How To Join The Parachute Regiment

Everybody dreams of doing something they can really be proud of. Making it through the selection process for the parachute regiment is one of these things. It is tough and only the best will make it. That is why it is a challenge that anyone can brag about if they manage to conquer it. Not just anyone can do it and it takes some specialist preparation. The famous saying "failure to prepare is preparing to fail" has never been truer than when you apply to join this elite military regiment. The first step is clearly, knowing what to expect.

Many people applying to join the parachute regiment today are in their last year of university but it is possible to come from school or civilian life. You must be under 25 years old and you must know what you are letting yourself in for. If you are not someone with a bit of spark and initiative and if you are not mentally and physically tough, then do yourself a favour and do not try to join this military regiment.

To give you an idea of the kinds of things you will be required to do in training let us look at the common commissioning course that is undertaken by all cadets wishing to join the paras. It is actually three fourteen week terms. Each one is a challenge in itself. In between, you get three weeks leave or a lifetime of leave if you have failed to pass that section. Even on leave you will be expected to take part in what the army calls adventurous training, this consists things like rock climbing and scuba diving.

Once this phase of training is complete, you will head into the Pre Selection Course or P company. This is where things get really tough. It is a three-week course designed to weed out weak candidates. The first section of the course is termed the buildup phrase and is mainly a lot of forced marching with rifles and loads of gym work. There is a reason for this, the test phase starts on the second Thursday and this is when things really hot up.

The first test is the Steeplechase, a three-kilometer obstacle course. After that is the daunting log race where eight men co-operate to carry, a 72kg log a certain distance. The rest of this includes a ten-mile bash, an assault course and the all important boxing ring. No one who flinches or dodges need apply. The next stage is even harder and includes an endurance march of twenty nine kilometers in full webbing carrying rifle and rucksack. The pass out for P company is about forty five percent. Less than half.

If you want to be in the successful half of these men then you are going to need help. The best way to pass is to get invaluable advice from people who know. People who have been through it and passed with flying colours. They can help you to do the same and give you the edge you need to beat the competition.