FAQ - Your Questions Answered

Q: How will AFC(H) help me?
Q: Will it be like another year at school?
Q: Is the course hard work?
Q: Am I qualified to become a JS at AFC(H)?
Q: What will I be signing up for?
Q: How much do I get paid?
Q: Where do I live and how?
Q: Will I fit in?
Q: Will I get any time of my own?
Q: Will I like it?
Q: Who can I turn to for advice?
Q: What if I get sick?
Q: When do I join a Regiment or Corps?
Q: What happens after AFC(H)?

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Q: How will AFC(H) help me?
A: Going to AFC(H) puts you on the fast track to promotion and responsibility.  You receive more training and have greater opportunities for adventure and for developing your leadership skills than Direct Entry adult soldiers.  You obtain invaluable qualifications, and you get paid to train – what “civvy” college could offer you that? On completion of the course you are guaranteed a job for four years (or longer, if you want) and the opportunity to build a fulfilling career with one of the most respected and professional organisations in the world.

Q: Will it be like another year at school?
A: Definitely not!  Education army style means you don’t have to be stuck in the classroom to learn.  A combination of practical activities, rigorous training and some class work provides you with the skills required for modern-day soldiering. We also give you every opportunity to develop your potential through adventure training. We have excellent sporting facilities at the college, where we help you to build your fitness, strength and stamina. We introduce you to new activities like canoeing and rock climbing, and there is a wide range of evening and weekend activities for you to choose from: cross-country running, go-karting, parachuting, scuba diving, rugby league, football, mountain biking and photography, to name but a few of your options.

Q: Is the course hard work?
A: In a word yes! The course is very challenging at times – but we want you to succeed! That’s why we have a staff to student ratio of approximately 1:10. Your platoon staff are always there to help you progress and to give you support when you need it. A number of them are likely to be former Junior Soldiers, so they know what it is like for you - they have been there themselves. They will tell you that by joining the Army Foundation College you get great training, great pay and great prospects. You will make great friends – and have great fun. What more could you ask for?

Q: Am I qualified to become a JS at AFC(H)?
A: The AFC(H) is open to young men and women between 16 and 17 and one month years of age on joining, regardless of marital status, ethnic origin, sexual orientation or religious belief. No formal qualifications are needed but you are required to pass a computer based test designed to assess your suitability for the course. You also need to pass a series of basic physical gender-free tests, a medical and live in a drug free lifestyle. As you are under 18, you also need your parent’s or guardian’s consent. If you have a police record you must declare it in line with the terms of the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974.

Q: What will I be signing up for?
A: Only at Week 22 of the course do you need to give us your firm commitment, so you have time to decide if the Army is for you. On completion of the course at AFC(H) you are required to serve a minimum of four years, from your 18th birthday. Once that term is completed you can sign up for longer, if you wish.

Q: How much do I get paid?
A: When you first arrive at the college, you will get paid a rate of roughly £34 a day which adds up to some £250 a week! After your first 26 weeks of training your pay will be increased to roughly £40.00 a day, approximately £275 a week.

Q: Where do I live and how?
A: This is probably the first time that you have lived away from home, so our aim is to make you feel at home. At the same time, living in army barrack accommodation is not like living at home and new rules of behaviour have to be learned. Even so, you will find it comfortable and friendly. You share accommodation with the other members of your section but there is a reasonable amount of privacy for the individual. All the facilities are modern and well equipped, and female students have their own separate accommodation. The college caters for special dietary requirements, including vegetarian meals and halal meat for Muslim students. There is even a laundrette for your washing, so you don’t have to do it yourself!

Q: Will I fit in?
A: The Army has its own way of doing things, even its own language. Lots of activities, equipment and even people are referred to by their initials, or by the use of slang. When you first join, you won't have a clue what people are talking about. But don’t be afraid to ask. You are here and we are here to teach you. It won't be long before you start having to explain to your friends outside the Army what you mean when you talk about the NAAFI (the shop/leisure club) and L & IT (leadership & initiative training)!

Q: Will I get any time of my own?
A: We keep you busy but we also want you to relax and unwind. Except when you have duties or skills activities, your evenings are your own, and at weekends, when not in training, you are free to go into town or home if it is not too far away. There is a shop in the barracks that is open from 0830 hrs to 2200 hrs for that vital chocolate fix between meals. There is also a student leisure club where you can get fast food, watch satellite TV, e-mail your friends and family and play the latest video games. You are allowed a mobile phone, and there are plenty of payphones on site with top-up cards for sale in the shop.

Q: Will I like it?
A: This is probably the most important question of all. Finding your feet in a strange place where you don't know anyone is not easy especially if this is the first time you have left home. But lots of other people will be feeling exactly the same as you and you will be amazed how quickly you settle in and make new friends.

Q: Who can I turn to for advice?
A: Student welfare is extremely important to us. To help you in the first few weeks, highly trained and specially selected instructors are on hand to provide advice, guidance and encouragement. We are committed to being an equal opportunities employer and we have a strict code of conduct covering racial or sexual discrimination. As well as the military staff, the Women’s Royal Voluntary Service (WRVS) is represented at the college. The WRVS provides a relaxed, non-Army environment where all students can go just for a chat or discuss any problems. Padres from the Royal Army Chaplains’ department are also on hand, and whatever your faith you can have access to a religious advisor.

Q: What if I get sick?
A: On camp there is an excellent medical centre staffed by a team of doctors and nurses from the Royal Army Medical Corps (RAMC). Medical cover is provided 24 hours a day. There is also a complete dental team providing full-time cover. If you should get injured during training or playing sport the college provides an excellent system of rehabilitation, with physiotherapists on hand to get those muscles and joints moving! Health and Safety is something the college takes very seriously and all training activities are constantly monitored.

Q: When do I join a Regiment or Corps?
A: Before arriving at AFC(H) you may well have a preference for a Regiment or Corps that you would like to join and it is to this particular Cap badge that you will be sent to at the AFC (H). However, to give you the best chance to make the right decision, you will be allowed to apply to change Cap badge midway through the course and nothing is made final until you have the opportunity to see what else is on offer within the Army. As you learn more about the Army through visits to units in the Field Army and military studies lessons, you get a clearer idea as to exactly what jobs you can do.

Q: What happens after AFC(H)?
A: With AFC(H) behind you, you can go and enjoy a well-deserved break before moving on to your Phase 2 Training. Within nine weeks you could be a fully-trained soldier serving with your regiment or corps. The AFC(H) course is just the first step in your professional training as a soldier in one of many capbadges. On successful completion, you are ready to begin the next stage at a Phase 2 establishment, where you build on the experiences and training you received at AFC(H). This is where you start to specialise. You can learn how to be a Tank Crewman, Infantry Soldier or a Combat Medical Technician to name just a few of the opportunities now open to you. With the skills learned at Phase 2 Training and appropriate pre-operational training in the Field Army, you will be ready to deploy on your first operational tour. In just over one year you will have progressed from being an inexperienced school leaver to becoming a confident and professional soldier in the British Army.