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Bored of your office-based 9-5 job? Considering a complete career overhaul? While a job in the Army might not be the first thing that springs to mind, it's definitely one that you should consider - especially if you're after a bit of adventure and excitement.
To erase any doubts that you may have, Closer are dispelling the stigma that the Army is just a place for men. Most roles are actually available for women, from engineering to communication, to HR to combat.
Lance corporal Zoe Perryman, who works within the engineering regiment, told us what it's really like to be a woman working in the Army. Although she predominantly works within the HR team, Zoe told us: "I'm a solider first before a HR Clerk, so I'm expected to go on deployments, field exercises and to pass my annual military tests.
"I participate in physical training sessions four times a week. But on a day-to-day basis, I'm responsible for the administration of my squadron within the regiment." Her role is varied, and includes "preparing the soldiers for deployment by ensuring that all of their paperwork and documents are up-to-date and in good order, conducting pay checks and administering soldiers' leave."
Although she's mainly office-based, Zoe still "maintains the soldier first ethos", meaning that she gets deployed on exercises and participates in the regimental physical training sessions. In the past, she's been deployed to Kenya to assist with an exercise, and has travelled to Austria, Germany, France, Chile, Malta, Cyprus and Spain for adventurous training and sports. "There is huge scope for our trade to travel and to be posted around."
So, it's no surprise then that the opportunity to travel across the globe and to be deployed in different countries is one of the most attractive and exciting elements of working in the military. "I can be attatched to any corps or regiment in the world," Zoe mentioned. It's this flexibility that makes her job so refreshing and enticing.
As well as the opportunity to travel the world, military careers are also very fulfilling. "My job is hugely satisfactory, as it enables me to help people every day," says Zoe. "While there is always a danger aspect involved in any military career, the satisfaction you get from helping others outweights any fear."
And even on challenging days, Zoe assured us that "there's a real community spirit, which gets everyone through tough times. I've made some amazing friends for life during my career so far. It's so easy to make friends because you all have something in common before you even know each other - and that is being part of the military."
As a leading example that life in the army for a woman is just as fulfilling, successful and thrilling as it would be for any male counterparts, Zoe highly recommends the military workplace. And here's some lasting advice from her for those of you considering signing up: "Run, run and run! Defintely focus on improving your physical fitness in preparation for the entry fitness tests. Turn up with a good attitude and a sense of humour, and make the most of every opportunity presented to you." Noted!
Interested in a career in the Army? You should be! As well offering fulfilling, exciting roles that you won't find in any run-of-the-mill office, the Army are also one of the few employers with no gender pay gap! Find out more about how to kick-start your military career here.
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