SFFP - I have to disagree there. We - the armed forces - should not be asking people to pay for their own training and then having to claim it back because the system cannot be bothered to sort the administration of said training out.
During the early days of TELIC when people were having to buy their own kit and then claim the costs back, there was a huge outcry about how the system was failing individuals. So how is this different? Just replace buying boots with buying training. Now, personally, the cost of the training is not an issue for me, fortunately my credit card will take the strain. But bearing in mind we are approaching Christmas, what if a junior SAC had been told the same thing? "Off you go Bloggs, it's an important course you'll need to do your job in theatre. But can you please cover the costs until we can decide if and how we will pay you back?" What does a junior SAC / Cpl say to a senior staff officer who has just told them that? Do they become potentially financially stretched in order to comply with that order?
This is less about me having to pay out several hundred pounds and more about a distasteful system that shows a complete distain for those it is there to support. We are supposed to be an expeditionary force, focussed on operations. Unfortunately that system is completely trashed, operations are rapidly taking a back seat to admin and hoop jumping which are the order of the day.
Tankertrash - as for the troll, I'm sure it will be removed eventually, but I'm not going to lose sleep over it. I actually chuckled when I read the accompanying PM - at least he / she can spell which is more than a lot of first time posters on here these days! However,if he / she wants to embarrass themselves, showing their ignorance and general lack of understanding of the system that we are trying to operate in and how it is broken almost beyond repair, then that is their call.