There’s pressure, and then there’s pressure. While presenting a new business idea to the board is nerve-racking, Army bomb disposal experts work in a completely different world of potential catastrophe.

Not that the perceived danger bothers Lance Corporal Alan Hall. “If I explain my job to someone, it sounds dangerous but I see it as everyday,” he says. “When faced with something too dangerous to pick up — I just blow it up in situ. I’ve not been in any situations where I’ve felt in danger.”

Bomb disposal experts are highly trained people in the Army who specialise in finding and destroying explosive ordnance. Potential applicants need at least three GCSEs at A*-C, with one in maths and one in a science such as physics. Manual dexterity, self-confidence and a genuine interest in weapons and ammunition are also important, as is the ability and willingness to take responsibility at an early stage in your career.

Hall, 26, completed his basic training before specialising in engineering, which covers topics such as bridge-building and runway maintenance. From there he was posted to bomb disposal. “You’re taught everything you need to know. There are quite a few courses, and lots of learning on the job.”

When not on a tour, Hall’s days are centred around troop administration and training. “The only time you really do explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) is when you go away on tours.” He has done two tours of Bosnia, and says that one of the trickiest tasks that he has faced involved dealing with members of the public in villages that he was searching with the infantry. “We had to go into their houses and take away stuff that they had used for protection in the past — that’s probably the hardest thing I’ve had to do.”

While bomb-disposal skills are very specialised, there is a market for them outside the Army. For glamour, think about helping film-makers blow things up in a safe but spectacular manner. Police forces, fire brigades and civilian EOD companies are other possible employers. Pay for a trained sapper starts at about £18,000, rising to about £35,000 after 15 years’ experience.

www.army.mod.uk/careers/index.htm

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