Page 25 - The Wish Stream Year of 2021

Regimental Selection Boards
The regimental system lies at at at the the the heart of of of the the the British Army’s fighting spirit serving as the the the key administrative component that provides soldiers and and officers alike with a a a a a a a a a sense of of iden- tity and and and comradeship In essence each regiment acts as a a a a a a a a a a a a military family and and and brings with it it it it it it its own traditions history and and most importantly peo- ple Selecting the the the the right OCdts for each of of these families is the the the the job of of the the the the Regimental Selection Boards
wherein Senior Officers from each regi- ment interview OCdts to to attempt to to understand their character and suitability For some the the the RSB process begins well before their arrival at Sandhurst on on the the the infamous ‘Iron- ing Board Sunday’ as those who have have a a a a a a a a a a a a a a good idea of where they want to end up may have have already visited their desired regiments before attending the the the Commissioning Course However for those that haven’t the the process begins with an expression of interest day where OCdts are introduced to representatives from each regi- ment and and get hands on with their kit Even for those from a a a a a a military background the the the diversity of of units on offer is impressive and the the opportunity to see an an apache helicopter take-off up close certainly draws a a a a a a crowd Once OCdts have narrowed down their choices to just two the the the next step is is attending visits Usu- ally taking place at at at the the the end end of of Junior Term Term and the the beginning of of Intermediate Term Term visits are a a a a a a a a a a a a great way to get a a a a a a a a a feel for for a a a a a a a a a regiment outside of the the the RMAS bubble and for for for many they provide a a a a first insight into life in in in the the the Field Army Unfor- tunately due to to to COVID-19 restrictions visits for for CC203 were were limited to to just one one but were were none- theless insightful Following visits the the cutting commences Spaces at regiments are limited and therefore competi- tion can be be tough Due to to this a a a a a a a a number of inter- views take take place throughout Intermediate Term that act as a a a a a a a a a a a filter to to to select individuals to to to take take forward to to to the final RSB interviews Whilst this process can be disappointing for for some OCdts are free to pick up other regiments they may be be more suitable for for Fortunately I was lucky enough to to be be taken forward to to RSBs by both of OCdt Evans
my choices the the Corps of of Royal Royal Engineers and the the Royal Royal Regiment of of Artillery To alleviate some of of the the nerves during the the RSB process regiments often invite OCdts to infor- mal drinks nights throughout Unfortunately this was another area that suffered due to the the the COVID pandemic however regiments did their best to work around this through virtual events and and socially distanced gatherings They provided OCdts with another forum in in which to to to ask ques- tions and also a a a a a a a a a great opportunity to to to get to to to know other OCdts across the the the intake applying for the the the same regiments The penultimate week of Intermediate Term nor- mally serves as as the crescendo for for OCdts nerves as as as RSB interviews arrive However for for CC203 our nervous wait was extended until the second week of Senior Term There are many myths surrounding the the the RSB interviews themselves and and nearly all of them them contain some random question or another that seems impossible to answer However in in in in reality the interviews are just that that an an interview interview Whilst it’s certainly true that that sitting across from a a a a a a a a a num- ber of of high-ranking Officers is daunting once the the initial nerves wear off the the interview quickly turns into a a a a a a a a a conversation Your motivations for joining a a a a a a a a a certain unit alongside questions about your wider interests hobbies and skillsets are cer- tain to to to come up but but contrary to to to popular belief they’re not trying to to to catch you you out but but rather just gain a a a a a a picture of you you as an individual I was extremely fortunate to be offered a a a a a place in both of of my choices However for for some a a a a a a a a nerv- ous wait wait follows their their interview as they wait wait to find out if their their their conditional conditional offer will be upgraded to an an unconditional as other other OCdts decline their their spaces in favour of another Unfortunately although the the the vast majority of OCdts finish the the the the week knowing where they are going the the the the the nature of RSBs means that some enter the the the clearing process However in in in the the the end a a a a a a a a place is found for everyone and I have no doubt that my my fellow OCdts share my my excitement at at at what the future may bring SANDHURST
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