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Retirement age

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Sorry if this has been answered before, but I was just wondering, if I am lucky enough to make it into the Legion, if I find I absolutely love it, how long realistically can you serve? Is there a max age, I know the max joining age is 39 ½, but how much longer can you serve? Thanks in advance.
 

Le petit caporal

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Pension is given after 17½ years of service. There is an age limit for officiers (officers), sous-officiers (NCOs) and militaires du rang (caporaux-chefs and below). Not sure for now, but I'll find out soon.

Imagine : if you join up at the age of 39½, you might well do your initial contract of 5 years but anything further is truly exceptionnel and even more so, if you are a militaire du rang.

The French army, actually, experiences a low level of fidélisation, that is a low level of re-enlisement (in particular amongst specialists). This since the decision to increase the number of years of service required to have a pension from 15 to 17½. Talk about backfire. This new method is counter productive. ..imo!

If only i hadn't lost Waterloo...
El Cheb
 

GSP

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(...) The French army, actually, experiences a low level of fidélisation, that is a low level of re-enlisement (in particular amongst specialists). This since the decision to increase the number of years of service required to have a pension from 15 to 17½. Talk about backfire. This new method is counter productive. ..imo! (...)
I guess they don't want to pay pensions. Now in the real world what's the average # of contracts a legionnaire does? 2?
 

Le petit caporal

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I guess they don't want to pay pensions. Now in the real world what's the average # of contracts a legionnaire does? 2?
Not sure, but if the ranks are 60 % Russian speaking... I guess, probably just one contract of 5 years, to get the carte de séjour (residency permit).
 

Joseph Cosgrove

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Not sure, but if the ranks are 60 % Russian speaking... I guess, probably just one contract of 5 years, to get the carte de séjour (residency permit).
I'm afraid that is the sad truth. When the wall came down and they started trickling in at first, they weren't too bad. Then word got out and they flooded in. Oh, they are easy enough to command but no initiative and no wild p*ss ups in the foyer or mad binges out on town. Shame really.
 

Le petit caporal

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Have been seeing some down my way recently. They were on PLD (permission de longue durée, long-term leave): big German cylindres and a pocket full of pretty green. None in the bars. WTF (different mentality for sure).
 

dusaboss

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Not sure, but if the ranks are 60 % Russian speaking... I guess, probably just one contract of 5 years, to get the carte de séjour (residency permit).
Is that data for Russians only or all Slavs included? Looks too high.
 

Le petit caporal

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Russian speaking means Russia, Belarus, Ukraine and some other countries of the former USSR. Have heard that if you are not a NCO (sous-off' ) or a valuable specialist of some kind (radio op, mechanics, etc.) you will probably not be re enlisted after 8 years. This is how it always worked in the ‘regular’. We have ex French paras, or Marine Infantry types, who join the Legion after they have done a 8 year service.
Heard also, French count for only 7% of the Legion intake today. The Army just does not attract: shit pay, shit food, shit job and now 17 ½ yrs for a small pension. Any wannabe who speaks some French has a bit more chance in joining, imo.
It will help too for promotion and courses and reenlistment.
 
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