Recruitment
Enlistment of new members in organisations of any security sector is always highly welcome by the serving members because it adds extra eyes, hands, ears and boots for the foothold to combat crime. Eventually it means the government achieves its objectives of maintaining law and order enabling people to go about their business.
The LDF recruitment policy specifies the age limit in line with international standards, which however were adjusted recently due to address challenges of maturity. Many people including parents of the youth considering joining the army see it as a way of getting employment. Of cause due to economic hitches in our country, the military has become one organisation seen to address the employment requirements of the youth.
Another misconception that prevails is that when children have bad manners, they should be sent to the army where discipline shall be enforced to turn them into responsible citizens. The fact remains that the majority of youth who join the army are not aware that the military profession is highly demanding and specialised removing some of cultural practises one is familiar with.
Joining the Army
Joining the Army is an enormous choice one can make, hence why it is important to make sure you know what we will expect of you, and what you can expect from us, when you join. Take your time to learn about our standards, compare your values to that of the military and think about your commitment.
We have varying reasons to join the army. Our country has occupational challenges that eventually make the military institute a prime target for providing jobs. The other reason could be that the educational requirements are easily met because our army does not require people to be genius to join but rather require commitment.
Once you join, one could expect many developmental opportunities and promotions throughout your career. Physical fitness is a norm and could lead to healthy live with the use of gymnasium facilities available throughout your life in service.
The Process of Joining the Army
The army has recently launched the Lesotho Defence Force webpage as a way of allowing new recruits to be informed about the expected behaviour for them as serving members in the army. This is to ensure that before joining the army, one has informed well enough to make decisions.
Once the army has been permitted to enlist new recruits, the call is circulated over the different media platforms about the procedures leading to the interview. The applicants from their respective districts write the interviews at selected venues and that is the first stage for selection. After initial selection, based on the highest scores and the required number, the next step will be medical examinations for those shortlisted.
Educational Background
The Lesotho Defence Force takes recruits in three categories being soldiers, professionals and officers. The first and common is for soldiers who passed Matric/GCE/LGSE with any four passes, aged between 20 but less than 25.
The second category is for the professionals with different fields of study that must not be above 30 years of age. The last and rare category is for those who join the army and train to become officers from civilian life who must not be above 30 years old and are the graduates from recognised institutions.
Medical Examination & Police Clearance
Our policy demands that the applicants must be physically and mentally fit. The medical examinations are carried out in all the districts by the civilian and military doctors as per arrangement by the army.
The medical examinations are carried out in two phases. The initial phase after passing interviews and on the first day of enlistment in the army. The police clearance is also part of the screening process to ensure that the applicants do not have any criminal record.
Screening for Culture Fit and Job Fit
Screening is part of a process of recruitment, carried out immediately after a list of those applicants who passed written and oral interviews. During this process, the organisation's work must be meaningful to applicants, their values in harmony with the core values of the organisation.
Do I Need a Degree to Become an Officer?
Many serving members joined the army already having university degrees but would not be automatically elevated to become officers. When we recruit officers, we look for qualities rather than qualifications. There are few cases where one can start training to become an officer when they leave school at 18, after completing basic training.
After Assessment
It's important to remember that you need to keep a level of fitness after you have been short listed, so that you're in good shape when it comes to starting your training. Without proper training people get injuries due to lack of fitness.
Being in the Army is physically demanding, and you need to get your body ready for this by staying fit while you wait for your start date.