Czech Army Recruiting Soldiers with Only Basic Education: 250 Vacancies, Salary from 50,000 Crowns

The Czech Army has opened hundreds of positions to people without vocational training: right now there are 250 vacancies available to anyone who has finished only basic school. The minimum starting salary for such posts is nearly 50,000 crowns before tax, according to the army's recruitment website.

The opportunity emerged last summer thanks to an amendment to the law on professional soldiers. Previously, not having at least a vocational qualification automatically barred candidates from joining the military. That restriction has now been lifted — temporarily, and under certain conditions.

One Volunteer's Story

Among the first to take advantage of the new rule is a twenty-year-old lance corporal serving in the 41st Mechanized Battalion in Žatec, northern Czechia. The newspaper is withholding his name for security reasons. He is an anti-tank gunner, armed with an RPG-7, tasked with destroying both light and heavy armored vehicles.

He first got a taste of army life through voluntary military exercises, after which he decided he wanted to become a professional soldier. But the path was closed to him — he had only completed German basic school, after which he went to work at a sawmill and saw no point in continuing his education. When the law changed, he was among the first to apply. "With just a basic education, your options on the job market are pretty limited. In the army, though, I got to do what I actually enjoy right away, and the pay is better too," he says.

Where the Need Is Greatest

According to army spokeswoman Anežka Vrbicová, a year after the amendment took effect, around thirty people with only basic education are now serving in the armed forces. Most of the open positions — roughly 120 — are concentrated in South Bohemia: in the 15th Engineer Regiment in Bechyně, the 44th Light Motorized Battalion in Jindřichův Hradec, and the 42nd Mechanized Battalion in Tábor, according to Michala Trnená, head of the recruitment department at the army's Personnel Agency.

However, service comes with limitations for these recruits. As Vrbicová explains, people without vocational education may only serve under short-term contracts — from 6 to 23 months — after which they must either leave the service or earn a vocational diploma or pass their school-leaving exam. In addition, the highest rank they can reach is lance corporal, the second-lowest rank in the Czech Army, and they're limited to roles such as rifleman, driver, combat engineer, mechanic, or guard.

Support for Those Who Want to Stay

If a soldier proves themselves and wants to remain in the army, they'll be helped to complete their education — sent to vocational school or to finish secondary school, as Miroslav Hlaváč, then First Deputy Chief of the General Staff (now Chief of the General Staff), promised a year ago. He stressed that the army has historically given people from disadvantaged backgrounds a chance to rebuild their lives.

The soldier profiled in this story has already taken advantage of that opportunity — he is currently studying part-time at a vocational school and plans to eventually earn his school-leaving certificate as well.

Source: seznamzpravy.cz