Leaving the Forces during a Recession (My Story)

I left the forces during the 2008/09 financial crisis. Now, in 2023 it seems we’re in for another period of hard times. I thought it would be helpful for forces leavers today to hear my story.

I PVR’d (Premature Voluntary Release) at the beginning of 2008 and had to serve a 12 month notice period before being formally discharged in early 2009. That year while working my notice period we had a new starter arrive on camp, he had left the forces and re-joined as he was unable to find a job.

This guy would tell me regularly how difficult it was in civvy street and that “there aren’t any jobs out there mate. It’s a recession!” I remember disliking our conversations but at the time I wasn’t sure why; he was trying to help by giving me advice (or so I thought!). Looking back now, he had a very twisted view of the world and had assumed I shared his view. His thought processes were based around ‘what can the world offer me’ as opposed to ‘what can I offer the world’. This is a major problem!

Although we were very different people in terms of mindset and our view of the world. He did have a point...The world was going through the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression of 1929. To give myself the best chance of success I volunteered for two back-to-back tours of Afghanistan. There were a couple of reasons for this…

Firstly, it would give me the ability to save some extra cash. Secondly, it would also bring forward my last day on camp (due to acquiring extra leave days). This meant I could clear camp and still be paid by the MOD for longer. My plan was to use this time to find a job, something that paid enough for me to get by; I could then re-evaluate what it was I wanted to do with my life.

As it happened, I started working for a rail company before I had officially left the forces. Not only was I getting paid by two employers (albeit for a very limited time) but the money I was earning in the railway was a lot more than the forces were paying me. I couldn’t believe it! All that talk of the world ending and I'm doing better than ever.

I was working a contract position in North London on £20.82/hour* and averaging 60 hours a week. After paying £600PCM for a room in a house share, weekly travel to/from London and tax I was still earning at least 3x my forces salary. I'd never been paid on this basis before, the more I worked the more I got paid...what a crazy idea that is!

* Please note: This pay rate is from 2009, today tit would be much higher.

Without sounding like a total arsehole, I didn’t feel the effects of the recession at all. I understand my personal circumstances were a major contributor to this. I didn’t have any children, no mortgage, no debts etc. Most importantly I had the freedom and inclination to work anywhere I liked, I was happy to travel or relocate for the right job.

The point I’m trying to make is that your circumstances are personal to you. The narratives in society during hard times (such as recessions) is that everyone is struggling, and no one is making anything of themselves…everything is fucked! Obviously, this is not the case... Some people gain, some lose. Certain sectors, industries, businesses do better than others. Nothing in life is all good or all bad, there are Pro’s and Con’s to everything.

Do some research and you’ll find that companies such as PureGym, Graze, Poundland & PC World (Disney, IBM, FedEx in the US) were all started during 'hard times'. I’m not expecting the average forces leaver to relate to these; however, I'm hoping you can see my point and maybe you're able to relate to my story.

As I said, your circumstances are personal to you. Some would say I was lucky, and that is 100% true however…it’s not the whole story. Working 60-hour weeks, studying train manuals in the evenings and weekends wasn’t luck...This was hard work, in the right direction at the right time that paid off.

Anyway, for people thinking of leaving the forces I hope this helps. Stay positive, keep your head down, crack on, be a giver, not a taker and don’t let others scare you with their horror stories.

If you’re leaving the forces and thinking about a job in the railway please get in touch with me, I’m more than happy to answer any of your questions. Just send me a direct message on LinkedIn.

Contact Me