UKC

I am currently in the ARMY but i am leaving 2012 to get into a career in the outdoors, Before i start looking for a serious Job i will hopefully be ML(W), MIA, UKCC 2 White Water, Raft Guide 2 and REC First Aid provider.

I am interested in your experiences with making the transition from ARMY to outdoor instructor and if you have any advice.

This post is mainly to EX ARMY but anyone who has any thoughts on the subject is more than welcome

In reply to Kingy: Is ARMY an acronym?

In reply to Oceanrower:

No but it must be SHOUTED.

In reply to Kingy: Have you got any of those qualifications yet? You're looking at about 3 years of work at least to get all of those. I know a few ex army guys in the outdoor industry. I don't think it's been easier or harder in any way than for anyone else in the industry.

In reply to Kingy: the soft skills required are very different...

In reply to goldmember:



Might be worth trying to shadow some civvy sessions?

My experience of ex military instructors is efficient but too harsh for many folks tastes.

In reply to Kingy: The big thing to always remember, clients will not MAN UP and most are not super fit 20 years old.
The soft skill are the big thing that can make you stand out as an ex army instructor.

In reply to DaveHK:
I agree, a lot of ex mil instructors do seem to find it more of a challenge to realise they are being paid to take you out, not that you are there because you have been ordered to.

In reply to Kingy: pm'd you mate

In reply to Kingy:

I have done a fair few military climbing expeds but I dont have any instructor quals. I have been advised by someone who is a military instructor to go down the SPA/ML/MIA route rather than pursue the mil quals now, probably for the same reasons mentioned on here, to gain the soft skills.

In reply to JohnO1978:

Also, while it's fairly trivial to get the civvi quals registered as the mil equivalent for the purposes of taking Army groups out, I believe that the converse isn't true.

In reply to JohnO1978:
You can do both. If you register with one of the MLT Boards for the appropriate awards beforehand (AND have appropriate experience!) MLT will count as summer ML training and JSMEL will count as summer ML assessment. There is similar equivalence as you go through the military Rock Climbing training.

In reply to Kingy: Ive come across a few Army Instructors over the years, and most come across as too Army !! if that makes any sense . you would need to soften up a little I think...

In reply to Kingy:

OK, what are these soft skills which people speak, that they don't think Army types have?

The ex-army chaps that I meet at work have, said skills.

In reply to The Lemming: Not all ex military people are shouty shouty and " you will crawl in the mud". So not sure what everyone is on about saying about softening up. Kingy is still young so is hardly going to be to set in a military persona like someone who has been in for the full 22 and is now deciding to go in to civilian instructing

In reply to stvredmond:

You'll probably find very few who are.

In reply to The Lemming: If you are genuinely curious about the kind of soft skills some ex-military instructors could do with developing, try googling "Tannenbaum Schmidt" for starters.

In terms of 'fit' with civilian outdoor education organisations, my experience (as an outdoor centre manager) is that ex-servicemen who successfully make the transition have:
- high levels of empathy in respect of their clients and co-workers;
- flexible leadership and decision-making styles (as per the Tannenbaum ref above); and crucially
- have 'parked' any propensity for belittling, shaming and/or punishing their colleagues and clients (this seems to be a particularly pernicious culture in some areas of the services).

That said, two of my most inspiring colleagues are ex-military (RAF as it happens), both having done their full 22, and are as compassionate, faciliative and person-centred as you could possibly imagine.

So Kingy, speaking as a prospective employer I'd suggest not focusing too narrowly on just qualifications: if as part of your re-settlement(?) package you can get some work-shadowing within civilian outdoor organisations, that might be of value as well.

In reply to softlad: Hi i agree i have worked with lots of Ex forces who have come out to work in the outdoor game and i have always found that they can adapt to the roll needed to fit the client.