Case studies : Army officer: Parmjit

Parmjit, a sub lieutenant in the Royal Signals did a degree in civil engineering in Manchester and underwent a year’s army officer training at Sandhurst in 2008.

During my time as an active member of the University Officer’s Training Corps, I had been sent on a familiarisation visit to work with the British Army on peace-keeping operations with the UN in Nicosia, Cyprus. I enjoyed the three weeks with the Army so much that I decided to apply for a role as an army officer during my final year.

I had to undergo a series of selection tests, based on command tasks, leadership skills and fitness. I was delighted to have been successful and started at Sandhurst in the September after graduation.

After passing out from Sandhurst I went to do some specific signals officer training at the Signals Headquarters in Blandford, Dorset. Here I learnt about the technical elements of the role and how communications work in warfare.

After this course I took over my own troop of Signallers in Wales and was deployed almost immediately to Afghanistan. This was a challenging operation but gave me an excellent opportunity to put my soldiering and leadership training into practice as well as the technical knowledge I had gained.

My next posting was to Sennelager in Germany and that is where I am now. I relish the opportunity to work with people and develop my team. The comradeship in the Armed Forces is second to none, as we do get to do some very challenging things together.

I enjoy leading my soldiers and the mess social life for officers is second to none. The variety of locations, tasks and people in this role means I am never bored.

One of the most challenging elements of the job is operational deployment. Not only does this mean being away from friends and family for long stretches of time, but to work alongside comrades who put their lives at risk and sometimes don’t make it back home, is something that requires great resilience and a very robust attitude. I fully support the British Army’s operations in Afghanistan but this is not a career for the faint-hearted.

I hope to continue to serve in the Armed Forces on a long-service commission and the opportunities for travelling the world, career development and promotion are outstanding. If I can get to the rank of Colonel I will retire happy!