Introduction

This section of the Stay Army Web Site is aimed at providing information and links which are generally of interest to full time serving soldiers.

SMART SOLDIERS THINK ABOUT THEIR FUTURE

Being a soldier is more than just a job – if you're looking to build a rewarding career then you're in the right place. With regular chances for promotion and the challenge of extra responsibility, Army can help you fulfil your potential.

Deciding what to do with your life isn't easy, and you might decide that your future is not with Army. Before you go any further, think carefully about all of your options and take five to weigh up what you have going for you as a soldier.

This booklet has been produced to give you a better idea of what Army can offer you, now and in the future. Give it a read, and talk to your family and mates or the Retention Team within your region if you need advice.

Whatever you decision, it's better to do it with your eyes open.

The Army Retention Team can be contacted at army.tradetransferteam@defence.gov.au

THE CHALLENGES. You can push yourself to achieve incredible things in Army. How many civilian employers give you that chance?		THE LIFESTYLE. Just by doing your job every day, you are leading an active, outdoor lifestyle – with your mates.
JOB SECURITY. Not to mention the laughs, the sport, the travel and been part of a great team.		MEMBERSHIP. The opportunity to contribute to a unique institution.

When you made the decision to join Army you left one family behind and gained another, your unit, regiment or corps. The friends you have made will be your friends for life, because you have worked, trained and lived with them in all conditions, and because you have shared similar experiences. It's difficult to think of another job where you could make such close lasting friendships.

But your mates aren't the only support you have as a soldier. The Army provides numerous opportunities to all soldiers, those who wish to advance their careers quickly and those soldiers who prefer taking one-step at a time. Army can support you in many ways; this brochure will touch on a number of them. If you have the talent and ambition, the benefits as you progress through your career are substantial.

The Army is there for you and your family in more ways than you've probably thought of.

Detailed information can be found at http://www.defence.gov.au/dco/

ACCOMMODATION

Defence provides various forms of accommodation and housing assistance. If not required to live on base, or you have dependents, Defence provides various forms of housing assistance to support you. Most assistance is a subsidy, which basically means that you will have to pay a partial contribution towards the overall cost.

Service Residences Defence Housing Australia (DHA) manages service residences in all States and Territories of Australia. The new minimum standard of service residence from 1 July 2007 includes 3 bedrooms, ensuite, storage, kitchen, dining lounge, bathroom, toilet, laundry and single lock-up garage (except Darwin where a single carport is t he minimum). These homes are made available to members with dependants at rents substantially lower than current market levels. Rent levels are calculated on the classification of the home and the soldier's rank level. Homes managed by Defence Housing Australia are reviewed after ten years; this ensures that homes made available to soldiers meet community standards. Detailed information on Defence housing can be found at http://www.dha.gov.au/	Rental Allowance Rent Allowance subsidises the cost of renting a property in the private rental market. If you are approved for Rental Allowance, you can then find a suitable property in which you will be responsible for paying the rent to the landlord/agent. The Rental Allowance will be paid directly to you to help cover the cost of the rent. The amount of Rental Allowance paid is based on a number of factors such as your rank, rent ceiling, property rent, and number of occupants residing at the property. Soldiers who wish to share expenses and flat together receive less rental allowance; however, all receive a portion of the allowance. Detailed information on Rental Allowance can be found at defence housing or PACMAN Vol 2, Chap 7, Part 6 http://www.dha.gov.au/ http://www.defence.gov.au/dpe/pac/
Own Home If you own your home in your posted location, you are normally required to live in it, unless it doesn't meet Defence's minimum standards. Detailed information on owning your own home can be found at http://www.dhoas.gov.au/ http://www.dha.gov.au/

WANT TO BUY YOUR OWN HOME?

Defence might be able to help at competitive market rates.

Defence Home Ownership Assistance Scheme Legislation was introduced into Parliament to establish the Defence Home Ownership Assistance Scheme. The Defence Home Ownership Scheme commenced on 1 July 2008. This scheme will enable soldiers who have completed a minimum of four years continuous service, to qualify for a subsidised loan. The longer a soldier serves in the ADF, the greater the subsidy of the loan. Detailed information on the Defence Home Ownership Assistance Scheme can be found at http://www.dhoas.gov.au/		Home Purchase Assistance Scheme In addition to the DHOAS, eligible members of Army may also be entitled to a one-off taxable payment of $15,462, under Home Purchase Assistance Scheme. This amount is payable to eligible members to cover their first home purchasing costs such as legal expenses. Combine the payment of the Home Purchase Assistance Scheme and the State Government's First Home Owner Grant, to eligible members and the great Australian dream of purchasing a home is suddenly much closer.

SOME BENEFITS

MEDICAL

As an employee of Army, you are entitled to free medical and dental treatment. Doctors, dentists and nurses employed by Defence are trained to the highest standards of medical care and work in state-of-the-art facilities. Not only will you receive expert medical care, you will also qualify for any specialist treatment deemed necessary for your ongoing health.

Compared with medical benefit costs of approximately $5,200 per year, Army has you covered.

LEAVE

It's not head down tail up 24/7. Everyone in Army is entitled to 20 working days leave per year. You could also be entitled to five extra days leave to compensate for time spent carrying out official duties after hours, or on weekends. You are eligible for three months long service leave should you serve for 10 years.

MATERNITY LEAVE

Female members who become pregnant are entitled to 52 weeks maternity leave. For women who have served 12 months or more, the first 14 weeks are at full pay, the remainder will normally be unpaid maternity leave.

COMPASSIONATE LEAVE

Compassionate leave can be granted to deal with the death, very serious illness or serious illness of a close relative.

Other types of leave

Other types of leave available to soldiers include parental leave to assist soldiers to spend time with their newborn or adopted dependant child, career's leave to allow soldiers to provide direct care and support to a dependant who is sick, convalescence leave should you be injured, part-time leave without pay to allow soldiers to serve part-time in the Permanent Forces for a period, to meet family, study or other personal commitments. War service leave is an additional leave entitlement for a member who is on warlike service. It allows them to adjust to living back in Australia and to recover from the demands of that service.

ACCREDITATION

All soldiers have the chance to learn new skills during their military careers – a number these new skills could be very worthwhile “after Army”. The vast majority of courses conducted by Army have civilian accreditation ie, heavy vehicle licences, plant operators, medical assistants etc. Command, leadership and management courses also attract civilian accreditation.

EDUCATION

Soldiers do not have to dig deep to further their education. Army encourages soldiers to enhance their education qualifications and has several schemes to assist soldiers who wish to improve their level of education.

DEFENCE ASSISTED STUDY SCHEME

The Defence Assisted Study Scheme (DASS) exists to improve the in-service study opportunities for Australian Defence Force (ADF) personnel of all rank levels, and to encourage individuals to consider professional training and education options throughout their military career.
Members of the ADF may be eligible for work release for study and/or claim costs for fees and textbooks for approved study under DASS.
A further aim of the DASS is to support the Career Transition Assistance Scheme (CTAS) by assisting personnel to undertake courses that will help them in their transition to a new career following termination of service in the permanent force.

Full details of the Defence Assisted Study Scheme can only be obtained via the DRN.

TIME FOR A NEW DIRECTION

TRADE TRANSFER

Enjoying the lifestyle, mateship and camaraderie but your present job is becoming routine, mundane and not challenging? Army encourages soldiers who are becoming jaded with a particular job to consider a transfer. Those soldiers who are in non-technical trades are encouraged to consider a trade transfer to a technical trade. Yes, there is a draw back in that you are required to give a return of service obligation, however the positives are that you will learn a new skill, work on the latest equipment, work with people who share a similar interest and you will have the knowledge that the skills you gain will be employable in the civilian world when you do decide to separate.

Further details on trade transfers and/or reallocation policy can be found in DI (A) PERS 47-11 Career management of soldiers in the Australian Regular Army and Army Reserve

Further details on trade transfers can be found at:

http://www.defence.gov.au/army/scma/Transfer.htm

CORPS TRANSFER

The Chief of Army openly encourages all soldiers to serve longer, whether it is in their present corps or trade or in a different part of Army.

Soldiers can apply to corps transfer and retrain if they believe such a change may be in the interests of their career progression or may improve their job satisfaction.

Further details on trade transfers can be found at:

http://www.defence.gov.au/army/scma/Transfer.htm

SPECIAL FORCES

Want to take your career to another level?

Are you a volunteer for parachute training?

Want to train and work above the normal range and capability of other ADF elements?

Special Forces selection courses are conducted periodically throughout the year. If you are an aspiring applicant, wishing to attempt the SF selection course further information on the SF preparation guide can be obtained by contacting the Special Forces Training Centre at:

sftc.selection@defence.gov.au

Detailed information on Special Forces selection can be found by visiting the DRN stayARMY site.

OFFICER TRAINING

ROYAL MILITARY COLLEGE

If you're looking to challenge yourself mentally and physically and progress your career then a career as a General Service Officer, trained at the RoyalMilitaryCollege, Duntroon could be for you. A GSO is someone who is committed, shows initiative, works well in a team environment and has leadership potential. General Service Officer is the perfect option for anyone up to the challenge of assuming a leadership role.

Detailed information on Duntroon selection can be found at

http://www.defencejobs.gov.au/army/officersandmanagement/
http://www.defencejobs.gov.au/army/jobs/generalserviceofficer/

AUSTRALIAN DEFENCE FORCE ACADEMY

It's regarded as the ultimate training ground for Australia's future leaders. At the Australian Defence Force Academy (ADFA), you're setting yourself up for the rest of your life. You'll start by earning a recognised degree from the University of New South Wales in Engineering, Science, Arts, or Business and Technology, assisted by some of the finest teaching in the country. After you've graduated, you may be able to pursue a Graduate Diploma, Masters or Doctoral degree. Applications for the AustralianDefenceForceAcademy close once all positions are filled, some categories fill quickly. It is strongly advised that soldiers wishing to apply for ADFA do so early. Training commences in January of each year.

Further details on officer training can be found at:

http://www.defence.gov.au/adfa/
http://www.defencejobs.gov.au/education/adfa/

GRADUATE MEDICAL SCHEME

The Graduate Medical Scheme (GMS) allows personnel with a tertiary qualification to train for qualification as a medical practitioner and then serve in the Australian Defence Force (ADF) as a Medical Officer (MO). Successful applicants will undertake a four-year degree course at one of the Australian universities offering the graduate medical program. This will be followed by two years residency (internship) to be completed at a teaching hospital.

OFFICER TERTIARY RECRUIT SCHEME

The Officer Tertiary Recruitment Scheme (OTRS) is targeted at civilians currently studying a degree full-time at an approved Australian tertiary institution. The Army sponsors suitably qualified undergraduates through this scheme to meet the Service's need for tertiary qualified officers. Officer Tertiary Recruitment Scheme allows personnel currently studying at an Australian tertiary institution to qualify as a General Service Officer (GSO) in the Australian Regular Army. Successful applicants complete their studies while undertaking prescribed military training. On completion of their degree, members attend the Royal Military College—Duntroon (RMC–D) where they complete 12 months military training on the Full-Time (FT) General Service Officer First Appointment Course (FAC).

Further information on the Officer Tertiary Recruitment Scheme can be found in

http://www.defencejobs.gov.au/army/officersAndManagement/howToBecomeAnOfficer.aspx