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

[grmpz1]

2-2.5km/h

 

[a_beautiful_tragedy]

Hey I plan to join the Army Reserves in December, more specifically December 1st. Currently Im a high school graduate and 19 years old turning 20 on October 14. I turned down going to college and now my ambitions are set on University and Im going to Night School hoping to go into University when im 21 in 2009. I will also be taking a 1 day security course in October so I can get another Security job. So ill probably be going to Night School and having a job in December. My question is would I beable to fit joining the Army reserves into all this? How long is the Basic training phase? I heard once you have that all done you go once a week and stay in summers is this true? Ive realized my life needs more discipline as I can be lazy sometimes with completing tasks. Im hoping to make at least Infantry as I will be training in the months to come.

CDN AVIATOR already mentioned it, but its true, thousands of people do this all the time. Typically in the reserves you do your needed courses in the summer, but there are always those courses running through out the year. Your basic is maybe a month. If youre doing infantry like you stated you wanted to do, you wont be doing the Soldier Qualification course anymore, I taught on an SQ and infantry course this summer and i heard now the SQ is combined with your Infantry course, so now that should take just under 2 months. Usually (for my Unit anyway) a fiscal training year entails, every thursday, and about 2 weekends a month aswell as a 10 day exercise in the US. Courses available will be offered and you could be nominated for them, such as Infantry platoon support weapons course. Once your all done and qualified, there is available work and taskings around canada you could get if you wanted, but after youre trained your summers arent taken up by the army, its more so if thats what you want courses or work. If you have any question dude, just ask me or any of the other hundreds of people who know about this stuff. Good luck in the application process

 

[Deleted member 9665]

CDN AVIATOR already mentioned it, but its true, thousands of people do this all the time. I taught on an SQ and infantry course this summer and i heard now the SQ is combined with your Infantry course,

At my unit there is allot of people either going to college or university and they get in when they have time. it is possible...perhaps if you do you BMQ part time during week end it can be a little hard on the system, but it does last only 11 week ends or so, with breaks in it.

As for the SQ being combined, it is true...for the regs...but from a reserve point it is not done yet.

And SQ can be done also week end during winter...

The harder part is getting time during summer to go and do you Trade course...like the support combat arms tend to have longer course (12 weeks for supply and cooks, 8 for trucker etc...etc....) but...it is not impossible. and its better to my opinion to serve fires in a fast food.

 

[WannaBeFlyer]

We have people going to BMQ in the Winter hoping to get on a part time SQ before summer. BMQ is eleven weekends total and it is usuall every other weekend. As mentioned, you will have to do your trades training full time in the summer. Keep in mind, you can't count on automatically doing one course after the other nor can you can't on the dates. They can change at any time.

I heard once you have that all done you go once a week and stay in summers is this true?

Well, I guess you might be able to do that. Your best bet is to have a look at the training calendar for the Unit you are thinking of joining to get an idea of how busy they are. One week you might find yourself going to Parade night and doing a course or an exercise on the weekend. The other, you might only have one training night. Usually the exercises are every other weekend but depending on your Unit, it can get busy at times with dinners, parades, training, courses, and exercises. From what I have seen, and I am not a student, they are very understanding. As others have mentioned though, you wouldn't be the first student to join the Reserves; the majority are students. You should get a training schedule well in advance so it's all about setting priorities and organizing your schedule.

Good luck.

Edit: If you are thinking of being enrolled by January and by that I mean sworn in and kitted up; I would start the process now.

 

[R. Jorgensen]

In the Reserve, some courses can be run on the weekend, like BMQ and SQ, but you can also do them in the summer full time. With the weekend BMQ, your goto a local Reserve unit armoury and do your training there, than go home and wait untill your next training weekend. You would still be parading with your unit aswell on whichever night they parade.

This is what I was trying to find out for the longest of time. I wouldn't mind being sent out to CFLRS Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu however I am starting my Machinist Apprenticeship soon and I'd prefer not to let my brand-spanking-new employer down by disappearing a month later.

I am going to file my application to the King's Own (Calgary) Regiment in January; I am REALLY excited, it's all my father's fault  ;D

 

[Messorius]

Like the title says, I have a few questions about joining the reserves.  I'm 29, have a fairly good job who will make accommodations for training.  I've been thinking about it off and on for months; I want to give something back to my country aside from taxes, I want an opportunity for an occupation that I can be consistently challenged in and learn.  I'm fairly certain the regular forces are not for me, at least not at this point.  I've been searching the forum for a couple days, but I think I'm starting to get overloaded a bit.  I will be going to talk to a recruiter in the next week or so, but would like to see if I can find out some info up front from a variety of people.

Are there opportunities for constant learning/skill development?  One of the issues I have with my current employment is that it's not going anywhere from where it is now.  I'm as far up as I can get, with very little opportunity for advancement or learning anything new/challenging.

When should I join?  I'm in Nova Scotia, and I know different units have different training schedules, but is there a particular time of year that would be best?  If that happens to be Fall/Winter, when does fitness tests/bmq take place?  I have completely altered my lifestyle since I started thinking about this, and I am running/doing weight training, etc. but I know I'm not ready for the requirements right now; realistically I think I'd be good in February.

Can I expect to be able to support myself?  I'm employed, my husband's employed with a good full time job, so I'm guessing yes, but I'm nervous.

Do I sound like someone who should actually be doing this at all?    I'd really appreciate any responses I can get, and thanks kindly in advance.

 

[WannaBeFlyer]

Are there opportunities for constant learning/skill development?  One of the issues I have with my current employment is that it's not going anywhere from where it is now.  I'm as far e up as I can get, with very little opportunity for advancement or learning anything new/challenging.

Definitely. It just depends on what you are looking for. Opportunities are presented to you and others you may have to request and or work for. There is an education reimbursement for Reservists for post secondary studies. I believe it is up to $2000 to a maximum of $8000. With this, you have to keep in mind that not every course will be reimbursed.

When should I join?  I'm in Nova Scotia, and I know different units have different training schedules, but is there a particular time of year that would be best?   

That depends; talk it over with your hubby. At this point, you would be looking at a summer course unless they can get all of your process completed before the winter course starts which could be in February. It could also be in the fall. It depends on how your process moves along, when your area is holding courses, and how many spots are available.

but is there a particular time of year that would be best?

There are some threads on the Winter vs. Summer BMQ courses on the site; you might want to do a search on those. Really it depends on your employer and what you and your husband decide. Personally, I saved my full time courses for when I really needed them to save having to work with my employer to get time off. Your BMQ and possibly your SQ can be on the weekend; your trades training however is full time. Something to consider.

Another piece of advice is to try and visit the Units on Parade night and get a feel for what goes on. Ask to see their training calendar if they have one to see what sort of training they are doing and how frequently they "play soldier" on the weekend to see if it fits your build. Also, you can and ask about what sort of events that the Unit does outside of your typical Parade night and training weekend. My former Unit did little in the way of dinners, events etc. Part of the fun is the "extras" that comes with your Unit. Also, the level of training can be very different between Units from what I have seen.

...If that happens to be Fall/Winter, when does fitness tests/bmq take place?...I have completely altered my lifestyle since I started thinking about this, and I am running/doing weight training, etc. but I know I'm not ready for the requirements right now; realistically I think I'd be good in February.

I can speak from experience on a weekend BMQ course; there is little time for PT. You might go for some wake up runs (short distance, slow to medium pace). Of course, you will have push ups etc. Having said that, try to get in the best possible shape especially for what follows BMQ. BMQ, at least weekend BMQ, was more about getting your mind in shape.

Can I expect to be able to support myself?  I'm employed, my husband's employed with a good full time job, so I'm guessing yes, but I'm nervous.

It's natural to be nervous, but you get over it fast.

Do I sound like someone who should actually be doing this at all?     I'd really appreciate any responses I can get, and thanks kindly in advance.

You do. Get into it and it will feel a lot more natural!

I'm 29, have a fairly good job who will make accommodations for training.  I've been thinking about it off and on for months....I'm fairly certain the regular forces are not for me, at least not at this point.

You can always start out as a Reservist and do a component transfer to the Regular Force later on. Also, you can seek full time employment as a Reservist when your training is complete. If it helps, I was in a similar boat in terms of my personal life and trying to decide between the Regs and the Reserves. After joining the Reserves and spending some time in there, I knew I really enjoyed the Reserves but that I didn't want to go into the Regs. It really put that issue to bed and I am 100% happy about my decision. BUT that is just me; you may decide that you want to do it full time...

Talk to your husband and try to visit the Units before Christmas stand down in December. You might have trouble visiting the Units around mid-December.

Good luck.

 

[dapaterson]

Note that currently basic training courses (BMQ) for the Reserves are being scheduled for fall and winter; summer BMQs are beign greatly reduced, to free up instructors for trades courses.

 

[the_girlfirend]

Dapaterson,

Do you think this is true for all the units across Canada? Is this a new policy for this year?
I remember that last summer there was BMQ instruction going on at le 51e Bataillon des Services à St-Hubert...

 

[WannaBeFlyer]

For what it is worth, we had a lot of recruits ready to go on course last summer, but only a handful went because there were so few BMQ spots available.

 

[dapaterson]

The national intent is to minimize BMQs in the summer.  There may be certain local variations.

Keep in mind that all early training isn't necessarily BMQ - on enrolment, a new solider requires BMQ, sollowed by SQ, followed by the training for their specific occupation.  Once that is all complete the individual is said to have completed their "Development Period One" (or DP1) training.  

 

[Eye In The Sky]

I'm in Nova Scotia, and I know different units have different training schedules

Messorius, what part of NS are you in?  NS has alot of different units, including Army (which now includes Communications Reservists), Navy and Air Reserve units.  But depending on where you are, some are/aren't close.  Do you know what unit, or trade  you might be interested in, or type of work?  If you already have contacted a recruiter, great, if not I can help point you in the right direction if you can give me an idea of where you live, whether you are interested in Army, Navy or Air Force and what sort of stuff you might be interested in.

 

[Messorius]

Thank you all sooo much for the replies!

I live in Dartmouth/Halifax, and as of right now I'm not sure what unit/trade I'd like to get into.  33 Service Battalion caught my eye.    I've looked at the list of occupations and there's a few that I find interesting, like weapons technician and engineering.  I like being hands on, I like fixing things and getting dirty, I like acquiring information and being analytical.  I'm also not sure about which area I'd like to go into, but I can probably say it'd be a tossup between Army or Air. 

 

[Eye In The Sky]

Do you have the number for the 36 Brigade recruiting office?  They are the ones you'd be interested in talking to if you are in the HRM, they handle recruiting for all the Army Reserve units in HRM.  Good folks over there with lots of experience.  You can find lots of info, including units and recruiting, on the website.

36 Canadian Brigade Group Website

Aside from the units that fall directly under 36 CBG HQ that are listed on that website, there are 2 more Reserve units in the HRM you might be interested in checking out.

3 Int Coy (Intelligence Company)

30 MP Coy (Military Police).

 

[dapaterson]

And there's also a comm sqn in Halifax, 72X (X because I forget the exact designation) which is not yet part of 36 Brigade...

 

[Eye In The Sky]

NS has alot of different units, including Army (which now includes Communications Reservists), Navy and Air Reserve units.

I was sure someone said they 'belonged' to LFAA and were OPCON to 36.  Ooops!

Yes, 723 Comm Sqn is also located at the Halifax Armouries, which is the same location as the 36 CBG Recruiting Office is at (or atleast it was there, no room at the HQ Bldg at RA Park).

 

[Messorius]

Do you have the number for the 36 Brigade recruiting office?  They are the ones you'd be interested in talking to if you are in the HRM, they handle recruiting for all the Army Reserve units in HRM.  Good folks over there with lots of experience.  You can find lots of info, including units and recruiting, on the website.

36 Canadian Brigade Group Website

Aside from the units that fall directly under 36 CBG HQ that are listed on that website, there are 2 more Reserve units in the HRM you might be interested in checking out.

3 Int Coy (Intelligence Company)

30 MP Coy (Military Police).

Thanks!  I had a reserves member give me the address for the recruiting office on Duke Street when I started checking around, is that fine to go to first?  And the number for the 36 Brigade is in here?    http://www.army.forces.gc.ca/36CBG_HQ/PAGES/Recruiting_e.html

 

[Eye In The Sky]

You can go to the CFRC on Duke Street.  I am not sure if anyone from 36 CBG is there now, as they made a Recruiting Office at the Halifax Armouries.  You can call the Sgt listed on the website, and he should be able to help you from there.  I would suggest calling the folks at 36 CBG Recruiting first, they will set up all the stuff you will need to do at the CFRC and they know the process inside and out.

 

[The.Navigator]

Good Day,
Could anyone verify that the BMQ for Reserves is the same now as it was back in 2003?
Also, anyone with 25 (Toronto), how did the BMQ work for you? Weekends? Two weeks? Full 13-weeks?
Thank in advance.
Carla

 

[tim.p]

Hello everyone.

I'll start off with telling you a little about myself. Currently, I'm 16 and in grade 11. I failed some courses in grade 10 (not because I couldn't do it,  I just didn't like school and was skipping class). For grade 11 - I pulled it together and am doing well. I am 5'10'' and 150lbs, I'm in good shape and could meet and surpass the minimum physical requirements. I have no medical conditions, allergies or previous injuries. I've been contemplating joining the army since I was 14, It has always interested me and would be something that I would love to do.

I was planning to do the following:

Apply for the reserves in the immediate future before I turn 17, complete grade 11 and take summer school courses for the courses that I've failed in grade 10. Then at 17 I want to drop out of high school and join the regular forces in the infantry branch. Now I've been reading a lot and I understand that it's the best idea to complete high school before joining the regular forces. I've been thinking it over and have made the decision to join. I am thinking about doing a 2-3 year term and then completing high school then going to RMC.

I've done a lot of research on the army, and I think this is the route I would like to pursue for now. I've watched countless documentaries ("Ears open, Eyeballs click", "Basic up") and many others on the war on terror, I've read countless articles on BCT and military life. http://usmilitary.about.com/cs/joiningup/a/recruiter1.htm for example ( 5 part article) and http://usmilitary.about.com/od/armyjoin/l/aaarmybasic1.htm .


I meet all physical requirements, I'm fairly mentally prepared, and my vision is -4.0, -4.50 which may be a V4 or a V3 ( So I may need to pick something other than infantry as a MOS). My parents are also fine with this path as long as I complete high school and go to college/university.

My questions are:

Is this a plausible option?
Would it be difficult to get accepted with only a grade 10?
Where do CF get deployed if they don't go to Afghanistan?