Infantry officer Phase training lengths?? As well as other questions...

[ChristopherRobin]

Hey everyone...

I did a search and I couldn't come up with the details. I was wondering if anyone knew how long the phases were for regular infantry officer? Right now, I'm supposed to leave for St-Jean to do my BOTC on Sept 11. From what I was told, I'd be done there mid-december. I don't have to do the language training since I'm bilingual. Soooo...I'm assuming I'd be starting my phase (2,3 and 4) training in January. Anyone know when I'd be done approx.?

While I'm at it, I've been reading various articles from various websites and I was wondering about the future of the para companies. Under the current government, I 'heard' that a new para regiment might be reinstated??? But then I heard that as always with liberals, there would be further budget reductions. As soon as phase 4 is done, (providing I finish in the top few positions and that my knees hold up), my primary choice is 3 ppcli since I'm already jump qualified.

Thanks in advance for any info or feedback, I really appreciate it.

Chris

 

[Carpenter]

Hey, I just applied too.  I was told that including language training and everything, you can expect to spend about 18 months in training.  Phase I is supposed to be 14 weeks, followed by 2-7 months of French language training, after which you ship out to Gagetown to do phases 2, 3, and 4.  So phases 2, 3, and 4 should be about 3 months long each.  At least that's what my contact at the recruiting centre told me.  Hope this helps.  Cheers.

 

[Thaedes]

Don't know anything about the Officer side of things, but as far as Para companies are concerned, don't count on it.  The current structure of Airborne troops works very well I think, keeping the commando's with various parent companies.  I was told by a guy who retired from 1RCR recently who was airborne himself that the jump qualified guys get put into a commando platoon, and they are usually in the primary company of a regiment.

As for jump qualifications, how are you already jump qualified if you haven't even yet completed basic trainning?  Civilian jumping is much different the military jumping.  Aim for it, try to get it, but don't expect for them to hand it too you yet.

On a side note, have you been through RMC already?

 

[Cpl. Williamson]

He Never Said Anything About Civilian Jumping. I Believe He's Inferring that he Has Taken the Jump Course From the Cadet Side of the Realm.

 

[ChristopherRobin]

~3 months per phase? Cool, thanks for the info! 2-7 months of language training sounds like a pretty nice gig although that's just my laziness talking.

-yup, I did my jump course while in army cadets and I didn't go to RMC. I went to a civi university. I know they would never just 'hand' you a position anywhere but finishing on a course in the top few helps out a lot.

 

[Infanteer]

Seeing how none of you are Phase Qualified Officers or instructers at the Infantry School in Gagetown, please keep the speculation to a minimum so someone qualified to give the answer can help Christopher Robin out.

Thanks
Infanteer

 

[McG]

Phase II (CAP), Ph III (BIOC), and Ph IV (also BIOC) are about 3 months each (designed around the RMC calendar).   All are run from Late May to early August.   Depending on the year, Ph II and/or Ph III may be run over during the fall and winter (I will make no promises as I don't know what the Infantry School has scheduled over the next few years).

Depending on how your course dates line up, you may sit in PAT Pl until the summer Phase training begins, or you may go straight onto a Ph II and do Ph III over the summer.   Aside from the Engineers, I have never heard of the Combat Arms running Ph IV outside of the summer months, so you should probably plan on a return to PAT Pl after you do Ph III.

It is not uncommon to hear of DEOs to take a few years to complete training.

 

[rdschultz]

While on that subject, I have a question.  DEO Engineering Officers who get the signing bonus are required to give 4 years obligatory service.  I've heard reports from some in that situation that their scheduled training is about 2.5 years long.  It doesn't seem to make a whole lot of sense, to me at least, to offer a significant amount of money to train an individual, pay their signing bonus, and then get a guaranteed 1.5 years out of them.  Is there something I'm missing?

 

[McG]

You actually sign a 9 year contract.  However, if you break the contract after the four years, you do not have to pay back the recruiting allowance.

 

[ChristopherRobin]

You actually sign a 9 year contract.   However, if you break the contract after the four years, you do not have to pay back the recruiting allowance.

How binding is that 9 year contract for the trades that don't have bonuses?

Also, what do you mean by "sitting in PAT Pl"???

 

[Carpenter]

Sorry, I forgot to add that I received information from an infantry captain from 1VP who was kind enough to spend a whole hour on the phone answering a bunch of questions that I had.  His information was corroborated by one of the staff of the recruiting processing centre at the CFRC Edmonton.  I don't like speculation either, so I try not to do it. 

I sure hope that training a DEO officer doesn't take 2.5 years, that sounds ridiculous.  If training takes that long, what is done with you in the meantime?  Are you assigned to a unit as some sort of sub-subaltern or what?

 

[McG]

Where there is space between courses, DEOs find themselves in PAT Pl (Personel Awaiting Training Platoon).  I have known of officers in PAT Pl to be called on to run small arms ranges, act as Crse O for driver wheel course (for the Ptes in PAT PL), fill enemy force positions for other courses, act as aid for guest VIPs, do OPMEs, etc

Some of it depends on the level of training already completed.

 

[ChristopherRobin]

I didn't know all of this. I guess I convinced myself that I would start ALL of my phase training in January after I was done my BOTC in december. I'll call up the capt. from the R22eR that gave me my interview and ask him for more details as to what and when things will happen. I think he was DEO (if they had that 20 years ago).

In the meantime, until I get in contact with him...McG, do you know if I'm stuck between phases, where I'll end up? I know you probably don't have all the answers but you know quite a bit. Would I get sent to the regiment in which I want to be in or will I be sitting in Gagetown until I complete phase 4 and not belong to any specific unit?

What's alarming is that speculated 2.5 years before I'm finished. I can't see 'infantry' taking more than 1.5 years. Phase 2 and 3 in 2005 and phase 4 in 06. Wow, I'll be almost 29! I'm getting old! Ah well, that'll teach me to waste time like I did after school. 

 

[McG]

I've known the engineers to send officers to regiments for on job training (OJT) instead of four to eight months in with the PATs.  Not everyone gets that though and I do not know what the other schools do.

Odds are that the CFRC does not know the schedule of the schools much better than I.  They have no need to keep know anything beyond the dates of BMQ & Phase I that they load recruits into.

 

[ChristopherRobin]

Thanks again for the info...

I'll make sure I talk to the guy today. If he gives me any info that's helpful I'll post it up here in case someone else later on does a search and needs answers.