Managing Your Training

Initial training in the Army Reserve is 58 days, divided into four separate modules which may be completed consecutively or staggered over a period of up to two years to allow for work or family commitments.

Below are three charts which represent different options for completing your Initial Training, depending upon how much time you can make available to commit to this training.

Completing Your Initial Training

These charts represent examples of some of the options open to a Soldier joining the Army Reserve in 2009.

Option One: Complete Initial Training in One Block

Option Two: Complete Initial Training over One Year

Option Three: Complete Initial Training over Two Years

Post Initial Training

Once you have become a fully trained Army Reserve Soldier, you will generally be expected to attend a minimum of 6-8 training weekends per year as well as a two week exercise known as an AFE or Annual Field Exercise.

You will be informed of training dates for both weekend training and your AFE well in advance, to give you the opportunity to balance this against your other commitments, but as a rule, you should expect to be able to commit to at least 20 days of training per year, which includes the AFE.

If at some stage in your career you find that your other commitments become too much to continue to train effectively with the Army Reserve, provision exists for periods of leave from training ranging from 3 months to 2 years.