Flexible Service: Lance Corporal Rosemarie Coetzer
Flexible Service allows me to do all of the things that are most important to me; serve society, spend more time with my family, and do a master鈥檚 degree.
Lance Corporal Rosemarie Coetzer. MOD Crown Copyright.
When I heard that Flexible Service had made part-time working in the armed forces possible, I saw an opportunity to do all of the things that are most important to me; serve society, spend more time with my family, and do the master鈥檚 degree I鈥檝e been aspiring to for years.
I鈥檝e served in the Army for 12 years as a musician which is a really varied role. Some days I鈥檓 rehearsing for upcoming gigs and other days I鈥檓 supporting 鈥榗hanging of the guards鈥� at Buckingham Palace. I鈥檝e performed at opening ceremonies for rugby matches and I鈥檝e been part of musical tours in, and outside the UK, including a three-month tour in North America. Once a year I also perform in the Queen鈥檚 Birthday Parade called 鈥楾rooping the Colour鈥� and the 鈥楥enotaph鈥� Remembrance Sunday Parade.
I balance service life with family life. My 5-year-old son has recently started school, and my husband is a veteran, after sustaining multiple injuries in Afghanistan whilst serving in the infantry. While I鈥檓 proud of my Service, the armed forces asks a lot of me and I would like for all of us to spend more time together.
On top of this, I take my professional development very seriously. I want to be the best 鈥榤e鈥� and have the skills and knowledge to make the biggest contribution to my family and society that I can. As you can imagine, finding time for this amongst all the competing demands is challenging. Despite this, I completed a bachelor鈥檚 degree in Music Performance while in Regular Service and I wanted to take my qualifications a step further with a master鈥檚 in Music Psychology. The master鈥檚 is lecture based, one day a week and my experience of completing my bachelor鈥檚 degree taught me that I鈥檇 probably have to leave the Army to do this.
That鈥檚 where Flexible Service comes in. I鈥檝e reduced the time that I鈥檓 liable for duty by 20 per cent, which gives me a day a week to study and/or to spend with my family, along with a slightly calmer lifestyle. This is balanced by a fair reduction to my pay and is only possible because my arrangement doesn鈥檛 compromise operational capability.
My Chain of Command is very supportive of my Flexible Service. Major Stuart Halliday, my Director of Music says:
Flexible Service balances flexibility and certainty for the individual against robust controls for the chain of command. This provides a solid, working platform for modernisation of Service in the armed forces. Applications are assessed against operational capability so Defence can continue to fulfil its purpose while offering its people more flexibility when they need it most. Its caveats and constraints limit arrangements to temporary periods of up to 3-years and allow a maximum of four years鈥� Flexible Service within a 12-year period. It鈥檚 not going to work in every unit, but in Lance Corporal Coetzer鈥檚 case, it鈥檚 been a success for all involved.
When my 2 year arrangement is over, I鈥檒l have completed my degree, my son will be settled at school and I intend to go back to Serving full-time. From defence鈥檚 point of view, it gets to retain my skills while I study, and I鈥檒l be bringing the benefit of everything I鈥檝e learned during my master鈥檚 back into the Army.
Transcript for Flexible Service Case Study: Lance Corporal Rosemary Coetzer