A gap year like none other: Intern officer deploys with The Rifles before heading to uni

An Army intern officer is proving how young people can take a gap year with a difference - joining the Armed Forces and getting a deployment - all before they head off to university.

Nineteen-year-old Second Lieutenant Mia Clark finished top of her class at Sandhurst, was awarded best Army Internship Student on CCS 233 and has joined 1st Battalion The Rifles stationed in Cyprus - a posting many soldiers long for.

"It was nothing like I'd ever done before, it was great," said 2Lt Clark.

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Reflecting on her journey from civilian life to an officer in the British Army, she said: "It took overall a year to get in, it's the previously known gap year commission, although it's the same idea.

"You do the short commissioning course at Sandhurst, which is eight weeks, and then another following week of range work.

"I quite like the idea of being able to get stuck in very quickly, so because you're only doing the short course, you do eight weeks and then an additional week, then you're straight into life at your unit, which is very exciting."

Second Lieutenant Clark’s career in the military has not disrupted her education, as she has been offered a place at university.

After passing out at the top of her class in Sandhurst, she found herself stationed overseas with her unit.

She added: "You get to experience battalion life very quickly.

"Also you have the idea it's just a year, then after that you get to experience something else, so you get a wide variety of different experiences in a short amount of time which is quite exciting.

"So that's travelling abroad, adventurous training opportunities, sports and meeting new people."

Women have been permitted to apply for all combat roles since 2018, and currently make up 11.7% of the regular forces, according to the MOD.

When asked about what life was like as a female infanteer, 2Lt Clark said: "It's the same as being a man in the infantry, in that we do the exact same role. You're surrounded by like-minded people who are all physically able.

"You reach the same standards in the fitness test. You all keep up with each other.

"It's a great community, and it's really good to start paving the way so that more women can join the infantry and help grow the movement to make it much more of a norm."