The Reserve Thread- A Merged Collection of Q & A's

[Jungle]

I joined at 18, not having graduated from high school. Made WO in 16 years, went to evening school last year and finally graduated. I will be eligible for a pension from the CF in a few months. Maybe I‘m one of the exceptions but things went just fine... and I would do the same again in a heartbeat !!!

 

[McInnes]

I just finished grade 10, and i applied to my local regiment. A bud of mine who is in grade 11 got signed in during may. I was told by a local "old guy" to join up, then you get a taste of it, and you can decide if you want to pursue it as a career. As long as you keep focused in highschool, you can treat the reserve as a part time job. Now one of the "old guys" on this board is probably going to go off about being dedicated. You can be dedicated as long as school gets done. School comes first. Most kids at the end of grade 10 have part time jobs, being it McD‘s or whatever, and they can handle it just fine. o, rambling, yes, i think joining the reserves at 16 is a good idea

 

[D-n-A]

at 16, are you mentally an physically ready for the Army, an basic training?

Just something to consider your choice


I was like you when I was 16, I wanted to enlist,long story short, I enlisted a few weeks before my 18th birthday, an I‘m glad I joined up then, rather then at the age of 16 for many reasons

-I‘m older, more mature, more mentally an physically ready for it

an I‘m working with a lot of older people, most of the people my unit are 19+


I‘m currently on the BMQ course run at the Seaforths, an personally, I dont think I would be ready for it when I was 16.


my advice, wait atleast a year

anyways, good luck to you on whatever you decide

 

[Marek]

Well Deaming Myself Mentally Ready, I Have Trained For Years In Martial Arts And Achieved My Black belt, This Has Taught Me To Go Beyond My Body Through My Spirit. I Can Easily Take On Challenges That Require Mental And Physical Strength. I Would Finish High School And Like I Said It Would Be Put To Credit. I Would Treat The Reserves As A Part Time Job. I Wish To Join Because My Whole Family Was Or Is Involved In A Military Background. I See Military Training As A Young Age As A Chance For Me To Be As D-n-a Said "more Mature, More Mentally An Physically Ready" However I Would Have These Qualities Earlier In Life. School Will Come First And This Would Give Me An Opportunity To Have This Experience Earlier In Life And If I Choose To Not Fallow A Carrier In The Forces I Could Would Not Be Locked In A Regular Force Contract. Yes It Would Be Hard Work, But Isn‘t That What The CF Is All About? Thanks Alot For Your Input And Keep It Coming!

 

[Argyll_2347]

I joined Cadets when I was 13. I have always been interested in the Army and Cadets wasn‘t enough for me.

So, in January of last year (right after my 16th birthday on the 5th) I went to the Recruiting Center and applied.

That summer I was off to Meaford for my BMQ and SQ.

This summer I am doing my Infantry course and can‘t wait! (July 19th - August 14th @ Meaford)

It is too early to tell for me whether or not I made the right decision to join the Reserves at 16, but I plan to make a career out of the Army and join Reg Force after College or University (probably College).

 

[Pte Lickers]

Choosing between college and university is hard

Remember this old adage "university teaches you to think college teaches you how to work"
I highly suggest university but im biased since im attending right now. Its more expensive but the army will help with that. College is practical but depending on what you take it might limit your horizons.
In an extreme example if you apply for a job in management for instAnce and you have your college diploma in buisness studies from west butt f*** college they wont pick you over a guy from queens who has 4-6 years of intensive study inm the feild of buisness.
If your 100% serious abotu an armed forces career go talk to the recruiter again and ask about benifits given to university students by the cf. Also if your 150% serious talk to the recruiter about the royal military college of canada. Its not for me cuz i dont have the marks or the dedication as of yet.

 

[McInnes]

RMC is for people becoming officers.

 

[Cycophant]

Originally posted by Pte Lickers:
[qb] Choosing between college and university is hard. Remember this old adage "university teaches you to think college teaches you how to work"[/qb]

I‘ll just offer another side to the arguement, though I certainly respect your opinion.

From all the business owners I‘ve talked to, they really don‘t seem to care if you‘ve spent 3 years in a University. Truth be told, what good is learning the theory of everything without practical usage to back it up? From what I‘ve heard, most people that come out of University fall into two categories. One, they‘ve learned a lot, but cannot put it into practice. So it‘s mostly useless to the average business. Two, they‘ve "partied" away their University years and are less useful than they were after leaving High School.

I would just suggest to anyone you do a LOT of research before considering either option. Different people do well in different situations.

 

[joe56]

I‘m 16, going into gr. 11 in the fall and thinking of joining the reserves, can anyone point me in the direction of some info on the process, requirements and/or answer a few questions for me? Last I heard it was one night a week and one weekend a month. Is this still correct? Also how strenuous is the physical training? Finally would 16 be young to start out or what is the average age? I‘m looking for a job up until i go off to post-secondary education and hoping to learn a bit and do a little more with my time than bag groceries or flip burgers. Any info, thoughts are appreciated!! Thanks in Advance!!

 

[McInnes]

Go to your local unit, or the unit that you are wanting to join. Ask to talk to a recruiting officer there, and they will give you all the forms and answer all of your questions. If you can do 19 pushups and 19 situps, and run 2.4 k in under 12 min. you should be able to survive PT.

I am also 16 and going into grade 11. It‘s a matter of opinion on whether 16 is too young. Old enough to go to war but too young to rent a camp site...

 

[D-n-A]

I am also 16 and going into grade 11. It‘s a matter of opinion on whether 16 is too young. Old enough to go to war but too young to rent a camp site...

16 isnt old enough to go oversea‘s


you have to be atleast, 18 years of age to go oversea‘s

 

[Shooter124]

i‘ve been interested in joining the reserve for quite some time now. I‘m just curious about a few things i need someone to clear up for me. When joining the reserve does one get paid? or is it strictly volunteer? and secondly, what kind of education does the reserve offer, if any?

 

[D-n-A]

the CF is made up of volunteers, but we all get paid, Regular Force and Reservists


Reserve
Tuition reimbursement. $2000 per year or 50% of your tuition (whichever is lower) up to a maximum of four years or $8000. You must be in a program of post-secondary education leading to your first undergraduate degree or in a field of studies applicable to your military occupational trade.

 

[gate_guard]

Some friendly advice, do a search and check the dnd website first before asking questions like that. It‘s kind of irritating that every new guy with a question comes here to post without bothering to research at all.

 

[McInnes]

sorry, that was just a qoute i put in there that a camp ranger said to us. we rented a camp site, but we were supposed to be 19. so when the ranger asked for ID and my bud who is 16 used his mil. id, the ranger decided to let us stay just cuz of the military thing. and he just said that really quietly as he shook his head. kinda sticks. altho on another note, during the world wars, ppl 16 years old went to war, ppl even younger than that went if they lied. lol thanks for the clari.

 

[The_Falcon]

Join when i was 17 (now 20), as for the PT for the test (19 Push up etc.) try to go beyond those minimums, while it is true PT on reserve basic courses has gone down, there are exceptions. For Example on my course one the admin ncos was the "PT NCO" for my platoon, thing was, he was from 3 RCR jump company, he ran our PT every other day, on the off days it was my platoon WO. He runs marathons in his spare time. Although doing the PT sucked, our platoon was better for it, we were more fit, work better as a team, and when it came to ruckmarches we left the other Platoon in our dust. When you get to the unit it is different story. You are expected to do PT on your own time outside of army training. If you don‘t you will pay for it. Trust me I have let my PT slide a bit since basic and I hear about it all the time. Now I got to the gym 5 days a weeks 2 days a week with a Personal Trainer. Hope this Helps

 

[joe56]

ok thanks for all the info, i‘m sure i could handle all of the physical aspects of the training from what it sound like, one more thing though, pay. how is it? are you payed during training? ect. Thanks again, going to call my local unit tomorrow, civic day today.

 

[combat_medic]

1 While you are in reserve NCM is it possible to live in camp?
If you mean on a Base, then no, it‘s not possible

2 How long is commitment when you are reserve forces?
There is no commitment, you can leave whenever you want

3 When you are in reservist NCM how many days you work? are they give you time and date when you to come or you choose?
You‘ll have a set parade night during the week to go in, you can‘t just choose what day you want to show up, but it‘s different with each area

4 Do you get any bonus for join army and peace keeping missions? And is it possible to go pace keeping missions.
There‘s no bonus for joining the reserves as an unskilled NCM. There‘s also no bonus for going on tour, but you will make more money. Yes, you can go on a peacekeeping tour as a reservist, but they‘re a little harder to get on.

5 While you are in basic training NCM for your occupation, are you gonna be all full time there? And how long is basic training?
Basic training is divided into 2 courses, BMQ and SQ. Each course is 5 weeks long, and you can do them all at once, or sometimes they‘re offered part time during the school year.

6 I don’t understand when you join reserve for officers, how is that possible college is 4 years for some occupation. Is that means that you have to have DIPLOMA to get in as reservist for a officer?
You must have or be completing a Bachelor‘s degree to be an officer in the reserves.

7 I’m Bosnian, living for almost 10 years here in Canada. I’m Canadian citizen. Is that problem for joining army. And would it be a problem for me if I join peace keeping mission in Bosnia?
Since you have citizenship, you should have no problem joining, and going to Bosnia on tour should be easier for you since you could be employed as a translator.

8 When you applied for joining army, how long you are gonna wait for response?
Some people wait a couple weeks, some wait a full year. Depends on the unit, the time of year, the backlog etc.

 

[iamcanadian3885]

Igor,

If your anything like me, reserves is the best way to go. It‘ll give you a taste of what to expect in the military, and give you a chance for full time service if you want it. As per your questions, combat medic summed them up nicely. Honestly though, the more I learn, the more I want to go full time reg force.

Good Luck Buddy

 

[whatfear]

Am hoping to join the res when I turn 18 and I have few Q‘s

People are always saying it‘s so many days a year. I know it‘s not full time but what‘s most you can do?