Ok, that's about everything that you could want to know really then I guess.
1) The starting wage of a police constable is about £19,000+ in most forces but obviously you get more in the met police due to the cost of living! You would be looking at staying on this for about 2 years whilst in probation and then it goes up by £900-£1,000 for about ten years until it reaches the top line of about £31,000 as a constable, Sounds good but its not all singing and dancing. As you progress through the ranks the salary changes and that's why I said to stay on and get a degree of decent qualification. It will become clear the further on I go!
2) The chances of promotion are really quite good as it pretty much has little to do with who you are and more to do with how well you pass interviews and exams. If you are able to pass the sgt's exam and the board then you can get promoted within a short space of time. You
cannot get promoted whilst in probation which is the first two years but I have known people get their first promotion to sergeant at 3-4 years but they know very little at that point to be honest which isn't good at all. If you have a good education, like a degree then you may well be asked or you can apply for the higher potential development scheme which fast tracks promotions through the ranks and your career is structured for the ACPO ranks.
3) Special branch - Why have you thought of special branch from the off? Depending on the force area you are looking at joining will I guess depend on the chance of special branch. Over here where I am they look after all of the small ports and also the larger ports and thee main role is checking all foot passangers and vehicles that come and go. Once there you can often move about and see what the counter terrorism part is like but jobs are few and far between to be honest. The better option would actually be the counter terrorism unit like the one in Manchester police. I know a few people that have gone there who I worked with and they love it. Again though they look for people who already hold a rank or have done their cid aid and are detective constables therefore you would have to have been in cod at your parent force before joining.
There are always other options that are probably better and if there are any other members on here that either agree or disagree then please shout up and say as I only offer my opinion from what I see and hear.
1) Get a degree and join later whan you have some life skills behind you as you'll find it much easier to join when you have done and seen a little.
2) Have you thought of joining the
Rmp or just the army. They have a mass of avenues to explore when you are in and it would give you a good sound grounding. Remember the most important part of building a house is the foundation of which it is built on!
3) If you are going to go for the police and don't mind where you move to, pick a force which has a vast amount of avenues to explore and do your research before applying.
4) Listen to your peers. People with experience shouldn't be ignored as they have often been there and done most of it. You can always decide what to action after and it could save you a whole load of effort.
Remember - Just an opinion, are there any others out there on offer
Moomin
Joining police
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