Is Army Life For You? Marie Claire Signs Up...

If you've been thinking about a career change, the British Army could be just what you're looking for.

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If you've been thinking about a career change, the British Army could be just what you're looking for. Always recruiting for more than 200 diverse roles, which can take you all over the world, the Army offers salaries according to rank, not gender, and benefits include a pension, 38 days annual holiday, maternity packages and subsidised learning. Plus there's the option to join as a Reserve – paid to train in your spare time.

Interested? We were, so we challenged promotions assistant Zuzana Ritchie to spend a day with the Royal Artillery in Larkhill, Wiltshire, to find out what Army life is really like. 'I expected to have to drop to the ground and do 100 press-ups on arrival' said Zuzana. 'But actually, it was informative, physically challenging (in a good way!) and eye-opening. I talked some of the female soldiers – they were all normal girls, with great senses of humour, and were really driven.'

Here's what Zuzana got up to...

Meeting the team 'The Colonel was friendly and approachable, and I was pleasantly surprised to see loads of female cadets. Everyone was patient, friendly and welcoming. And there wasn't any shouting!'

Getting involved 'I climbed aboard a gigantic rocket launcher and other vehicle weapons, including one called Stormer. I was amazed by the technology – and the size. The wheels were higher than my head.'

Enjoying some downtime 'After walking across plains, lunch was well deserved – and delicious. Veggie options, and more chutneys than my local takeaway.'

Loving the outdoors 'I appreciated all the fresh air – beats sitting behind a desk all day. My cheeks didn't need any blusher.'

To find out more about life in the Army, go to army.mod.uk/join/