Publication:Sea Talk Spring 2008/Rejoining Navy after life on the ‘outside’
By Annie Casey
The reasons why some permanent Navy members choose to leave and re-enlist differ but interestingly the reasons people choose to comeback often have a common theme.
I spoke with a variety of re-enlistees and to gain an insight into reasons behind those significant personal life and career choices. Job satisfaction was a factor which featured prominently.
Experienced Navy member POET Mick Hindmarsh served for 11 years and worked “outside” for 11 years and then decided to return four years ago. His reasons for leaving were various, but included feeling he “needed a break” after being in the Gulf for two trips. He was a bit worn out and he wanted to start a family.
He’s now 44 years old, but back in 1992 he “didn’t feel right or ready” to re-enlist, and thought he needed to have a look at civilian life.
Mick initially worked for a telecommunications company, and then, with a considerable financial incentive being offered, he worked for a private contractor in Saudi Arabia, for 3½ years.
But he remarked “always in the back of my mind there was a slight regret at getting out” - he was aware that he had enjoyed the work and his job satisfaction was quite high. Another factor looking back was “the knowledge of where I may have been promoted to now, if I’d stayed.”
One of the features he grew to miss about Navy life was the work environment - the culture: he noted that it was a really different culture in civilian life and he missed the teamwork aspects of the Navy world.
I put it to Mick that the civilian world can be “dog-eat-dog” or “every man for himself” and he agreed. He had been used to Navy people looking after and looking out for each other.
In time he headed back to the Navy deciding to take a pay cut to revisit the kind of job satisfaction that he remembered while working in the Navy. He re-enlisted in May 2004.
WOMT Michael Burrows had served in the Navy for 21 years when he discharged in 1997 and worked for 7 years outside. He re-enlisted in April 2003 and was promoted to WO in minimum time on his return to Navy.
Initially he returned to patrol boats as the chief engineer in HMAS Dubbo only six weeks after re-enlisting and he is due to join HMAS Perth as ship’s WO in December.
Currently he is heading up a new program for the Navy, advanced skills and outplacement manager.
WO Burrows left the Navy for “family reasons” and a bit of the old adage “get out before you’re 40” also played a part (to be more employable in the civilian world).
Once out, he discovered age was not really a factor as his managerial skills were highly sought after and he had no problems finding work. He worked as an operations manager for an equipment hire firm in Cairns.
But a source of dissatisfaction in that work environment/culture was the lack of recognition of seniority, including the acknowledgement of training, experience, skills and judgement which comes with rank. He saw that “for the other civvies it was just a job.”
When WO Burrows personal circumstances changed he headed back to Navy and he said: “I realized Navy is what I enjoyed doing most. I missed the camaraderie and the respect that rank and qualifications commands from co-workers.”
At a different stage of life and career a 27-year-old leading seaman with a 19-month-old child, decided to leave the Navy after serving five and a half years. She chose not to re-enlist because of her pregnancy and as she was due for sea service. She decided she wanted a different kind of life and chose to remain ashore to enjoy her new baby and family life.
After maternity and recreation leave she discharged, and then served for only nine days in the reserve pool prior to taking up her current continuous full time service (CFTS) contract for one year - and she has just signed on for a further two years.
“The option to return immediately after discharge from Permanent Navy into the Reserve stream of the Navy is not commonly known,” she said, “however I was fortunate as I had friends in the reserve cell that made me aware of the opportunity for me and my family.” She added: “My dad had also done something similar when I was younger and he returned to the Permanent Navy at a later date.”
Her decision to come back was made easier because her husband was able to look after their baby prior to placement in childcare.
The more flexible working arrangements are what the LS found most attractive about returning to Navy work as a reservist. She felt more in control about the hours she chose to work and when she could finish.
Her husband has recently joined her in returning to the Navy as a Reservist, also coming back under CFTS.
They are also likely to fulfil sea-going Service obligations down the track and can volunteer if they wish to. A major advantage to their new family life is the dual income and the other benefits their work in Navy provides.
To find out more about Navy’s flexible employment options, contact your divisional officer, local career management centre or the DSCM/DNOP reserve cell.
