# To enlist as an officer..



## bbupd (18 Oct 2003)

From reading the DND site on recruiting, it seems to me if I want to go straight full reg, I need to go back to school for a BA in something in order to be qualified to enlist as an Officer..

Yet under Reserves the comment is if you have ‘leadership qualities‘ ... The full reg quals do not list previous Officer rank in Reserves... Does this mean based on my work experiences and upon assessment, I could enter the Reserves as an Officer and then transfer over to the Full Reg as an officer?

Confused.. Please shed some light!!!!!


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## Excolis (18 Oct 2003)

from my knowledge just from word of mouth is that you can muster over to reg force as an officer from the reserves, only if they will take you.  there is no guarantee.  but if you inlist in the reserves there is a program out there to take correspondence courses from RMC to achive BA in something.  so there is a few thoughts. hope it helps a bit.

cheers


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## Michael OLeary (18 Oct 2003)

The current intention is that all officers will have a degree. Reserve officers are normally recruited without having completed a degree, under the expectation that they are working towards one at the time. Most Regular officer recruitment is directly into RMC or through other programs such as ROTP (attendance at civilian university instead of RMC). Other applicants can be accepted if they currently have a degree, or in certain circumstances meet other specific requirements for particular trades. General life or work experience would seldom be accepted as an equivalent. Regardless, education remains one of the factors on which potential for promotion is judged. Officers without degrees have a noticeably lower rate of progression than those who do; no matter how fast you can run, how straight you can shoot or how well you believe you are fit to lead or command.

Everything depends on the particular requirements of the service at the time you apply. Dependent on service requirements, some trades are open or closed for enrolment through different entry programs at different times. 

In some cases, candidates with no background will be accepted into a trade to feed the RMC system to meet projected needs 4 years away, while simultaneously the trade is taking no experienced candidates because they have no short term shortages.

The best you can do is to talk to your recruiting centre. If they have no program that you fit now, find out what you can do to improve your future chances, whether that be joining as a reservist, or upgrading your education. Then stay in touch with the CFRC, the window of opportunity you may fit can be small and short-term when it does appear.

Mike


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## bbupd (18 Oct 2003)

how different spin... Is it possible to enlist as reg force, take correspondence courses towards a degree and then pursue an officer rank?


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## Pikache (16 Aug 2004)

What is a minimum type of BA do you need?

I mean, do you need a Honours degree or would a General degree be sufficient?

Also, does it have to be a 4 year degree or 3 year degree is okay?


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## ringo_mountbatten (16 Aug 2004)

as far as i remember just a ba.  an honours would generally take 3 years and a general 3.  of course summer courses and overloading in semesters could cut down either by a year or more.


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## Garbageman (16 Aug 2004)

As far as I can tell from the CF Recruiting site, all you need is an undergraduate degree (doesn't specify general or honours).  Having said that, an honours degree would make you more competitive, and that is what is offered through ROTP.  How many years it takes to complete is not really as relevant (e.g. an honours degree takes 5 years in BC, but only 4 in Ontario)

All CF members (regular & reserve) regardless of whether they are officers or NCMs can take courses through RMC.  You can complete a Bachelors or Masters degree in several different fields entirely by distance education:

http://www.rmc.ca/academic/continuing/index_e.html


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## humint (17 Aug 2004)

There are no guarantees that the RegF will take you on, even if you are a ResF Officer. 

Even from the ResF, you will still have to go through the application process (just like DEO applicants, etc), including the boarding process. It is very competitive. 

Also, ResF units do not normally take on officers without a university/college degree/diploma. 

The process is equally as competitive, although the CO of a unit and more say about who gets in and who gets bounced. Please note that while a CO has much of the authority, all ResF officer applicants must also be accepted by the Bde Cmdr. So, what that means is that your CO must justify why he/she is taking on a ResF officer lacking in some of the qualifications.

If getting a university degree is not feasible in the short-term, why don't you just join as an NCO and work your way up the ranks until you get that degree and then CFR (Commission From the Ranks)?


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