In order to join the Royal Army Chaplains Department as a Territorial Army Chaplain you must be a citizen of the United Kingdom or of a Commonwealth country. You must also be an ordained minister recognised by one of the Sending Churches (Anglican, Roman Catholic, Methodist, Baptist/URC/Congregational, Church of Scotland/Presbyterian, Elim or Assemblies of God) and normally have at least 2 years experience in full-time ministry.  You must be medically and physically fit and  normally have resided continuously in the United Kingdom for the 5 years immediately prior to your application and be within the age requirements.  The upper age limit on joining is currently 57and you must be prepared to offer a 3 year commitment.

Should you meet these initial requirements, there follows a selection process.  This involves endorsement by your respective Sending Church and an Acquaint Visit to an Army unit with serving chaplains.  There are mandatory security and medical checks and clearances and it is only when these are completed that a candidate may be put forward for the Army Officers Selection Board (AOSB), based at Westbury and managed by the Chaplain-General. 

If you are sucessful you will undergo training at the Armed Forces Chaplaincy Centre (AFCC) at Amport House and will attend the Professionally Qualified Course at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst (The course runs for 4 weeks with doctors, dentists, vets, nurses and lawyers also training) or you can opt to attend two courses of two weeks each.

You will be assigned to a TA unit as near as possible to your place of civilian ministry where you will have responsibility for about 700 soldiers and 250 families. Your ministry will involve visiting your soldiers on their weeknight training, accompanying them on weekend training (allowances are made for Sunday commitments) and on their 2 week annual camp.

If you choose to volunteer you may be mobilized for an operational tour as an augmentee chaplain on a Regular Army tour in any of the theatres of operation the Army is currently engaged in where you will be paid according to the regular Army chaplaincy pay scale on a pro-rata basis.

For further information please contact:

Jackie Footitt
Ministry of Defence
Chaplains (Army)
Trenchard Lines
Upavon
SN9 6BE

or e-mail
armychaplains@armymail.mod.uk