Tim Burton, head of operations for the Welsh Rugby Union, responsible for recruitment, is an ex-Army officer with 12 years’ experience. He undertook various roles from platoon commander to finally being responsible for education and training, but left the Army in 1995 when he decided to marry and settle. According to Burton, the transition to his first civilian role as a consultant was seamless, he had spent much of his work in the Army advising on resettlement. But the attitudes he experienced left him a little perturbed. “There are stereotypical prejudices from some employers towards military personnel,” he says. “When I first came out of the Army, I went along and spoke to a couple of recruitment companies and headhunters. Their immediate response was: ‘you’re a squaddie’ – they don’t understand the difference between the many Army roles and there is no comprehension of the skillset. “Businesses only seem to have two types of experience – either fantastic, or a disaster. That’s the impression that came across.” Burton is quick to point out the advantages of taking on ex-Armed forces personnel. “There is a ‘can-do’ attitude – the vast majority of military people possess that. Because training is key to what they have to deliver, they have to have up-to-date, relevant skills that are easily transferable. My background teaches you not to panic and come up with plans quickly. If Army staff have come from a trade background, such as engineering, that’s an obvious transferable skill, which has been honed in an extremely difficult environment.” So like so many others Tim Burton agrees that the skills that are gained during service in the armed forces would be a benefit to any organisation. The only stumbling block it would seem is the misconception by some that any ex-armed forces personnel, especially in the last 4 or 5 years, will have mental problems due to tours in certain areas of the world. So does this mean that we need to emphasise the skills that are attractive to future employers but at the same time play down the service side of life? If we do, does this mean that that by telling only half of the story of who we are and how we came to be, we are selling ourselves short?
“Acceptance is not submission; it is acknowledgement of the facts of a situation. Then deciding what you’re going to do about it.” Kathleen Casey Theisen
Our thanks go to Wonderlane for the thought provoking photo
