Volunteering for the German Armed Forces, learning to march and sleeping in a bunk bed in the barracks? Many young Germans can't even imagine doing such things, but Tom can. The 23-year-old from Erfurt is toying with the idea of joining the Bundeswehr. "The combination of camaraderie and team spirit fascinates me," he tells DW. "And I want to develop myself." That's why Tom has come to the Bundeswehr career counseling office in Erfurt, centrally located in a shopping center between a supermarket and a gym. He is precisely the type of person they are looking for here because the Bundeswehr is desperately looking for personnel. Their motto is: Don't scare anyone away! Even those who walk in without an appointment can, with a bit of luck, quickly receive some assistance. At the very least, they get an olive-green information sheet with the somewhat grand slogan, "Here you can secure Germany and your future." Before taking the big leap, Tom first needs some information. Tony Baumann, a career advisor in uniform, takes some time for him and asks him in a friendly manner about his professional experience and goals. Tom smiling into the cameraTom smiling into the camera Twenty-three year-old Tom from Erfurt is toying with the idea of joining the Bundeswehr Image: Nina Werkhäuser/DW Tom has been working in health care administration for seven years. He got interested in the Bundeswehr through an internship he did as a student, and he heard a lot about it from a soldier friend of his. Tom says that he could even imagine going for armed service or a foreign deployment. "I also want to give something back to my country. I've already benefited a lot, for example, from free education." With around 182,000 soldiers and 80,000 civilian employees, the Bundeswehr is one of Germany's largest employers. It attracts applicants with a wide range of training and study programs. "There are opportunities here that you might not find in the private sector," says Tom. He is thinking over whether to first do voluntary military service or whether to sign up for several years now. The assessment center in the barracks The Löberfeld barracks are 3 kilometers (1.8 miles) from the career counseling office. First, everyone has to show their ID cards to the guard at the entrance to the Bundeswehr Career Center — one of 15 throughout Germany. Here, all applicants from Thuringia and Saxony must undergo a series of tests. The results determine whether they will be accepted by the Bundeswehr or not. There are already two young men in the gym taking an athletics test. It is warm, and the sun is shining through the windows. The two are pedaling energetically on ergometers to accomplish the required exercise routine. Prior to that, they sprinted across the room and hung from a horizontal bar in a "chin-up" position until beads of sweat formed on their foreheads.