Finding work after a military career

Finding suitable and fulfilling work after a military career is a key part of a successful transition.

The MoD Service Leavers Guide explains the discharge process and details the support options available for finding a job after the military. Familiarising yourself with this guide is an important start to the resettlement process.

The Career Transition Partnership are contracted to provide resettlement support, career transition advice and training opportunities to service leavers. Their support will start at the beginning of the resettlement process and will reach two years after discharge. Their jobs portal, Right Job is the place to access helpful advice and thousands of searchable job opportunities.

RFEA The Forces Employment Charity provides employment support to the Career Transition Partnership and also provides lifelong employment support, careers advice and job opportunities for all ex-military personnel and their family members.

RFEA, also assists spouses of service personnel and veterans, (including divorced and separated spouses), through the RFEA Families Programme.

All clients are assigned a personal advisor, who is also the spouse of a serving person, and they deliver bespoke 1:1 holistic employment focused support, face to face / community (pre-COVID), online, telephone and through interactive online events such as our successful ‘Empowering you’ series (in collaboration with employers and speakers from the Armed Forces business community) webinars with Forces Families Jobs, radio Q&A and live chats.

There is information available via social media (Facebook @RFEATheForcesEmploymentCharity) and there is a recently launched Instagram account too.

If you are unable to find work straight away, there is support with job search and benefits from the Job Centre Plus network. This network is operated by the Department for Work & Pensions (DWP) and offers a range of support for the ex-military. They also have designated armed forces champions who act as a point of contact for veterans and family members, acting to ensure they get the support they need.