Infantry application

[taylorwagner221]

My whole plan in life has been to join the Canadian forces infantry solider I plant to join reserves till I'm 17 and then go full time but I heard it takes years to transition from reserves to regular is this a lie? I'm also worried i have  heard there barley taking in new recruits for infantry and what could I do to have the most competitive application would prior military experience in the reserves help and any other tips? Thank you.

 

[AgentSmith]

Most of your questions can be answered via searching. If you join the reserves as Infantry it may be possible to switch to reg force down the road. However this process can take a very long time (why would you have any reason to think this is a lie?) I personally know one Infantry MCpl with 3 tours to Afghanistan who was waiting over a year for his transfer to go through. The Infantry are not taking very many applications, it's true but prior military experience in the reserves would help. It does not guarantee you a job in the regs however. Do a search, and look in this forum, you will find a lot of good info about how to be competitive and other advice.

 

[Dkeh]

Wait, you plan on joining the reserves UNTIL you are 17, or WHEN you are 17?

 

[taylorwagner221]

I don't understand why would it take years I would join the reserves till I was 17 I'm 16 right now and when I'm 17 I apply full time and if I get in I ask for a release from the reserves is there a reason this wouldn't work?

 

[Michael OLeary]

First of all, you're not the first or only teenager with this plan to join. It can take years because infantry recruiting over the past ten years has been so effective that the Regular Force actually has more infantry than it is supposed to have (and for a while many Reserve units reduced their annual intakes to a fraction of what it might have been before Afghanistan because they had few vacancies). This happens because each unit is only allowed a certain number of personnel and that can leave very few spaces available for recruiting. Combine that limitation with the relatively large numbers of young Canadians like you who want to join, either directly or by transfer from the Reserves, and we have a situation where even the best candidates can find themselves waiting for a space. Your desire to join is commendable, but it doesn't mean that there will be room. This situation may only last a few more years, when the rapid cycling of people to Afghanistan fades in memory, and the Army isn't doing a lot of exciting training due to budget cuts, there could be lots of opportunities to join as people start to get out faster than we can bring them in. Maybe you're just lining up at a bad time (from your perspective).

 

[taylorwagner221]

Thank you for the info you guys know your stuff but either then that would my plan work lets just say I did get in the reserves would I be allowed to join till I'm accepted into full time and just quit the reserves?

 

[MikeL]

If you join the Reserves and want to go Regular Force you will have to submit a component transfer. There is no shortcuts with this. If you only want to be in the Reserves for less then a year don't bother with it. Apply directly to the Regular Force,  how ever that could take awhile.

 

[brihard]

Thank you for the info you guys know your stuff but either then that would my plan work lets just say I did get in the reserves would I be allowed to join till I'm accepted into full time and just quit the reserves?

If you intend to go directly to the regular force as soon as possible, skip the reserves. The number of people enrolled in regular force infantry are different for off the street versus component transfers. If you're recruiting as a civilian, you will only be competing against other civilians. If, with a year in the reserves, you apply for component transfer you will be competing against experienced soldiers with overseas deployments and years more of service, whereas you won't really have a clue about anything yet.

Moreover, you would be wasting the time and more importantly the valuable (and limited) recruiting position that reserve unit gets. I recruit for a reserve regiment, and we get very few spots a year. We need them for people whoa re going to stick around, not people looking for a path of least resistance to something else. Uou would be wasting their time and resources.

 

[taylorwagner221]

Ill be graduating in 3 months and will be able to go on any training courses in the reserves and how long do you think I would have to stay in the reserves to be able to compete with those experienced people for a componet transfer I won't have school or anything so I would be able to do class a an class b work

 

[MikeL]

Don't expect/count on the reserves for full time employment. As a untrained Pte Recruit don't expect to much if any extra work(ex class b at a unit). Even when fully trained there is limited full time employment in a reserve unit.

 

[brihard]

Ill be graduating in 3 months and will be able to go on any training courses in the reserves and how long do you think I would have to stay in the reserves to be able to compete with those experienced people for a componet transfer I won't have school or anything so I would be able to do class a an class b work

If you apply right now, safe bet is you'll be told 'we're full; come back in April when we have spots again', and then wouldn't start basic training until September 2013. The first course necessary for army reserve basic training is usually run part time during the school year. There are sometimes a few serials of it run in the May-June timeframe, but the odds of you being through recruiting in time for that are slim. My recruits have typically taken three to four months or so on average to get through the process.

To be competitive is not so much about 'how long have you been in', 'but what have you done'. Similarly, for a few new to get a long term class B is also uncommon because most of the time you really just don't bring much to the table- and sorry, but your writing isn't suggesting to me that you'd be ideal for an administrative sort of position as most junior rank class Bs are.

If you want to get into the regular force, then wait, finish high school, and join the regular force. In the mean time if you want to be more competitive, volunteer your time somewhere (doesn't really matter what), get a job, do some organized sports, stuff like that. And do so in a manner that if you don't get into the regular force in the next year or two, you've still got things going on. It can easily take that long.

 

[taylorwagner221]

Thanks guys for all this advice but I have another question time is one thing I will have alot of now any ideas what I could do to improve my application?

 

[[G8D7]]

As previously mentioned, if you only want to go into the reserves while in high school and have less than two years left- dont bother.

That was my plan, too. I had everything finished and was sitting down with the recruiter. Once I told him I planned on switching to the regs he told me not to bother. As, not only is it a huge hassle to switch but you're taking up a spot for someone that may actually want to stay in the reserves.

Just worry about finishing high school, get good grades and apply in the latter half of your last year.

Just my 2 cents