MOUNTED CAVALRY/TANK CREWMAN

The Job

The Household Cavalry (HCav) consists of The Life Guards and The Blues and Royals – the most senior Regiments in the British Army – and is split between two units, the Household Cavalry Regiment (HCR) and the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment (HCMR). The HCR is a Formation Reconnaissance regiment, acting as the eyes and ears of the Army; the HCMR carries out ceremonial duties, both mounted and dismounted, on state and Royal occasions.

The Right Job For Me?

The Household Cavalry recruits intelligent, fit and decisive soldiers who are hungry for a challenge and have the will to win. You will need to be able to work in a small team, often in cramped and hot conditions, for long periods of time. Applicants need to have basic reading and writing skills as initial training features written tests. Although HCav soldiers do not have to serve with the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment, being prepared to work on horseback as well as in a Scimitar is welcomed.

What Skills Will I Learn?

An intensive training programme will turn you into one of the elite of the Army, able to take part in state occasions and deploy to anywhere in the world as part of your Squadron.Your training will enable you to both drive and maintain the Scimitar, and to operate and maintain its weapons. The Scimitar combines speed, stealth and firepower to hit the enemy where it counts, and you will be part of the highly trained team that makes it so effective.Whether or not you choose to join the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment, you can learn basic riding skills.

What Training Will I Do?

Initial trainingEvery Household Cavalry soldier is first and foremost a fighting soldier. Your military career will start at ATR (Army Training Regiment) Bassingbourn. During your 14-week basic training course you will learn military skills such as foot drill, how to handle and fire a weapon, how to live and work in the open and how to tackle an assault course, as well as developing your stamina and fitness. You will be stretched further than you thought possible, and toughen up both physically and mentally. In addition, Household Cavalry recruits get the chance to ride at weekends – this is to give an insight into what it is like to be involved in ceremonial duties. Having successfully mastered these basic military skills, you will take your place in the Passing Out parade in front of an invited audience of parents, relatives and friends. Further trainingThe type of further (Phase 2) training you go on to take depends on where the Regiment needs you to work.Armoured roleYour training starts at Bovington in Dorset. You will be taught to drive a car before moving on to a Scimitar light tank – you will learn how to drive the Scimitar and be taught how to operate its communications equipment. Once you have completed armoured training at Bovington you will join the Household Cavalry Regiment at Windsor, Berkshire.Ceremonial roleYou start your Phase 2 training at Windsor with a 12-week riding course. You will be given your own horse and taught everything you need to know to look after it and build a good relationship with it. To help you become a better rider and get used to animals with different temperaments, you will change horses every two weeks. After the riding course at Windsor, you start a four-week kit ride at Knightsbridge. Here you will be taught all you need to know about looking after the ceremonial equipment, and will learn to ride in it. At the end of the course, your family can come and watch you parade in front of the Commanding Officer.

What Qualifications Could I Get?

The Household Cavalry offers many qualifications. Your Phase 2 training includes enrolment on a Level 2 NVQ in either Engineering Maintenance or Equine Management, depending on which role you are training for. When you complete armoured role training, you will be a Crewman 3; after that you will learn more about your own reconnaissance vehicle, and can become an Advanced Driver, Signaller or Gunner. The Household Cavalry also offers the opportunity for you to gain further qualifications such as Riding Instructor, Saddler, Tailor, Physical Training Instructor, Combat Medic or Paratrooper.

Future Prospects

There are plenty of opportunities for promotion in the Household Cavalry. After two years, if you are good enough and pass your courses, you could become a Lance Corporal. At the four-year point you could become a Lance Corporal of Horse, and a Corporal of Horse after eight years. After six years, you might be commanding your own armoured vehicle, beyond that you could become a Squadron Corporal Major looking after the soldiers in your Squadron. Having two regiments gives you two sets of opportunities. When you come to leave the Army, the skills you have picked up will help you find work with civilian employers. The leadership and management skills of soldiers are highly valued, you are a proven team player and you will have learnt how to drive and ride a horse.You will also have the opportunity to be trained as a Farrier, Tailor, Riding Instructor or Saddler.