reserve bmq

[jmclark]

I came on here for help and advice. So here is my question to you George Wallace. And I'm not being daft I want your actual opinion. What do you think would be a better experience for me. A full length air force BMQ, or a weekend only army one?

 

[aesop081]

BMQ is BMQ........weekend run, full-time...whatever, it's the same stuff.

You have not done any military training so you have no idea what is "proper" or not. No idea.

 

[George Wallace]

I came on here for help and advice. So here is my question to you George Wallace. And I'm not being daft I want your actual opinion. What do you think would be a better experience for me. A full length air force BMQ, or a weekend only army one?

Let's go back to the start.

Hello all,

I have been reading through the forums extensively for the last few days, and I know that I am about to ask a question that has already been asked, but from a different direction. Is there any way at all, that anyone knows of, for a reserve recruit to go to the regular force BMQ?

I am currently in the process of applying for the reserves as I already have a full time job. I have been debating joining the forces for many years, but school and working towards my career have stopped me. I've finally decided that I want to join so badly that I'm applying for the reserves on top of my full time job. I would go for reg force, but the job I have pays too well for me to give it up. And there is no base I could get posted to within a decent distance of where my fiance is currently posted (he is reg force).

Here's the thing. I want to experience basic /properly/. I want to know what my limits are, I want to be pushed, and I want to grow as a person. For those reasons, I want to go the reg BMQ so much that it feels like a physical pull in my chest. So, is there any way at all, that anyone knows of, for me to get in to the St Jean basic as a reservist? What would it take to get there? Or is it not possible at all and should I try to get over the desire to experience it?

Thank you in advance,
Jacqueline

Point one:  You are in a FULL-TIME job that pays too well for you to give up, so why are you then thinking of a FULL-TIME Reg Force BMQ?

Point two:  The Air Force Reserve is not as easy to get into as the Army Reserve.  Usually they are in the habit of hiring already trained personnel. 

Point three:  If you want to push your limits, you are more likely to do so in an Army Reserve course than an Air Force Reserve course. 

Point four:  BMQ candidates have to gain the same qualifications, no matter if they are Regular or Reserve, on a full-time or part-time course.  Again, you will likely have your character and abilities tested more on an Army BMQ than on another. 

Point five:  RMS Clerk is a Purple Trade, so you will not have to do Army level crses, unless you are attached to an Army unit.......of which most Reserve units are.  As an Air Force Reservist, your places of employment are going to be much more restricted.  You will not likely be employed in an Army Reserve unit as an Air Force Reservist.  You would have to be in an Air Force Reserve unit.  Is there even an Air Force Reserve unit in your town/city?

 

[PMedMoe]

Just a clarification here.  Pretty sure the ARAF does the Reg F BMQ course, so AFAIK, there is no such thing as an "Air Force Reserve" course.  I could be mistaken.  It's been known to happen. 

Thing is, if you join the ARAF and not the Army Reserves (still do not understand why there are three separate and distinct Reserves), you will also do full time trades training.  Do you think your employer is going to give you that kind of time off work?

 

[Habs]

Just to clarify the trade I'm going for is RMS clerk so it's available in both. I wouldn't be changing my trade choice to go with one or the other. And I'm sorry if I offended you. But I want to be the best I can at what I do. And a reg BMQ will prepare me better than any weekend course could. Not that the weekend course is bad. But you have to admit being immersed in it for an extended period of time must be better if it's an available option

What? How do you know if Reg force BMQ is any harder/tougher/different than weekend PRes BMQ? You haven't done either.

My recruiting officer told me that Air Force and Navy Reserve members go to St. Jean with Reg Force candidates and train with them, doing the Reg Force BMQ. The Army Reserve either do weekends or a full time course in the summer. I did a full time course in the summer, and trust me, it wasn't child's play like you claim it to be.

I think you really should NOT choose an element based on what basic training you will receive... basic training is the same no matter where you do it. If you want to be in the Army, join the Army. If you want to be in the Air Force, join the Air Force. Basic training is only a very small glimpse in your career... it gives you the BASICS so you can use those skills in more advanced courses/training.

 

[Bowser]

Hello, I have applied to the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders of Canada reserve unit in Hamilton, Ontario. I am finished the application process and am waiting to be contacted.

I am wondering what the BMQ is like for reservists. I am 16 years old and in grade 11. I am staying in highshool. Is training every weekend for BMQ? Where does the training take place for reservists?

Thanks

 

[Pte. Jay]

Training, with my local unit at least, is one night a week (Thursday over here) and one weekend a month. I believe this goes on from Sept/Oct to May or June. In the summer you will probably be required to do additional full time training.

 

[brihard]

Training, with my local unit at least, is one night a week (Thursday over here) and one weekend a month. I believe this goes on from Sept/Oct to May or June. In the summer you will probably be required to do additional full time training.

That's the regular training cycle for an individual who is already trained. He's asking about BMQ.

Hello, I have applied to the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders of Canada reserve unit in Hamilton, Ontario. I am finished the application process and am waiting to be contacted.

I am wondering what the BMQ is like for reservists. I am 16 years old and in grade 11. I am staying in highshool. Is training every weekend for BMQ? Where does the training take place for reservists?

Thanks

There are, to my knowledge, three formats for reserve BMQ.

1: Part time weekends: This is the most common format. The way I've usually seen it run is that a givern reserve 'brigade' - a collection of reserve units in the same area or province - will run several BMQs part time over the school year. Thsi is usually scheduled as about 11 weekends, running roughly 2 weekends a month on average, and taking place between September/October and April/May. My brigade has typically had a batch of courses start in late Sept/early Oct, and then a second set starting in early January. There's no hard and fast rule though- all you need to take away is that two weekends a month for five or six months during the school year. In addition you'd likely be expected to show up for your unit's regularly training evening.

High school co-op: Not all brigades offer this. Some do. I have no personal experience with this; my understanding is that for a full school semester, recruits will spend half the day doing BMQ stuff and half the day doing regular high school credits. The BMQ grants high school credits under a coop credit code in addition to the normal pay.

Full time: There are sometimes full time BMQs run in the late spring or summer. Last summer, for instance, Meaford Ontario had a course running full time for a duration of one month in May or so. They may do this out east as well. You would be gone for that full period of time running full, hard days straight through. You would likely get weekends off. However it's unlikely you'll find one scheduled late enough that someone in high school could take it.

So that's the three ways I've seen it work. Hopefully this helps.

 

[Smirnoff123]

thats for regular parading, not bmq.

Bmq is generally every other weekend for about 13 weekends.

 

[Bowser]

Alright thankyou very much for the replys, they are very helpful.

Just one more question, is it a problem if i am going away for the whole summer? Can I take a leave for the whole two months and then come back, or is that going to be an issue?

Thanks.

 

[brihard]

Alright thankyou very much for the replys, they are very helpful.

Just one more question, is it a problem if i am going away for the whole summer? Can I take a leave for the whole two months and then come back, or is that going to be an issue?

Thanks.

As a reservist, typically to get qualified in your trade you are required to be available for a couple of months in your first summer in order to do your trade course, and your BMQ-Land if you're joining the army reserve. If you cannot get trained for your military occupation, than you are not useful to us. Whatever your plans are for this summer, you will have to decide between them and the army reserve. This should be been explained to you. You should not be joining if you aren't available for the rest of your basic training.

 

[Bowser]

Alright, so since I have already completed the application process, if I recieved the offer to join the unit I applied to, could I request to start next year, or would I have to redo the application process?

 

[Eaglelord17]

As a reservist, typically to get qualified in your trade you are required to be available for a couple of months in your first summer in order to do your trade course, and your BMQ-Land if you're joining the army reserve. If you cannot get trained for your military occupation, than you are not useful to us. Whatever your plans are for this summer, you will have to decide between them and the army reserve. This should be been explained to you. You should not be joining if you aren't available for the rest of your basic training.

I know they prefer you to do basic training asap but as a Reservist it is not a requirement. That you say you should not be joining if you aren't available for the first summer is a personal opinion. I know many Reservists who said they would wait a summer or do a lesser amount of training that summer for insert reason (stuff like grad for some or work for others). Do not turn down your offer if it is given to you because someone said on the internet that it is a requirement to give up your first summer. Yes they prefer someone to train as quickly as possible but as a Reservist it is not a requirement.
Best of luck 

 

[Smirnoff123]

If it is only the one summer it shouldnt be to big of an issue for your unit, however it will slow down your progress in training.

 

[Bowser]

Well thanks everyone for your replies, they were all very helpful. I will deffinitely talk to my recruiter before making any decisions. I don't even know yet if I am going to be accepted, or when I will be accepted, but I would deffinitely like to begin training even if my progress is slow due to the summer.

 

[fake penguin]

Op you said you just finished the application process and am waiting to be contacted. To be honested 100% of reservist i know took their bmq during weekends in the winter. Bmq land and biq are usually summertime. These courses have always ran from january to april, 2 weekends on 1 weekend off type of thing. So you might off miss the boat to be course loaded on bmq this year, you may have to wait until january/14. I know reservist that have taken reg force biq but never reg force bmq. So is there summer bmq courses for reservist in the summer? Cause i always thought there wasn't.

 

[Smirnoff123]

I dont think they are as common, but i have friends in the reserves who have taken full timeBMQ during the summer. I believe it was one month long.

 

[brihard]

I know they prefer you to do basic training asap but as a Reservist it is not a requirement. That you say you should not be joining if you aren't available for the first summer is a personal opinion. I know many Reservists who said they would wait a summer or do a lesser amount of training that summer for insert reason (stuff like grad for some or work for others). Do not turn down your offer if it is given to you because someone said on the internet that it is a requirement to give up your first summer. Yes they prefer someone to train as quickly as possible but as a Reservist it is not a requirement.
Best of luck

Thanks for the two cents, new guy. Come back when you're qualified in trade and have enough experience for your opinion to be informed. You have a bad habit of hopping into conversations that are outside your arcs.

Someone who is unable to commit the time to get trained in trade in their first summer will not be at all useful. In fact they're a detriment, as they are taking up a BMQ position that could otherwise go to someone who CAN get trained in their trade. This is what I tell applicants who come into my office looking to join. If you cannot commit to completing your basic training you are of no use to us and are not a suitable applicant.

To the original poster- you need to talk to your recruiter, and confirm whether they intend to put you on BMQ this winter, or not til next fall. If the former, you have an ethical obligation to tell them that you cannot complete the rest of your training this summer. If they can't get you on BMQ til part time next fall anyway then it's no problem if you can't work this summer.

 

[Eaglelord17]

Thanks for the two cents, new guy. Come back when you're qualified in trade and have enough experience for your opinion to be informed. You have a bad habit of hopping into conversations that are outside your arcs.

Someone who is unable to commit the time to get trained in trade in their first summer will not be at all useful. In fact they're a detriment, as they are taking up a BMQ position that could otherwise go to someone who CAN get trained in their trade. This is what I tell applicants who come into my office looking to join. If you cannot commit to completing your basic training you are of no use to us and are not a suitable applicant.

I would just like to ask you what have I said which is wrong? I only placed one opinion down the rest was only facts. Here I'll dissect it for you.

Fact 1- they prefer people to train as quickly as possible but as a Reservist it is not a requirement. Fact 2- you said they should not be joining if they aren't available for the first summer is a opinion, which it is. Fact 3- I do know many Reservists who have waited a summer or taken a reduced amount of courses for various reasons.  It is your opinion which states that a applicant should not join if they are not willing to train as quickly as possible. Opinion 1- Do not turn down your offer if it is given to you because someone said on the internet it is a requirement to give up your first summer. Reasonable advice but is only a opinion. Fact 4- Yes they prefer someone to train as quickly as possible but as a Reservist it is not a requirement. More or less a repeat of Fact 1.

I understand you are looking at this from a recruiter and unit perspective which is to try to get the most trained personell as quickly as possible. I never said they would be useful or productive in there unit (alot of those people who take the summer off or have reduced training regret it alot when all is said and done) as they lack the training to do much, but by the same regard I just told them what is and isn't a requirement.
The decision is up to the OP, he is just coming on the internet to try to find out more information. I provided him with information and showed him what was a opinion not facts.


*edited as forgot to do spell check

 

[fake penguin]

I received an email stating a lost 300 mil points for giving false info to op. At the end of the message it says-unless you have the natuional primary reserve bmq course calendar in front of you. You can not say with 100% certainty the op will have to wait until 2014. I never said that. What i said was 100 of the people i know took bmq in the winter weekend
months and you may(possibility) have to wait until january. Never said he for certain will have to wait until january. I even ask the question in my post if there was a bmq reserve course in the summer.