Difficult route to 'civvy street'

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Some soldiers find the road to civvy life difficultServicemen and women leaving the armed forces after just a few years struggle to settle into civilian life more than veterans, according to a report by MPs.

Robert (not his real name) is in his 20s and leaves the Royal Mechanical Engineers this year after six years of service. So what does he think?

Robert said of his decision to return to civilian life: "I was out in Afghanistan for six months and decided to "sign-off", or resign, while I was there. I know I needed to save some money, which I did while I was on my tour duty.

"I also wanted to get qualifications that would help me get a job when I leave the army."

'Not enough'

The Ministry of Defence (MOD) offers help to find housing and jobs to people who are planning to leave military life after six years - with priority to long-servers.

Only leavers with six years' service or more can start getting help two years before they leave.

Robert returned from Afghanistan in April this year and was offered help and support soon after.

"I had interviews telling me how to book courses and how to write my CV. You also get briefed on housing and finances which was helpful.

"The main problem is the money that's offered for training - it's just not enough."

Robert completed a three-week air-conditioning engineering course which cost just over £2,000. He received £534 from the Army and a £1,000 enhanced learning credit, which is funded by the MOD.

I wanted to get a full qualification but with the time and money offered for courses, it's hard to get 'Robert' <a class="" href="/1/hi/uk/7511987.stm">Ex-soldiers 'struggle on leaving' </a>

"I had to pay for the rest of the course myself. Most courses that would be useful to people like me, say plumbing or engineering, cost well over £2,000 so you usually end up paying for some of it yourself.

"Another problem is the amount of time the army give you off for training, which is four weeks. Most professional courses, for say plumbers or electricians, are six-eight weeks long. So the type of courses we can do offer only a basic type of training - we're not really fully qualified when we leave.

"If you wanted to do the full course, you'd have to use your annual leave as well as pay the additional costs. This isn't really an option for me as I haven't got enough leave to take and I'm trying to save money to go towards my house."

"I didn't want to leave the army with just a driving qualification. I wanted to get a full qualification but with the time and money offered for courses, it's hard to get."

But Robert has had some good news recently.

"I put my CV online recently and I've already been offered a job. I think employers like ex-military because we're reliable. It is an advantage having been in the forces for that reason."