The Ministry of Defence has revealed that the estimated cost of training a regular army recruit at the Army Training Centre in Pirbright is approximately £47,800 per person.
This figure includes costs associated with staff, accommodation, logistics, and other related expenses, according to an answer provided by Luke Pollard, Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Defence, in response to a written question from James Cartlidge, MP for South Suffolk.
The cost covers the delivery of the Basic Training course, formally known as the Common Military Syllabus Future Soldier, which all Standard Entry recruits complete upon joining the Army.
A detailed breakdown of the costs is as follows:
| Cost Category | Cost (£thousands) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Clothing | 2.0 | |
| Ammunition | 0.4 | |
| Trainee Pay | 12.2 | |
| Other Stock consumption | 0.4 | Includes ration packs and respirators |
| Workforce | 18.8 | Direct and indirect workforce costs for both military and civilian staff |
| Infrastructure | 11.8 | Accommodation and training facilities |
| Administration Overhead | 2.2 | |
| Total | 47.8 |
A significant portion of the costs, £18,800, is allocated to workforce expenses, which include the salaries of both military and civilian staff involved in the training process. Infrastructure costs, which cover accommodation and training facilities, amount to £11,800. Trainee pay during the course totals £12,200.
Other costs include £2,000 for clothing and £400 for ammunition, along with £400 for consumables such as ration packs and respirators. Administrative overheads add a further £2,200 to the overall expenditure.
Pollard noted that these are the latest available figures, based on financial year 2023-24 data.
The significant investment in each recruit underscores the Army’s commitment to ensuring that new soldiers are well-prepared for the demands of military service. The training programme at Pirbright is a crucial step in developing the skills and knowledge necessary for recruits to thrive in the Army, with costs reflecting the resources required to maintain high training standards.
Worth every cent.
So if the starting salary is £25k per year, explain how they work out trainee pay is £12k for a 13 week course? Basic maths says it should be around £6k half that stated. I wonder what other errors are in these ‘detailed’ figured…
Don’t seem expensive.
Isn’t basic training about 12 weeks?
No way are recruits paid £1k a week.
12k as an average does seem high but something you’ve not considered:
Phase 1 is 13 weeks minimum (Or if you prefer it as a pay statement: 6.5k minimum). It can easily be longer than that due to either back squadding, or injury. If someone has an injury that needs six months to heal, suddenly Phase 1 isn’t 13 weeks, it’s more like 40, or £18,000 in pay.
Now obviously there aren’t huge numbers of people needing six months of recovery, but only a few can bump the number up, especially if a median instead of a mean average is being taken.
I think you may find that includes employers no & other associated cost for employing someone.
Basic training is a minimum of 26 weeks that extends for other specialised types of training like Parachute training etc . After 26 weeks if you join the Army to do a specific trade , then your trade training starts , the length of trade training differs but is generally 2 years of training , plus throughout a soldiers career you can do a multitude of further courses related to your chosen trade or unrelated courses .
In the British Army everyone is a Soldier First and a Tradesperson Second .
Nope. Phase 1 is 13 weeks, you are confusing Phase 1 training with the Infantries combined Phase 1 and 2 Course which is 26 weeks.
(Phase 1 is “Basic Training” while Phase 2 is your trade training, in the Infantry as Trade is just an elaboration of Basic it gets put together. A easy mistake to make except that the aritcle specifically says it’s about Phase 1 training at ATC Pirbright: No Infantry train at Pirbright).
I don’t know anyone who has required 2 years of training, except vocational specialties such as Nurses that require University degrees. My training was one of the longer ones and even that was only in the 40 week mark.
Lions led by donkeys.
Why that comment?
If it was Ze Germans it would be donkeys led by lions, I hope that clears it up for you. 👍😎