Ever wondered what it’s like to work for the military?

As far as work perks go, the Army comes up trumps…

This is a Marie Claire Advertorial.

Job satisfaction is high in the Army, as Marie Claire’s Jemma Rossiter discovered when she met doctors, nurses, and combat medical technicians at the 22 Field Hospital unit. Her mission? To see what Army work perks include...

‘Even though each role is challenging, all the soldiers I met explained that they’re rewarding, too,’ says Jemma. ‘The Army Medical Services is set up to not just provide medical care to soldiers on operations and while on their bases, but to take part in humanitarian aid work, too.’

To get a taste of what it’s like to be in a combat situation, Jemma took part in a casualty evacuation reconstruction. ‘We had to get an “injured” soldier out of a “battlefield”. Even though it wasn’t real, it gave me an adrenaline rush. It’s not an ordinary 9-5 job and I can see how that can be appealing,’ says Jemma.

So what’s the deal with training? ‘The Army invests in your training to help you rise through the ranks if you crave responsibility at an early stage of your career,’ she explains. ‘You have to earn your promotion, but there’s a definite career path you can follow, and many of the nurses and doctors I met felt they were way ahead of where they’d be in the civvy world because of all the courses that are available to them.’

The Army goes far beyond what a lot of civilian employers offer in other ways, too. You can study up to Masters Degree level, as well as travel the world as part of your job. For instance, with the Adventurous Training programme, which involves taking part in challenging and potentially dangerous outdoor activities, you may get the chance to travel abroad. ‘Some soldiers go rock climbing in Germany as part of this programme,’ explains Jemma, ‘and this fosters leadership skills and teamwork, as well as developing moral and physical courage.’

How to sum up her day? ‘It was amazing. I left realising military life isn’t just about ten-mile marches and hundreds of sit-ups,’ she says. ‘The Army is a place where you can make a difference and excel on a personal level because there’s a clear promotion structure. Each new rank brings more responsibility and more satisfaction.’

Interested? To find out more about life in the Army and career opportunities, or how to become a Reservist, simply search marieclaire.co.uk/army.