# I am so torn ... Reg or Res route... long post



## chimo2u (16 Jun 2007)

Hello,
I am writing because I thought perhaps someone could shed some light and help me find some peace in my head over what route I will choose to fulfill my dream of joining the military. Background info: 37 yo, female, Married to a reg force member (WO) who is headed to Afghanistan for 7 months August 3.
I began this process 18 months ago by preparing myself physically... losing 50lbs, running and training with a Personal trainer because I knew that to make it, I'd have to be proactive, lose weight and prepare myself instead of dreaming about "I want to join the army". All is going well, I've lost weight... am close to my personal final weight loss goal, am still running, still struggling with pushups, but am unwilling to give up and will continue to push myself to get them. Began my Application process in April, determined to go Reg force. Worried about my CFAT, but wrote it June 12 and passed for my first and only trade choice of RMS clerk. Was going into the interview and my interviewer told me "I'm really sorry we did not catch this glitch earlier, but we've hit a road block. RMS clerk now requires advanced gr.11 math and your transcripts show you only have grade 10 math and a "intro to Algebra 11" math credit. Your college diploma and college marks show you did extremely well as a mature student learner (I graduated with distinction on the dean's list, 4.0 grade point average, but did not have math credits in my choice of studies.... Human resources related field of study). Anyway, he said I had a few options... 1) Look at alternate trade choices that did not have the education requirement like Supply Tech, Traffic Tech, MSEOP, etc....
2) Look at reserves which still had only the gr. 10 math requirement
OR
3) Apply for a waiver of the math education requirement from Ottawa due to my college transcripts. Allthough he informed me he did not have a good feeling about that happening as they are very sticky about education req. waivers and rarely is one granted.
Well, my bubble was burst that day. But I Knew option 1 was out. I only have my heart set on one trade.... RMS clerk. the only trade I have ever wanted to do.
We decided to cancel my interview that day and wait to re book with my medical after we found out about the waiver so I would only have to make one trip back to the recruiting center.
I left not very confident that a waiver would be granted, and called the reserve recruiting staff at my local air force reserve unit to see if they would have a spot for me to join.
As luck would have it, they would be willing to give me my referral papers and accept me if I was interested, but I was too late to go on this summer Basic TRg.... I'd have to wait for either a position on a reg force basic in the fall if she could grab a spot for me or January basic in Borden at the latest. I
Talked to my husband and he got all excited because , of course, reserve life would fit in much easier with our current circumstances ... his leaving for Afghanistan. Also, he said Air reserve would be lovely because there would be opportunity for Class B work after my training and field life would be minimal for me, which is a concern for us with him being in such a deployable regiment as a Combat Arms regiment himself.
HERE's My dilemma....
Got a call Thursday. Appears Ottawa would be willing to give me a waiver. WOW! I was not anticipating that and I was surprised as well as the career counsellor, but excited too. However, now I had also been thinking of Reserves during my 2 day wait on Ottawa's decision and told them maybe that would be the best route for me at present.  I decided to change my file to reserve and was told I'd get a call this week about medical/interview dates. Now I am second guessing myself. I originally wanted to be a reg force member, but I also want to do what's best for my family. I have 2 kids (15 and 11) whose grandparents will be called upon to do parent duty when both my husband is gone to Afghanistan and I too Basic trg.)
I am thinking boy was I lucky to be offered the waiver and maybe I should call back and keep processing REG. force. I don't want to get the recruiting staff frustrated with me due to my indecisiveness, but I am having a tough time deciding what way to proceed. I can see the pros and cons of both REG and RES. and Res looks like it will fit better with family life, but some part of me also feels I am making a bad decision to give up a REG force opportunity. Any help/advice would be so appreciated as I am turning this over and over in my head trying to come up with a decision I can feel good about. I am going to also contact my recruiting center first thing Monday morning to see if I can come in and talk about my concerns/questions. I hope if I do decide to change back to reg force Application processing, it would not bee too late.
One last thing that is causing my indecisiveness is also the fact that my husband and I have been everywhere from West coast to East Coast in our 20 years as a military family. Just recently came back west and want our kids to graduate in Alberta. (at least 4 more years of education for my oldest son and 7 for my youngest.) I know you can't always pick postings, but we do know we want to be West Coast residents from now on. Sorry this was so long, there was alot of info to impart and I thank you in advance for any insight or advice that may help me with this decision.
Sincerely,
Marie


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## BernDawg (16 Jun 2007)

Quite frankly I would be pleased to see your "life experience" in any Reg F orderly room.  Good luck with whatever decision you make.


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## navymich (16 Jun 2007)

I do not envy you the decision that you are trying to make.  But it sounds like you have a good head on your shoulders, and I wish you the best in whichever route you choose.  The fact that your family is supportive of your choice, as well as how you have put so much effort into this and are dedicated to it, are really nice to see.  I'm sure that you have many facts on both sides of your pro's and con's list, but here is another one to consider.  As a reservist, you typically only make 85% of the pay that a reg force member makes.  Therefore, if money is at all a factor in your decision process, that is something to think about.  As for the fact that a reserve clerk position would fit in better with your husband's career, I have seen many reg force clerks also fit just fine within a service couple career and posting.  You have thought  through things with your head, my opinion is now to think with your heart, what is it that you really want to do....


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## meni0n (16 Jun 2007)

Family is the most important thing. You would have no problem at all getting a class b as a RMS.


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## neko (16 Jun 2007)

Alright I'll toss out a thought for you. It was reg force that you had originally applied for so I assume you and your husband had already decided your family could make it work. It sounds like that is still what you would really prefer and with Ottawa willing to grant the waiver, opportunity awaits. 
And yes family is important, but remember you are a major part of that family and taking care of yourself is vital to your family's wellbeing. That includes following the carreer path of your choice, it isn't like you plan on leaving your family for months on end to satisfy hedonistic cravings.


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## proudnurse (16 Jun 2007)

chimo2u, 

From one Mom to another, that has been researching her own CF Future, looking at a few different trades, etc  (Reserve Force in persuit here!) My daughter turned 7 this past January.

I wish you all the best in your own journey  and all the best to your husband on his tour as well. Thank you for sharing your story. 

~Rebecca


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## CFR FCS (17 Jun 2007)

Chimo2U,

It's your decision to make.  My two observations are as follows. 

Reg F you get your BMQ and DP1 right away and if you have to wait for courses you will likely get OJT in your home location.  If you are at a major base then your employment will be varied and you can move between units easily therefore you ability to remain in that area is much better..  

Reserves  You have to wait for a BMQ position as you have already noted You are also in competition with the other clerks for the elusive DP1 course. You will likely not get any class B until you are qualified, most of the P res job notices require DP1 minimum.   

You can always OT to the reserves once you get through your training and likely be accelerated to Cpl in the reserves.

I'm sure there are more knowledge people, including RMS, both reg and Res out their to share info. They should be able to confirm if the RMS training at CFSAL is the same for Reg and PRes. 

Good luck


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## Northern Ranger (17 Jun 2007)

Go Reg Force, you will get everything you need to go Res Force down the road.  Either way good luck.


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## bojangles (17 Jun 2007)

I definitely feel your dilemma. There's not much I can add to what advice has already been given however I truly believe you have to do what feels right to you. Also, if you do go Reg force, the first contract is usually a 3yr period in which a good part of it is spent in the training system (BMQ, SQ (If its still a requirement), and your QL3's). At the end of your 3yrs, you'll have a better idea if you wish to remain in the reg force or want to switch to Res.  You'd be surprised how fast those years fly by. I can't beleive I have less than a year left before my contract expires. Feel like I only joined yesterday.
Good Luck with your decision.


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## mysteriousmind (17 Jun 2007)

I joined Pres, and, actually, joining the regs was not an option for me, due to several factors that I wont list here.

I'm Quebec city (near Valcartier), and on my Pres BMQ at this very moment, there are 2-3 people who will be RMS and they were offer to start full time as soon as their BMQ was completed even if their RMS course was schedule only next year. At least one of them accepted and is starting at the unit on the 25 and we are graduating next Friday. (the 22nd)

As for me I'll be supply and I was also offered to work as soon as I was available. I cannot talk for other places but In Quebec with the massive departure to Afghanistan in the following weeks, there are several position to fill, it will be considered as OJT I think.

So If you choose Pres, you will have the advantage to be able to stay were you wish. As regs, If they transfer you lets say in Shiloh, you wont have that possibility. 

Do what is in your heart. Perhaps, you will be able to start Pres and eventually, transfer to regs.


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## chimo2u (18 Jun 2007)

Hello
To all who wrote me with their kind words of advice and encouragement, I thank you. Your advice helped me decide to keep processing REG force, and I just recieved the call from the recruiting center that it will be no problem to keep my file proceeding as a REG force applicant. Now all there is to do is await my medical and interview dates which I should know in the next day or so. I am following my heart and following through on my dream of being a REG force RMS clerk. I've worked long and hard to get this far, and I do not want to give up now. As many wonderful people pointed out, I have to follow my heart and there is always time to CT to Reserves in the future after I have my training and have completed my initial 3 yr. engagement. 

HOWEVER,  I think the only thing that would make me want to do that in the future now, would be if they were to post me East,  then for my families sake,  I would look into a Reserve CT. 
Once again, thanks for all the advice and kind words, I feel at peace with my decision now.

Sincerely,
Marie


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## BernDawg (18 Jun 2007)

You go girl!  ;D


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## Northern Ranger (18 Jun 2007)

Good for you talking with other like minded pers is always a good way to go. 


So now that my release  ;D is in I've been wondering......


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## Remius (18 Jun 2007)

Just a note of caution.  I'm not familiar with your current location's manning but I can describe a problem we encountered with service spouses joining in my neck of the woods.  RMS is a popular trade interest among service spouses in our area.  So much so that they couldn't post any more new ones to the area their husbands were posted to for their first posting.  The result was some seperation postings and for some early release or offer refusals from some of the CTs.  Just keep that in mind and maybe ask around what the current manning levels are at for that specific trade.  Although the CF tries to accomodate, there are cases where seperation postings can happen.  I know of one case (an aquaintance) where the husband was in 2 CER and she was posted to CFRC Fredericton.  Hopefully this will not be the case for you.  

And please don't think I'm trying to discourage you.  Quite the opposite.  Just trying to arm you with all the info you can get.

Good luck with your process!


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## chimo2u (19 Jun 2007)

Hi! Thanks for the heads up. I know there is always a risk in these situations, I am hoping for the best though. My Husband is currently with 1CER and leaving for Afghanistan Aug. 3, but thinking of releasing upon his return from this tour. We've done the 20 yrs. of moving from feild unit to field unit, to the school in Gagetown, and back again to Edmonton. We're so sick of the constant "shuffle". So, in the end, I am aware that I may have to do a IR posting, but am truly hoping it will not come to that. I will go before I force my kids to leave another school in their Junior and Senior years of schooling. (1 going into grade 9 and 1 going into grade 6 this fall). I've supported my hubby for all his 21 yrs of military service (by the time he comes back from Afghanistan)... I know he'll support me as I begin my new career!
Thanks for all the info, it's been a big help! I'm open to all advice/ personal experiences you wish to share.
 Marie


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## hyland84 (15 Aug 2007)

chimo2u,

I am waiting for my waiver to be granted also. The first time I wrote my CAFT I didn't qualify for the trade I wanted which is Traffic Tech.. I saw that it was one of your options to choose from if you didn't want to wait for the waiver.  My question to you is, what is the passing mark to qualify for traffic tech. I was told that I could rewrite the cfat in 30 day. So I should be getting a call within 2 weeks or so. If they don't call me, I'll definitely be calling them to schedule the test. Just like you, my heart is set on the is trade. It will give me a chance to explore the world at 22 (23 in November) and not be on the front lines. My future goal is to work with SAR TECH. Knowing the position you were in when you found out your situation, I was hoping that you'd be kind enough to help me out in mine. I've realized that this is what i want to do for my career and knwo that there's room for opportunity throughout my career.

If anyone else knows the answer to my question, feel free to contact me PLEASE.

oh and by the way MARIE I think you've made a good decision.

thanks fro your time in advance 

Hyland


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## chimo2u (16 Aug 2007)

Hi hyland84,
Thanks for your post, unfortunately, I do not know the passing criteria for any trade. Sorry I can't help you there. I only chose 1 trade when i applied because I would only be happy as an RMS clerk. I believe they offered me the chance to look at Traffic Tech, but I declined ands chose to await my waiver. Thankfully, the waiver came through, I was offered a job as RMS clerk airforce and I leave for basic trg. in 3 weeks! Boy time flies, so don't give up hope and perhaps you'll get your offer in the near future too! Good luck on your CFAT re-write.If I could give any advice on that, it would be to study the GED prep book, especially the problem solving, fractions, decimals percent type questions. The grade 10 general math seems to be a big portion on the test and a part where many fail to prepare properly.
Once again good luck on your future process and keep having a positive outlook, if you want it badly enough, you will find a way to suceed, I am sure


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## WannaBeFlyer (16 Aug 2007)

hyland, 
With all do respect, in a couple of threads you have asked what score is required on the CFAT to receive an offer for traffic tech. My advice to you is; and don't take this the wrong way, but don't waste anymore time on army.ca (unless you are going through the CFAT thread) trying to find that magic number you need to receive an offer.  Who cares what you require? You know what is required of you and that is to get the best possible score you can on the CFAT. You also have a tremendous advantage, in my opinion, in that you have already taken the test and you should know what questions made you sweat. Brush up on those areas and good luck!


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## Sig_Des (16 Aug 2007)

hyland84 said:
			
		

> It will give me a chance to explore the world at 22 (23 in November) *and not be on the front lines*. My future goal is to work with SAR TECH.



I take contention with statements like this. I have a hard time respecting anyone who's not willing to be out there. And just so you're aware, the operations we're on, there isn't really a "front line".

As a traffic tech, you still might be called on. You have to be able to fight if you are, say, operating at a forward Landing Zone. Or if working at KAF, you can be volunteered onto a Combat Logistics Patrol. Even as a Traffic Tech, you may be called on to operate on the "front lines" as it were.

And you say you want to work with SAR Techs. I don't know if you mean with, or as, but the intestinal fortitude required to work in SAR is up there as well.

I'm disappointed with people who want to use the military to see the world, get an education, get paid, but aren't willing to back it up with a willingness to do what is required.


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## PMedMoe (16 Aug 2007)

+1 Sig_Des

Not to mention, if hyland84 didn't get the CFAT score required for Tfc Tech, he/she may find it difficult to get selected for SAR Tech.


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## hyland84 (17 Aug 2007)

Thanks guys for the vote of confidence. About SAR TECH, I do hope one daay to become part of there team. I'm not saying right away. But with experience as a tff tech I know it will help me. I also know that SARtech is very hard to get into. If I don't get into it throughout my career, doesn't mean I can't strive for it.

As for rewriting teh cfat again i know that I have an advantage to getting a better score this time, but thanks anyways.


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## PMedMoe (17 Aug 2007)

hyland84 said:
			
		

> Thanks guys for the vote of confidence.



Sorry, it's not a matter of whether you're confident or not, it's a matter of reality.


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## blacktriangle (30 Nov 2007)

Does anyone know if there is good chance for an RMS qual'd res Pte. to go overseas? I've heard that CSS people can get more tours, but I'm not sure if its true. Also, can a person go on tour, and immediatly after complete a CT to the regs? Does anyone know the numbers of RMS that they take from the res, if any?

I have no problem going outside the wire if need be either...

Thanks


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## George Wallace (30 Nov 2007)

OK.  Who are you really?


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