When to submit an application

[Rohandro]

Hi Im currently in my last year of high school and I wanted to join the Canadian army. I would be finished school in late june and I was just wondering what would be a good time to submit my application to the canadian forces? should I do it now or wait until Im closer to finishing school?

 

[krimynal]

are you looking towards reserve or regular Forces ??

 

[Rohandro]

I want to join the regular force

 

[MikeL]

If you hope to join the Reg Force soon after completing high school IMO,  you should start the application process soon.  It isn't a quick process,  and you can be waiting awhile for a job offer(depending on trade).

 

[Rohandro]

So when do you think I should send in the application, by like the end of February? earlier/later?

 

[krimynal]

In my case I would pretty much go for sooner the best ... as long as you are sure of wich trade you wanna get in .... Best case scenario they offer you a job as soon as you end classes ..... Worst case scenario , you are looking at a 6 to 12 months wait time to get in .... you also need to know that you will have some test to do , wich will happen WEEKDAYS during WORK HOURS , so you might have to skip school to attend them ( not saying you should , just mentioning that will happen ).  As long as you know what you really want to do , then you should apply ! ...

 

[Rohandro]

If I apply now and by some miracle get in really quick, they wouldnt tell me to go to basic while Im still in school would they? Or am I just worying about something that would never happen?

 

[krimynal]

I THINK , and this is really a THINK answer , your local recruiter might give you a straighter answer , but , like I said I THINK you might be able to postponed ( don't even know if this is a real word sorry ) you're BMQ , since it's for school they might set you up to the next BMQ or the 1st one out of your school year ....


LIKE I SAID , you're local recruiting center will give you a straighter answer !

 

[MikeL]

If I apply now and by some miracle get in really quick, they wouldnt tell me to go to basic while Im still in school would they? Or am I just worying about something that would never happen?

If they did give you a job offer while you are still in school,  you can always say no and that you want to wait until you are finished.  I'm quite sure they would not pressure you into quitting high school.

IMO,  best thing you can do is do some research on the Canadian Forces recruiting website,  read up on the different trades and see what interests you.  Plus you can call/visit your local CFRC and ask questions.

 

[Rohandro]

If I refuse a job offer then wont I have to go through the whole process over again, or will they hold that position for me until Im finished school?

 

[The_Falcon]

If I refuse a job offer then wont I have to go through the whole process over again, or will they hold that position for me until Im finished school?

Maybe/Maybe not.  For trades like infantry where there are tons of people applying, if you pass on the offer, you will more than likely have to wait for the next round of selections.  If there are no more selections for that fiscal year, then you may have to reapply.  It comes down to the MCC, and the Det Comd's perogative. 

 

[The_Green_Basterd]

If I refuse a job offer then wont I have to go through the whole process over again, or will they hold that position for me until I'm finished school?

Your Interview is valid for 1 year.
Your Medical is valid for 1 year from the time the head medical honcho clears you (usually within 1-2 weeks for your medical appointment)
Your CFAT is good for life
Your Telephone Reference Check is valid for 1 year
your Enhanced reliability check paperwork is valid for one year from the date you signed it.

Once one thing expires, its often the start of a chain reaction, first your ERC, than TRC and yadda yadda.  You turn down your offer than this happens, its a domino effect that will leave you with lots of work to do in order to get your application back up to the standard.

If you indicate that you want to push any acceptance for enrolment beyond the validity period of the above mentioned stages in the application, there is no point in keeping your file open and it may as well be closed cause your going to have to do those steps again anyway.  I say that based on my past experience giving out job offers.

 

[Sunnyns]

Put it in now and tell them when you'll be done school.  It could take some time before you get in.

I would not wait.