Howdy.
I'm thinking of joining up with the NZ territorials after I graduate from university. Learn to fight, modern-style, so to speak [img]smile.gif[/img] Now, I'm just wondering as to whether anyone has any experience in this field (whether in the NZ army or in similar outfits in armies of other nations) and whether you could fill me in on what your take on it is. I'm no career-soldier, but I'd like to be able to fight should the need arise. So, worth signing up?

The army is usually for folks WHILE they're going to college to help pay for it [img]tongue.gif[/img]

if you graduate from University I recomend you see the DOD about a job, the pay is better and the physical work is obviously alot less [img]tongue.gif[/img] But don't think it's all bran flakes and paper pushing either (well it is alot of that but not ALL that) [img]tongue.gif[/img] Just a suggestion, depends on what your degree is in though...

On a career level, I'm pretty much definately going to be a History/Classics/Social Studies teacher at High-School level. However, I've only just cottoned on to the fact that the territorial reserves might be perfect for my idea of what military service should be (ie: training up to defend your homeland if it's ever in crisis), thus I havn't thought about joining up until now. Now, instead of buying all of the state-sponsered advertising at face value, I'm just wondering as to what people's real experiences with the reserves are before I commit myself.

I don't know about NZ, but around here in CA it's pretty much a farce. Funding is very scarce, even for regular military and the training suffers because of it.

I know a lot of people who were in for a while and quit because they couldn't achieve anything worthwhile.

A farce? Hmmm. As in, not worth joining at all?
I don't want to join the army as a career, I just want to be trained on how to shoot a rifle and throw a grenade should the need ever arise [img]smile.gif[/img]

Like I said, someone from NZ could tell you better, but if you don't have money for bullets it's kinda hard to teach somebody how to shoot. [img]tongue.gif[/img]