I__. - International Military Testing Association

Some three and a half years after leaving the Federal Armed Forces 80.8 % of the
420 university graduates who had been questioned were employed, 1.9 % were
trainees, and 0.2 % were out of work. Of those employed, 72.1 % worked for private
enterprises and 18.6 % had joined the civil service. 7.7 % had set up on
their own by that time, or worked freelance.
There were clear differences with regard to satisfaction on the job, the income
situation, and career prospects between officers who had decided to work for a
private enterprise and those who had decided in favor of the civil service.
Generally speaking, it may be said that those who chose the “safe” way of a
civil service career - possibly because thinking along the lines of job security
and shying away from taking risks - had to pay the price by having to put up
with limited perspectives regarding income and promotion.
Since in the Federal Republic of Germany the pay grades of officers are comparable
to the pay grades of’other civil service members we were able to find
out that the majority of the officers who decided in favor of a civil service
career had not achieved a higher-ranking position as compared with the last
position they held in their military career. Correspondingly, the same may be
said of their financial situation.
Those questioned who had opted for private enterprise revealed a quite different
development. A mere 7.1 % of them stated that they earned less now than they had
in their last assignment in the armed fores, as opposed to 80.0 % who said that
their income had increased slightly or even considerably. Particularly those
working in the field of engineering regarded their financial position to be
quite favorable. More than 75 % of them pointed out that their salary was now
considerably higher than the pay they had received as officers. ~11 of the
computer scientists who were questioned said that their income had increased
considerably.
Of the university graduates questioned, 84.4 % were largely content with their
civilian occupations and career prospects. Their expectations, so they said, had
been met. 12.3 % said their satisfaction was limited and their expectations had
not come true in many cases. Among those who spoke of limited satisfaction and
disappointment on the job was a relatively large number of those who had studied
pedagogics but also two of the seven computer scientists. Typically enough, only
a few of the “disappointed” ones were employed with private enterprises; most of
them had joined the civil service, with many of them using a way of access which
the legislature primarily provided for non-commissioned officers retired from
active service. (See Table 1.)
The positive assessment of military service resulted in more than half of the
graduates saying that they would go the same way again, if they had to decide
once more. (See Table 2. )
Dropouts and temporary-career volunteers or regular officers without a university
education had to, cope with a much more difficult transition to a civilian
occupation than had their graduate counterparts. Since, as a rule, they lacked
training in a civilian occupation only some of them managed to find adequate
civilian employment immediately upon leaving the armed forces. only 25 % of the
dropouts questioned and merely 10 % of the temporary-career volunteers and regular
officers without a university education found some civilian employment
immediately after leaving the armed forces. The considerable number who did not
have to undergo some sort of vocational training, either as in-plant trainees or
- . _.....v ..,_. ._ .__^,
90
.