# Procedures and length?



## jaykay (29 Feb 2012)

I don't mean to keep making threads, I apologize. But I wasn't done asking my question when my last thread got locked: http://forums.army.ca/forums/threads/104809.0.html I'm unsure if it was against the rules or...? If so i apologize. But anyways... 

I'm sorry if there is already a lot of information out there on this, but I honestly tried looking already and came up with nothing good, so i would greatly appreciate it if anyone could help me out, or even simply give a link, thanks.  

What are the exact procedures and steps when joining the Regular force? I'm not talking about the CFAT or medical exam or anything, i'm talking about once you get accepted into BMQ. 

Here's what i know...

BMQ - 3 months or so
then you get a little time off?
Then go to more specific training depending on your career choice (infantry soldier in this case)

but then what? If somebody could list all the steps and whatnot, and the length of time, that would be awesome! I would also like to know what happens *after* the training and stuff... Like, where do you go to live? do you choose? for how long? how likely am i to be deployed? (i know you can't exactly know all the details, but maybe give answers based off of personal experience?)

Again, i'm sorry if all this info. is already out there, i did try to check. I do remember reading about some of it a long time ago somewhere though, off of forces.ca i think... but i can't seem to find it again.


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## Nichfour (1 Mar 2012)

You will get to give your preferred place to live based off of the areas that the regiments are. For you for infantry I'm pretty sure it would be between alberta (Princess pats) ontario (RCR) or Quebec (Vandoos). In reality you will go where the CF needs you and you will have to suck it up there is no guarantee you will be placed where you want EVER and to be honest it shouldn't matter to a soldier when you join the CF you become part of something bigger than yourself, You begin an entirely new life as a soldier. (reg force)


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## lethalLemon (1 Mar 2012)

Nichfour said:
			
		

> You will get to give your preferred place to live based off of the areas that the regiments are. For you for infantry I'm pretty sure it would be between alberta (Princess pats) ontario (RCR) or Quebec (Vandoos). In reality you will go where the CF needs you and you will have to suck it up there is no guarantee you will be placed where you want EVER and to be honest it shouldn't matter to a soldier when you join the CF you become part of something bigger than yourself, You begin an entirely new life as a soldier. (reg force)



PPCLI - 1, 3 VP - Edmonton AB; 2 VP - Shilo MB
RCR - 1, 3 RCR - Petawawa ON; 2 RCR - New Brunswick.
R 22e R - 1, 3 R22eR - Valcartier QC; 2 R22eR - Quebec City QC


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## jaykay (1 Mar 2012)

lethalLemon said:
			
		

> PPCLI - 1, 3 VP - Edmonton AB; 2 VP - Shilo MB
> RCR - 1, 3 RCR - Petawawa ON; 2 RCR - New Brunswick.
> R 22e R - 1, 3 R22eR - Valcartier QC; 2 R22eR - Quebec City QC



I'm not fully sure what all the "PPCLI - 1, 3 VP" means, but are these the bases for Infantry? Is it likely that i'd be able to choose the one in Edmonton? I guess that all depends on the circumstances, and where they need people, but yeah


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## dimsum (1 Mar 2012)

jaykay said:
			
		

> I'm not fully sure what all the "PPCLI - 1, 3 VP" means, but are these the bases for Infantry? Is it likely that i'd be able to choose the one in Edmonton? I guess that all depends on the circumstances, and where they need people, but yeah



The numbers are the Battalions (1 is 1st Bn, 3 is 3rd Bn, etc.)


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## mmmjon (1 Mar 2012)

Someone correct me if I am wrong but, after BMQ, you will head out to 20 day course called Soldier Qualifications (SQ), then 17 weeks of occupational training, followed by your posting.

Also, I believe Infantry soldiers are hired for specific positions. Therefore you should know where you are going to be posted before even leaving for BMQ.


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## lethalLemon (1 Mar 2012)

jaykay said:
			
		

> I'm not fully sure what all the "PPCLI - 1, 3 VP" means, but are these the bases for Infantry? Is it likely that i'd be able to choose the one in Edmonton? I guess that all depends on the circumstances, and where they need people, but yeah



Those are battalions (like "sub-units").

There's 2 battalions in Edmonton, so if those are full - they'll send you to 2nd Battalion, PPCLI in Shilo MB etc. It's by availability and demand. You could end up in either Edmonton, Shilo, Petawawa or Gagetown, New Brunswick.

PPCLI - Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry
The RCR - The Royal Canadian Regiment
R22eR - The Royal 22e Regiment

Edit: Oops, question was answered.


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## q_1966 (1 Mar 2012)

jaykay said:
			
		

> I don't mean to keep making threads, I apologize. But I wasn't done asking my question when my last thread got locked: http://forums.army.ca/forums/threads/104809.0.html I'm unsure if it was against the rules or...? If so i apologize. But anyways...
> 
> I'm sorry if there is already a lot of information out there on this, but I honestly tried looking already and came up with nothing good, so i would greatly appreciate it if anyone could help me out, or even simply give a link, thanks.
> 
> ...





			
				mmmjon said:
			
		

> Someone correct me if I am wrong but, after BMQ, you will head out to 20 day course called Soldier Qualifications (SQ), then 17 weeks of occupational training, followed by your posting.
> 
> Also, I believe Infantry soldiers are hired for specific positions. Therefore you should know where you are going to be posted before even leaving for BMQ.



"The Soldier Qualification course for Army recruits is about 20 days and provides more in-depth army-specific training, weapons, and tactics."


http://www.forces.ca/en/page/training-90#noncommissionedmembertraining-3

"Basic Military Occupational (MOC) Training for Infantry Soldiers is conducted by their regiment. It takes about 17 weeks, and takes place at one of the following Military Training Centres:

    The Royal Canadian Regiment: Meaford, Ontario;
    Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry: Wainwright, Alberta; and
    The Royal 22e Régiment: Valcartier, Quebec. Basic MOC training covers the following material:
    Use and care of personal and section-level weapons, including rifles, machine guns and anti-tank weapons;
    Field-craft, including personal hygiene and meal preparation, camouflage, sentry duties, signalling, selecting firing positions, tactical movements and lines of advance;
    Construction of field defences, such as trenches and roadblocks, and laying and marking of minefields;
    Navigation by day and by night;
    Patrolling operations; and
    Infantry section and platoon tactics, including offensive, defensive and transitional operations."

http://www.forces.ca/en/job/infantrysoldier-4#education-2

Jaykay, don't be sorry, it's a sign of weakness. 

Have you ever tried a google search to find the CF recruiting website?


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## lethalLemon (1 Mar 2012)

mmmjon said:
			
		

> Someone correct me if I am wrong but, after BMQ, you will head out to 20 day course called Soldier Qualifications (SQ), then 17 weeks of occupational training, followed by your posting.
> 
> Also, I believe Infantry soldiers are hired for specific positions. Therefore you should know where you are going to be posted before even leaving for BMQ.



Infantry Soldiers are Infantry Soldiers. There's no "specific position." A specific position would be, lets say, a Weapons Tech in an Infantry unit. If you applied to be a Wpn Tech and the only positions are in Edmonton with 1 Bn, PPCLI - then that's where you will go. You receive a posting message near to Grad week of BMQ (week 13/14) as to where you will go for your next course. Before Wainwright turned into the Afghanistan training hub it used to work out this way - Anyone going to The RCR went to Meaford and PPCLI went to Wainwright. A current group of recently graduated Privates from CFLRS were posted to Meaford, however most of them will be going to 2nd Bn, PPCLI in Shilo.

If they only have room for Infantry Soldiers in The RCR in New Brunswick - that's where you will go. You can give them a posting preference but don't hold your breath.


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## q_1966 (1 Mar 2012)

jaykay said:
			
		

> Here's what i know...
> BMQ - 3 months or so
> then you get a little time off?
> Then go to more specific training depending on your career choice (infantry soldier in this case)



I cannot speak for Infantry types but after BMQ I was sent to CFB Borden, the time frame between me getting to Borden and the start of the QL3 cook course was something like three weeks, so I went home on a week or so annual leave.

Contrast to others whom were stuck there for months on end awaiting a course opening, 
in that time people were sent on SQ, Annual Leave, DND 404's (Military Driver's License), also sent to help out at various places on Base.


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## Bruce Monkhouse (1 Mar 2012)

Jaykay,

Just like the other thread there is no answer for you. Everyones story is different and yours would be also.

Here's some advice,....if you're looking for a life where you need to plan all aspects of your life then the CF is not the career for you.


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## mmmjon (1 Mar 2012)

lethalLemon said:
			
		

> Infantry Soldiers are Infantry Soldiers. There's no "specific position." A specific position would be, lets say, a Weapons Tech in an Infantry unit. If you applied to be a Wpn Tech and the only positions are in Edmonton with 1 Bn, PPCLI - then that's where you will go. You receive a posting message near to Grad week of BMQ (week 13/14) as to where you will go for your next course. Before Wainwright turned into the Afghanistan training hub it used to work out this way - Anyone going to The RCR went to Meaford and PPCLI went to Wainwright. A current group of recently graduated Privates from CFLRS were posted to Meaford, however most of them will be going to 2nd Bn, PPCLI in Shilo.
> 
> If they only have room for Infantry Soldiers in The RCR in New Brunswick - that's where you will go. You can give them a posting preference but don't hold your breath.



Sorry, wrong choice of words.

Its different for infantry. I meant that infantry guys know what regiment they are going to, just not what battalion. So if they say hes going to PPCLI, he knows he'll either be posted in Edmonton or Shilo.

This is what a recruiter told me and also what I read on these forums.


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## lethalLemon (2 Mar 2012)

mmmjon said:
			
		

> Sorry, wrong choice of words.
> 
> Its different for infantry. I meant that infantry guys know what regiment they are going to, just not what battalion. So if they say hes going to PPCLI, he knows he'll either be posted in Edmonton or Shilo.
> 
> This is what a recruiter told me and also what I read on these forums.



No, most of them won't even know what regiment they'll go to until after BMQ. Even my buddy in Meaford was told he'd be going to 2VP in Shilo, but there's the possibility he could end up with The RCR if openings in PPCLI are filled before he qualifies to go to the Regiment.


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## ballz (2 Mar 2012)

mmmjon said:
			
		

> Its different for infantry. I meant that infantry guys know what regiment they are going to, just not what battalion. So if they say hes going to PPCLI, he knows he'll either be posted in Edmonton or Shilo.
> 
> This is what a recruiter told me and also what I read on these forums.





			
				lethalLemon said:
			
		

> No, most of them won't even know what regiment they'll go to until after BMQ.



What are you basing that info off of? I hope you're not pulling it out of thin air again like when you said ROTP students get free food and free room & board.

I don't know which one is true, I didn't know many people that went Reg Force Infantry Soldier before they joined, but IIRC the couple that I did know before they joined knew they were going PPCLI.


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## lethalLemon (2 Mar 2012)

ballz said:
			
		

> What are you basing that info off of? I hope you're not pulling it out of thin air again like when you said ROTP students get free food and free room & board.
> 
> I don't know which one is true, I didn't know many people that went Reg Force Infantry Soldier before they joined, but IIRC the couple that I did know before they joined knew they were going PPCLI.



I said ROTP get free room and board, not in the sense that it's 100% free, I know that they don't - it was a wrong choice of words. Is subsidized better?

Also, I guess it just depends on the year or who you talk to; my uncle was only told he'd be going to the PPCLI on BMQ graduation day... only to end up stuck in Petawawa with The RCR for a really long time (he eventually started to enjoy it). My childhood friend told me the same thing just the other day - "I was told I'm going to PPCLI, but I've been posted to Meaford so I'm not 100% sure."


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## ballz (2 Mar 2012)

lethalLemon said:
			
		

> I said ROTP get free room and board, not in the sense that it's 100% free, I know that they don't - it was a wrong choice of words. Is subsidized better?



No, that's not better, because they're both incorrect. It's not subsidized. ROTP students, both at RMC and civilian university, pay for their food and their rent/heat/lights/etc.



			
				lethalLemon said:
			
		

> Also, I guess it just depends on the year or who you talk to; my uncle was only told he'd be going to the PPCLI on BMQ graduation day... only to end up stuck in Petawawa with The RCR for a really long time (he eventually started to enjoy it). My childhood friend told me the same thing just the other day - "I was told I'm going to PPCLI, but I've been posted to Meaford so I'm not 100% sure."



Like I said, I don't know the "official" answer... but obviously you don't either, so don't tell someone "No, most of them won't even know what regiment they'll go to until after BMQ" as if it's a fact if you're not sure. And if you're basing it off two individual cases, then you're not sure.


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## lethalLemon (2 Mar 2012)

ballz said:
			
		

> No, that's not better, because they're both incorrect. It's not subsidized. ROTP students, both at RMC and civilian university, pay for their food and their rent/heat/lights/etc.
> 
> Like I said, I don't know the "official" answer... but obviously you don't either, so don't tell someone "No, most of them won't even know what regiment they'll go to until after BMQ" as if it's a fact if you're not sure. And if you're basing it off two individual cases, then you're not sure.



Sure.

They get their tuition paid for, they also get paid during. I'm pretty sure that while studying at the RMC, room and board does not cost nearly it does what I paid for rent, food, and utilities for a broom closet in Vancouver.

It's open to interpretation - I was not stating it as fact or purposely implying it was, so I guess it's okay for me to say "sorry if it seemed that way."


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## Franko (2 Mar 2012)

Locking this one up.

If someone in the know or has gone through the process has something to add and not talk through their ass with speculation and conjecture, contact a mod.

*The Army.ca Staff*


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