A few reserve ?'s

[hessian]

Hi,

I have been reading through the forums and using the search option. Which can be found at the top right of the page. First off you have a great sticky collection which answered most all my questions.

Next week , I'll be visiting a recruitment office in Toronto. I was hoping to possibly receive some advice in advance.

My goal is to apply for a reserve part-time position in Int. The questions more pertain to my route in getting there.

I was thinking of doing one to two years at either:

Royal York Rangers (recce)
Queens Own Rifles (would be a honor to be a member during the 150Th year)
Lorne Scots (geographically closest , feeder for Dufferin)

My three questions are , firstly which of these three would have a competitive shOOting team?

Secondly , which one would give the most options for rotations with Reg. forces and continued training while in Canada?

Last of all , which would give the best opportunities in the field before moving to Intel. I was thinking recce , as it's often a advanced collection of Intel unit. It's hard at my age though , not thinking of getting my para wings with QOR.

I'm 36 , physical test is no problem. Retired , many years working overseas. Had a few surgeries but healed up ok. Former competitive shOOter.

Thanks again in advance for any replies. As well as a sorry if I have missed the answers to my questions in the stickies and search options.

 

[the_girlfirend]

Hi!

I can tell you that the best thing you can do is to visit all of them, and talk to the recruiters, and make your decision from there.
The atmosphere and particularities of the units are hard to know from the outside. I had to visit a couple before I found the one I wanted to apply to.
But since the training is standardized in the CF, I would think that either one of them will give you a similar background, but verify with the recruiters.

Also, I had a spinal surgery and I can tell you that it did slow down the medical process (I am still waiting), so I would tell you to apply as early as possible, because it will take some time.

Keep us posted, good luck

 

[MikeL]

Doing 1-2 years at the unit won't really get you much experiance, just get your BMQ/SQ and DP1 done.. maybe a QL4 but no real experiance. If you want to be an INT OP just go straight into INT.

 

[hessian]

Thanks for the speedy replies.

I'll make a appointment to go by and speak with someone from Int then as well. My main concern is available rotations , serving my country is something I need to do. Although from reading a Int website I saw that they are very active.

 

[MikeL]

Thanks for the speedy replies.

I'll make a appointment to go by and speak with someone from Int then as well. My main concern is available rotations , serving my country is something I need to do. Although from reading a Int website I saw that they are very active.

If you are only willing to do 1 year, maybe 2 years  in the Combat Arms you won't be able to get a tour, especially since work up an the tour will be around a year and a half. And for INT OP; ask them about it an what the pre-reqs are for tour(IE do you need a QL5). 

 

[hessian]

I'm thinking it will take around 4-5 years to get a rotation spot with Int ? I could be way off but that is what I'm willing to wait.

2nd Int has posted that they always could use a few more folks willing to go overseas. Which is why I was leaning towards them. Although I'm interested in Int , I'm wanting to be in the field. This being the case I'm wondering if recce would be more for me. Yes , I'm aware of the role of Int. (Not expecting James Bond stuff , maybe a decoder ring though. Just not really wanting to stare at a pc screen as my job.)

So am I correct in thinking a tour might open up with Inf after 2-3 years?

My thinking was I'd try for the transfer over to Int after doing a first tour with a Inf unit. Have the basics done with and be able to apply , pass and hopefully go to Kingston for further training. I'm thinking if accepted to the reserves , I'd be with them till I'm too old to do my job.

 

[MikeL]

Armour Recce Reservists from what I've seen are not employed in Recce roles. The Reg Force Armour Recce are out there in Coyotes doing Recce, etc. The Reservists get tasked with mainly NSE Force Protection(Convoy Escort).

As for how long you'd have to wait for a tour, no idea for INT. Infantry might be quicker; just depends on which Brigade/Area is slotted positions for the tour and also on how long it takes someone to get through BMQ, SQ and BIQ/DP1(minimum, but the more quals the better)

 

[George Wallace]

I'm thinking it will take around 4-5 years to get a rotation spot with Int ? I could be way off but that is what I'm willing to wait.

2nd Int has posted that they always could use a few more folks willing to go overseas. Which is why I was leaning towards them. Although I'm interested in Int , I'm wanting to be in the field. This being the case I'm wondering if recce would be more for me. Yes , I'm aware of the role of Int. (Not expecting James Bond stuff , maybe a decoder ring though. Just not really wanting to stare at a pc screen as my job.)

So am I correct in thinking a tour might open up with Inf after 2-3 years?

My thinking was I'd try for the transfer over to Int after doing a first tour with a Inf unit. Have the basics done with and be able to apply , pass and hopefully go to Kingston for further training. I'm thinking if accepted to the reserves , I'd be with them till I'm too old to do my job.

Reading your plan, it sounds like you already have the best plan mapped out.  Joining Armour and getting some experience there, or in Infantry, will give you a fairly sound knowledge of the Basics in Tactics, ORBATs, Map Using and Map Marking, as well as the other Basic Soldier skills that will be a positive asset towards joining INT later.  INT prefers to "Recruit" from the Cbt Arms, not the Street.