When Is The Right Time To Think About Career Transition?
Posted on 29th May 2023 at 14:35
Transitioning from the forces affects the entire family, not just the serving member.
In 1996, three weeks into what should have been a three-year tour in Celle, Germany.
The news came that my husband had been accepted onto his Artificer course in October of that year and would join the regiment in Celle on an operational tour in the coming months.
Moving back to England was our 8th house move in 14 years. It was also refreshing to be accepted by the Army to move our three children back to the UK by myself for stability while my husband went out on tour.
Not knowing anyone in Bordon Hampshire, we developed confidence and resilience in building a life around us. Living in a place we all agree now is one of our best postings because we were allowed to stay for three years.
I had a full-time position within a remarketing company, and felt settled for the first time in what seemed years.
Talking about life outside the army years was brief and only partially accepted other than we knew this would happen.
Then one day, while loading a collection request at work for an address in our hometown in Nottinghamshire, I felt a level of homesickness that I never felt before.
The feeling of needing our own home and putting our children's and my needs first didn't go away, and we agreed to move our family back home in 2000 and buy our first home.
With seven years left of an army career for my husband, I was fortunate to move internally with my employment, children settled in school, making friends and having full family support while my husband carried on the career he loved. This worked well for us all.
Even though we were transitioning as a family then, it didn't feel like a career transition as we were in the same employment. On reflection, we had started our family and my husband's transition of leaving the Army seven years before his leaving.
What I have learnt from this experience is,
To develop a clear plan.
Transitioning from the forces is for all the family, not just the serving member.
To understand emotions and feelings that can affect you or a member of your family simultaneously.
Accountability.
Career transitioning can be challenging and exciting at the same time.
When should you start thinking and action transitioning out of a serving career?
Is transitioning out of the forces something you and your family will do in the coming months or years?
Are you prepared for this?
We at RTSC know this can be a challenging time for you, and more importantly, it affects the entire family and can leave every family member missing a life that they have to leave behind.
Working with us, we will help you develop a personal or family development plan central to your family's requirements.
Coaching support can be over several sessions or longer term if needed. Sessions can be held online, remotely, or at our offices in Mansfield Woodhouse.
If you are looking for support with career transition for you and your family, go to our contact page and leave your details or book a call with Annette to discuss how we can help you.
Warmest Wishes
Annette
Tagged as: Armed Forces
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