advice needed please

Hello everyone,i would like to ask some advice on working abroad(middle east,iraq etc)
i served 7 rs in the infantry,sniper for 5 yrs,done a tour of bosnia and N.I and various other countrys training

i have been doing Surveillance for the last 9rs uk and overseas

ime looking for a change now and would like some convoy work or camp security as i have not done a c.p course as yet

have i been away from the militry too long? will it be hard having not done a tour there before?

i still enjoy surveillance greatly but need a change,ime sure you all know what i mean,itchy feet and all!

many thanks diggerg

If you want to do convoys i would recommend you do a HECPO/PSD and/or CET course mate. Convoys are no walk in the park and you really should ask around on the site for advise from those who have been on them.

You will get lots of sound advise from guys on here.

You might consider a PM to mickworldwide who has over four yrs as operator and TL on convoys.... he would be glad to give you some pointers.

cheers mate,some of the lads ive worked with say the same,i suppose it would be a "does the money outweigh the risk" sort of thing

money is not what it was ..... not trying to put you off understand but give it lots of thought.

I'm sure money is not what Morrigan was talking about... convoy guys do not earn a fortune and I've seen some jobs in the UK- regular, low drag, low risk- that are paid a lot better. With convoys- I used to work convoys as well, so I know what fun(?) they can be- the risk far outweighs the reward. They are a good starting point if you want to break into the Psd market, you'll get opportunities to network.
But, on a day to day basis consider the following points; if you're lucky you eat dust all day- possibly 16 hours plus; if you're unlucky you get contacts. The worst case I've seen are the fuel convoys in the early days, slow and very explosive targets!
I am not trying to put you off, but convoys are unlike anything else you'll have seen or done. As Morrigan suggested get a HECPO course done- including live firing- and I would suggest looking at Afghanistan as a start- check out EODT, Hart Group, Compass( they were recruiting recently, a recruit on a regular basis) and Armorgroup.
All in all though convoys can be great, or they can be shit- it depends on how lucky-or good- you are.

Agree with Roadhog,

Mate As Morrigan stated I was a long time on convoys as a T/L and it is at best great comeraderie. The downside is that the hours are long , the job is dangerous , the cash is ok (company dependant) but the risks definately outweigh the rewards.
I found that the opposite of how RH described it and in fact it was a lot of the more experienced guys in country that were moved onto convoys as it is a lonely place to start the career being one expat in a team of LNs and TCNs with little or no room for error.
Do a HECPO, brush up your nav skills , learn as much as possible about tracking devices, such as Track 24 , Sat phones , HF radio sets and a bit of knowledge about the routes and some of the various contracts and mistakes learnt the hard way by others.
In country if you are destined for convoys , make sure you train every eventuality with the LNs etc, brakedowns especially... you will definately need that one LOL. Continuous training is a must, it may be the last thing the team wants to do after a long few days of on the road but it will undoubtedly save lives. Bad time in the middle of a contact on route mobile to discover that not everyone is on the same songsheet!!!
On a plus side you do get to see a lot of the country, and the rotations pass quickly as you are constantly on the road.
Try to get out in country on a Psd task to build your knowledge of the dos and donts and then if it takes your fancy move to CET.

thanks Roadhog and Mick,your advice is very much appreciated i have been told sabre are a good company,but dont know anyone who has worked for them

thanks again morrigan

No worries Roadhog, Sabre are a good company, they tend to operate in low profile moves which is a skill in itself. I know several of my former team mates that work for them currently and with the exception of a few admin blunders they are very happy with it.
Rotations are good, pay is ok and the teams seem to be full of good lads.
Not heard anything negative to the contrary.

You are very welcome..... take care.

Thanks very much mick