Geoffrey se sent “cheated“. A handyman, this inhabitant of Huldenberg is the proof that one can succeed in life without having the slightest diploma. However, he was refused the job of his dreams in the army.
“I started working around 15, I launched my first company at 20 and my second at 21″, he says. Launched into life at 200 km/h, it was “seven-day weeks, never resting.”
But the pressure eventually caught up with him and forced him to change his ways. “Two years ago, I changed everything”, remembers the one who had several employees in his company. Today, more employees, and weeks with weekends, “a real novelty for me”confides this feller-pruner.
During his transition phase, Geoffrey passed his CE license (for trucks). He also wanted to realize his childhood dream: to join the army. “I applied three or four times altogether. When I was younger, I failed sports tests. I could go in, but in things that I didn’t really like and I think I wasn’t ready yet.”
“Too old”
Towards the end of April this year, an advertisement posted on the Indeed temporary employment site caught his attention. “I saw a job posting for army truck drivers. I thought I would try to apply again”. Unfortunately for him, he will be refused again. The cause is quite simple:I am too old.”
Aged 35, Geoffrey does not fit into the admission criteria which set 30 as the maximum age for taking up this position.
“I do not understand very well. They say everywhere that we need personnel in the army and they tell me that”plague the thirty-something who believes that the reasoning is “absurd”. “I find it hard to imagine that we could take an 18-year-old who comes out of school, who doesn’t necessarily have [cet amour du métier], but just looking for a job. It’s not ‘just’ a job. We talk about defending a country, restoring the image of our army and so on”he adds, making his patriotic fiber speak.
“Un truck driver like me who has a certain sporting rigor, who knows how to use machines and who is self-questioning. I thought I was really cut out for this job“, regrets Geoffrey who believes that “cIt’s silly to tell all-go that we are looking for people, but that we do not look at the profiles.”
Soon no more diploma at all
“There are strict rules, we are told on the Defense side. “For soldiers, the maximum age is set at 30 years. Drivers are soldiers first and foremost.”
In fact, on the list of Defense job offersthe word “soldier” accompanies each sought-after profession (technician, driver, storekeeper, paramedic, etc.).
In addition to the age criterion, it is required to have its CEB to apply as a soldier. A demand “which will disappear next year”, we are told. From 2023, it will therefore be possible to apply without having any diploma in one’s possession.
However, to be a non-commissioned officer, the CESS is compulsory and to be an officer, a bachelor’s degree (or master’s degree) is required.
Criteria that are setby politicians”, explains our source at the Defense. Like Geoffrey, some candidates are frustrated and find the situation unfair. “Some even write to the Minister of Defence”, to show their displeasure, she continues.
The army wants to recruit “2,500 people per year” mainly for technician positions “for the maintenance of planes, boats, etc.doctors or paracommandos.
