Forces: Ex-Royal Marines
Graham T - Sergeant
"Don’t be afraid to go for it. If it is something that you are interested in there will probably be a course that you can do on it. Trust the advice that you are given because it works, and I am an example of that."
Background
Graham Turner left the Royal Marines in 2008, having served for 14 and a half years and reached the rank of Sergeant. Graham had a young family and decided that the time was right to leave and seek a better work/family/life balance.
During his time in the Marines, Graham worked as a Platoon Weapons Instructor (PW1), gaining experience in instructional technique training, leadership and running a training team, along with organisational and man management skills. Graham also achieved a number of formal qualifications, including an NVQ Assessors Award, a Licentiateship in Leadership & Management and a Certificate to Teach in Further and Adult Education. Graham says, “by being part of the Armed Forces you will already have a lot of the skills and attributes needed to be successful; they are very very strong qualities and they are qualities which I used as a crutch to make my change to civilian life”.
Resettlement
As part of his resettlement, Graham attended a Career Transition Workshop (CTW) at RRC Plymouth and says, “I cannot emphasise the importance of the preparation and support offered by the CTW and then by my RRC enough”. Graham admits that “I didn’t have a great deal of confidence in being able to find something that would fit my military skills. Instead the CTW allowed me to realise that I possessed a powerful by-product from my various specialisation courses, and that was the ability to instruct.”
Graham attended a number of one-to-one sessions with his Career Consultant, firstly at Plymouth and later at Catterick. He says “I found the knowledge and experience they possessed, coupled with the preparation received at the CTW, gave me a great deal of confidence and allowed me to realise my goals.” Graham also made use of RightJob and the CTP website, saying that “it was easy to navigate around and there are a number of useful features on it to help your transition to civilian life.”
Having identified an area in which he could put his skills to good use, Graham says, “I looked at my interests and decided that I would like to know more about IT, so I applied for a teaching position with an IT company”. Graham participated in a telephone interview with a company called Zenos, but was unfortunately unsuccessful; he says that “I thanked the interviewer for their time and acknowledged that my lack of experience in this area went against me, so I moved onto other areas in the IT field.”
Outcome
Graham attended several other interviews, and says “I followed the advice and guidance given to me by the CTW and my RRC Career Consultant”; having been shortlisted for one role with another company, he was then contacted again by Zenos and invited to attend an interview in Newcastle. Graham was this time successful and has now been with the company for almost four years. He works as a Senior Technical Trainer, teaching a level three advanced apprenticeship in IT, covering theory, practical, key skills, competence and industry specific vendor qualifications.
Graham says he initially faced obstacles due to his lack of experience and industry knowledge, but says “I was astounded by the number of ex-service men and women just in my company; they supported me through some difficult times and helped me when I needed it – you will not be on your own in that respect. I have been pleasantly surprised at the amount of support I got, which was sometimes unexpected but always very welcome.”
Graham has plenty advice for other Service leavers going through the resettlement process; he says “Don’t be afraid to go for it. If it is something that you are interested in there will probably be a course that you can do on it. Trust the advice that you are given because it works, and I am an example of that. Depending on your own expectations and goals, be prepared to put the extra time and effort in. It is probably going to be hard work, depending on your choice and previous specialisations and current aspirations. I am not especially gifted in any area but I was prepared to succeed and that was my goal; my focus was maintained by the needs of my family and being able to support them.”
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