“After spending over 7 years in the Royal Marines I was medically discharged. I started looking for and applying for jobs in 2016. I applied to over 100 job adverts with no luck. Opening an email beginning, 'thanks for your recent application but in this instance you have not been successful' was becoming the norm and it was not a great feeling."
Gavin Ball became my assigned careers advisor and he re-enrolled me with RFEA. He was a great help and was just what I needed when I was stuck in a rut. He listened to my skills and interests and sent me regular emails with jobs that would best match my needs.
They gave me an interview and offered me a job the same day. It was great and I’ve now started my training and looking forward to a new career.
I spent 15 years as a Petty Officer in the Royal Navy and received a Commendation for Bravery award.
I was young and I had never seen a dead body before or even attended a funeral. I remember pulling dead bodies from the sea and the one that I left behind haunted me. After leaving the Navy, I started to wonder whether I had made the right decision, and although I did not know it at the time, I was suffering with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
My road to recovery started; after being referred to the Veteran’s hospital I was introduced to Rachel from The Poppy Factory. We looked for opportunities in areas that interested me and I was keen to experience life in a different way. Now I am in a job that I enjoy and feel like I am giving to society rather than taking.