# Joining active duty at 33 years old.



## Pzavatti (7 Sep 2021)

Good evening,

I have a few concerns, hopefully you can help me. 

I am currently 32 years old and I'll be sending my application to join the army next year when my citizenship process is finished. I'll be 33 by the time I send the application, hopefully I join before 34.

There is a lot of misleading information over the internet and let's be real, the forces official website doesn't give much info either.

How is the physical test nowadays? I've been working hard on my fitness level but I'm not sure what's the benchmark to make it in.

Which trades give certifications? I know what matters is the skills and discipline, but physical certificates would also be nice to have.

Do I have enough time to claim a pension? Some people say it's 10 years of service to claim a pension, some say 20, some say 35.

Some people have told me to do only one contract because that serves as a good stepping stone into law enforcement. How much of that is true?

Thank you in advance for taking the time to read my post. 

Kind regards.


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## mariomike (7 Sep 2021)

Pzavatti said:


> Some people have told me to do only one contract because that serves as a good stepping stone into law enforcement. How much of that is true?


If you have not already read it, you may find this discussion of interest. 

It's a bit dated, however. Most recent post was 2015. 









						CF experience relevant to RCMP, civ policing? (merged)
					

Hey Sir Mariomike,  Yes #174 is me. I understand that joining the police service, all must start from the bottom.   May I ask, did you serve in the military as medtech?   Medical field and policing are two different responsibilities (quoting JesseWZ), and I am wondering if it is not a bad or...




					www.milnet.ca
				



12 pages.


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## dimsum (8 Sep 2021)

Pzavatti said:


> Do I have enough time to claim a pension? Some people say it's 10 years of service to claim a pension, some say 20, some say 35.


For an immediate annuity (AKA you can collect a pension immediately), it's 25 years which is 50% pension.  You get 2% per year of service, and the max is 35 years or 70% of pension. 

It used to be 20 years for the immediate annuity, but increased to 25 years a few decades ago.


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## dapaterson (8 Sep 2021)

Two years to vest, ten to be able to draw dramatically reduced at age 50, 25 for an immediate 50 percent, 35 to max out at 70 percent.


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