the better option.

Rover
While I am really posting this message (apart from me being a helpful fella) is that I have read that TA members can't be deployed until they served an 18 month minimum. This is apparently quite a new thing as, for example, the Parachute Regt used to have a "gap year" programme were people would serve in 4PARA for 12 months which included a deployment. I read all this on another internet forum, so it could well be garbage.

But yes, any comments on the 18 months minimum and does that apply to RMR too?
Rover
Member
Member
Posts: 510
Joined: Mon 28 Oct, 2002 3:55 pm
Location: Wimborne

Re: RMR or TA? - not as simple as it sounds for me...

Post by Rover »

This from the RMR website;

High Readiness Reserves (HRR)
HRR will have volunteered, with their employers; consent to accept an increased liability to call-out. HRR are likely to have skills in short supply in the Regular and Reserve Forces.
Sponsored Reserves who will allow some support tasks, which are currently restricted to Regular personnel, because they might need to be performed in an operational area, to be let to contract. Members of a civilian workforce could volunteer to become Sponsored Reserves thus accepting special call-out liabilities to serve in an operational area if required. Provisions also now exist to allow reservists to volunteer to undertake productive tasks other than training without being called out. This would be on either a part-time (e.g. disaster relief at home) or full-time basis (longer periods of continuous service largely superseding current need to join Regulars temporarily to serve on operations which might not justify call-out).

FTRS Engagements
Opportunities will continue to exist for Reservists who have completed training to undertake a short service engagement to serve with the Regular Corps. This is normally for a twelve-month period but in some circumstances can be three six or nine months. On occasion it is possible for a man to transfer from FTRS to a permanent engagement, but this as with the FTRS scheme is dependent on the needs of the Corps at the time - transfers are getting few and far between due to increased manning levels.

Please note the word "volunteered".
These engagements become open to you once you have completed training and earned your Green Beret.

Note: "Once you have completed training"!!!!!

Look at the time frame for any reservist in training.
You will not be deployed in the RMR if you have not passed for your Green Beret.

Rover
Admit nothing. Deny everything.
Post Reply