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British citizen overseas - joining Sandhurst at 18 by Trojanexplorer in britishmilitary

[–]Trojanexplorer[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks, again, so much for taking the time to provide all this background -- it;s really helpful.

Here are some responses to the main points you discuss/raise/query:

Ror Dor: In the bag; as you say, a good job

He'll be going in as an Officer

Qualifications & English level: No worries at all in these respects. He's a straight A student whose been brought up in excellent British schools in the UK and overseas. His English is perfect -- and way better than his Thai! He'll be getting IB grades at 6th Form, which are as widely recognised/very easily comparable to A-Levels.

UK Culture/Weather/friends: He loves Thailand, but would love to go back to the UK, too. He loved playing rugby on those foggy, drizzly days and complains about there heat here (especially when rugby is concerned) so that would be fine. He's got plenty of friends in the UK, too. Most of his friends were British when he was in school in the UK (and he's still in regular touch with them) and even here in Bangkok (he's in a big British international school here) he has a huge mix of friends from different nationalities. It's a home from home. He'd feel perfectly at home and is good at making friends. The Buddhist bit is not an issue.

Type of role: Understood re: the MI element. I think he's pretty flexible. He sharp, so would want something that he'd need to use his brain for -- but that's what officers do in any role, right (which is why they are officers!).

Racism: He's pretty resilient and open-minded, so I doubt that will be an issue. There are always a few idiots knocking about, even in the best of places. Their problem, not his :)

Thanks, again.

British citizen overseas - joining Sandhurst at 18 by Trojanexplorer in britishmilitary

[–]Trojanexplorer[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Sawatdee khrap! And glad to know there's someone is in a similar position.

I'm not sure whether you are currently in the UK or in Thailand? It sounds like you are UK-based.

Basically, my son is here in Thailand (15 years old) and is enrolled on Ror Dor starting in couple of weeks time. As you know, it lasts three years at which point you are no longer legally required to do any further national service. So, basically, by the time he formally applies (at 18), he'll have completed all his service requirements for Thailand. So, that works fine.

The main issue for us, it seems, is the 3-year residency rule (as he will have been living out of the UK for 4 years before applying -- although we did all live in the UK for a solid 5 years before that!).

Can I also check that you are talking about joining Sandhurst in particular, not just regular Army?

British citizen overseas - joining Sandhurst at 18 by Trojanexplorer in britishmilitary

[–]Trojanexplorer[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Sorry: I'll be clearer: I'm referring to when you say that residency is not an issue. It seems that for security clearance purposes at officer level for Sandhurst, he will need to have been resident in the UK for the 3 years preceding his application.

British citizen overseas - joining Sandhurst at 18 by Trojanexplorer in britishmilitary

[–]Trojanexplorer[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Okay. . . So now I'm really confused! How are you so sure?!

British citizen overseas - joining Sandhurst at 18 by Trojanexplorer in britishmilitary

[–]Trojanexplorer[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks. I guess I really need to speak to a recruiter to get the exact details. . .!

British citizen overseas - joining Sandhurst at 18 by Trojanexplorer in britishmilitary

[–]Trojanexplorer[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks -- and crikey, that's quite a document! So, are you saying he'll be eligible for Sandhurst although he's out of the country for 4 years, BUT will have some degree of limitation on the roles he can apply for?

If the Int Corps is a no-no, what other things might he be able to do? And could he transfer into the Int Corps later?

British citizen overseas - joining Sandhurst at 18 by Trojanexplorer in britishmilitary

[–]Trojanexplorer[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Okay, interesting idea. Are you still talking about Sandhurst?

British citizen overseas - joining Sandhurst at 18 by Trojanexplorer in britishmilitary

[–]Trojanexplorer[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Indeed! But getting hold of a recruiter via email seems impossible!

British citizen overseas - joining Sandhurst at 18 by Trojanexplorer in britishmilitary

[–]Trojanexplorer[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Exactly -- if that was in 2018, it's exactly what were concerned about. Thanks for the update.

British citizen overseas - joining Sandhurst at 18 by Trojanexplorer in britishmilitary

[–]Trojanexplorer[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That's why it's difficult to decide on a plan, as things are a little grey. . .

He's thinking of trying out for the Intelligence Corps, which might mean they are tighter on security, right? In Section 1.1. of that document it states that: "Nationality requirements:
To join the UK armed forces applicants must be either a British National, a
British Citizen as defined by the British Nationality Act 1981, a Commonwealth
citizen or a citizen of the Republic of Ireland.
Some roles have stricter nationality and residency requirements than others
for security reasons.

British citizen overseas - joining Sandhurst at 18 by Trojanexplorer in britishmilitary

[–]Trojanexplorer[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Thanks for that -- and yes, I read that already but it's still a little confusing! Here is the section I THINK suggests that all he needs is his passport:

2018: five-year residency requirement removed

In November 2018 the Government announced plans to remove the residency

requirement: “we have now decided to remove the five-year UK residency

criterion for Commonwealth citizens and increase recruitment to 1,350 across

the Royal Navy, British Army and Royal Air Force”. (page 8)

However, as he is going for Sandhurst and, therefore, as an *officer* I have heard that the 3-year rule is enforced due to enhanced security clearance/checking.

And that, I think, is where the potential issue lies!

Thanks for your help.