My experiences with the CFRCs have been almost the exact opposite as the initial post. The only similarity is that everyone was very friendly.
Almost every time I have phoned or gone in to talk to someone I have gotten conflicting answers. It just seems that there are a lot of people who work there who have their own understanding of how things work, and most of them are conflicting.
Every time I was given a time line for how long things would take, the actual amount of time it took was at minimum doubled. When I first joined when I was 18 I never noticed any of these problems because everything was handled through the co-op office at my high school. But this time I have very quickly learned that time lines were vague guesses(meant to be a guide, not concrete), and that guarantees were not dependable. I dont look down on the military for this, I just think it should be commonplace to give civilians the disclaimer that anything can change at an instant and there are no guarantees. I am not bothered by things taking a while, just be open about it.
I was told last year that my processing would take no time and I would be starting courses by October. News of the recession was scaring most local businesses and hiring had slowed down. I was starting my first year in university and the reserves would have been all I needed to supplement my loans. Since I couldn't find a job elsewhere(McDicks, Tims, anywhere), I was dependent on the position in the CF. The comment made by the recruiter that "there is no way you wont be processed in time" was proved false when the school year started and the CF hadn't even looked at my file yet. I phoned many times and was always told to phone back in two weeks. So I ended up having to drop out of school for the year. I have been "in process" for the whole year, having appointments canceled the night before, having paperwork misplaced, having to wait a month and a half for a single piece of paper to be received, being delayed to the point where I missed the cut off date for going on the summer course.
To make matters worse, and I realize these are my own problems, the closest CFRC is more then 1.5 hours away and to get there my dad has to lose a day's pay to drive me down. So every time there was a problem when I got to the appointment and something had to be rescheduled, it was that much more stressful. I am a lot more understanding then my father who expected me to rip a strip off everyone in a uniform if something went wrong
I realize how biased this all must sound, as if I am bitter and lashing out, but that is not the case. Part of me is still in disbelief that things could go so far off the tracks, but shit happens. I don’t go around whining or begging for pity, I have just had some bad luck with my processing.
With all the negative events so far, I realize that my experiences don’t speak for all recruiting staff, just a few confused people making some mistakes. There have been one or two people I have met that are hideously knowledgeable, helpful, and seem as if they are inviting someone into their family, not just processing a new recruit. Despite my unfortunate turn of events, I still have confidence in the CF and haven’t been turned off serving. My experiences haven’t shown me that the CF is horrible, just one or two areas that could use improvement.
To anyone reading this who works in a recruiting center and works hard; thank you and keep up the good work. Your helpfulness outshines any mistakes that are made.
To anyone joining the CF, I would suggest you learn about the application process, and be on the CFRC’s ass about every step. Obviously don’t be annoying or disrespectful, but don’t just hand in your paperwork and expect the recruiter will magically make everything work. If you are joining Reg force you just need to bug the CFRC, but if you are joining the reserves, make sure you are on the reserve unit’s ass as well.
I will say, with all the problems I have had, it makes me want to eventually work as a recruiter for the unit I am joining.
