13. The East India Company created its own military academy to train its officers
In 1809, the East India Company created a military academy, having already established a training academy for its civilian factors and clerks. It was called the East India Military Seminary, in Addiscombe, Surrey, near London. Its first class of cadets were between the ages of 13 and 16, and they faced a two-year curriculum which would teach them the military arts. Despite the focus on military discipline cadets quickly earned a less-than-savory reputation with the local civilian population, known for fighting and off-campus drinking. Upon graduation, cadets could expect posting to India, where they served as officers in the company army.
Many of the officers who studied at the East India Military Seminary served with distinction with the East India Company, rising to positions as Directors, Governors, and Presidents in India, as well as in military rank. A career with the East India private army was often more lucrative than in the British Army, and the opportunities for military advancement were more frequent, given the irritating persistence with which the Indians expressed their discontent over being ruled by a foreign corporation. The East India Military Seminary remained in operation for the life of the EIC.