Advice on joining The Canadian Forces

[ericorion]

I am a Canadian citizen currently living in North Carolina and ever since I was a kid I always wanted join the military.  I would love to have the chance to serve my country and learn some life lessons that only the military can teach, however I am unsure of how to take this route. My main concern is the funding of my education.  I have heard of some subsidized education plans but I am not sure whether they would curtail to my desired job.  I would like to be an resource management support clerk and do something that would be related to the job I want to get in civilian world which will be in the finance field.  After speaking to three different recruiters over the phone I was given a couple of answers that made me unwary as to whether I would ever have a paid education.  Are there any type of subsidized education programs that would fund my future goal of attaining a bachelors degree after my service in the military?

 

[Fiera]

If I am not mistaken, subsidized education through the military only covers education required for/related to the military occupation you are going into and is taken prior to or during the first few years of service. It also requires a minimum contract length so the CF sees a return on their investment.

I'm sure someone will correct me if I am wrong.

That being said however, if you truly want an education in Finance, different saving options and investments may be the route to take. If you save smartly you can have your military career, and return to school when you have completed your service or look into universities offering degree programs/courses online you can take while you work.

 

[jwtg]

Best bet is likely going ROTP (Regular Officer Training Plan) where they will pay your tuition/books/supplies/salary for a 4 year degree either at RMC or a civilian university.  Train/work during the summers, go to school during the school year.  When you're done, you serve your obligatory service.

Probably go as a Logistics Officer, if your interest lies in resource management.  Any university degree is acceptable to serve as a LOG O, so you could study finances/business/accounting/anything that earns you a degree from an accredited Canadian university.

There are all kinds of official publications on the ROTP, also you can call a recruiter and ask about.
I don't know much about subsidized education for NCM's, or really anything other than ROTP.

Good luck.

 

[infantryian]

If you are a reservist they will also refund (aka. you pay it first) half your tuition up to a maximum of $2000 upon successful completion of a school year.

 

[Pusser]

I am a Canadian citizen currently living in North Carolina and ever since I was a kid I always wanted join the military.  I would love to have the chance to serve my country and learn some life lessons that only the military can teach, however I am unsure of how to take this route. My main concern is the funding of my education.  I have heard of some subsidized education plans but I am not sure whether they would curtail to my desired job.  I would like to be an resource management support clerk and do something that would be related to the job I want to get in civilian world which will be in the finance field.  After speaking to three different recruiters over the phone I was given a couple of answers that made me unwary as to whether I would ever have a paid education.  Are there any type of subsidized education programs that would fund my future goal of attaining a bachelors degree after my service in the military?

You seem to be looking to the CF for a similar program that the the US military offers its members (GI Bill?), which is a plan (as I understand it) that provides tuition for you to attend school after you leave the service.  We don't really have anything like that.  As  someone has already mentioned, we have the Regular Officer Training Program, where we send you to school (RMC or another Canadian university) and pay for your books and tuition and provide a salary.  We also have a few other programs where you can be reimbursed tuition, but they are all based on the premise that you will continue to serve.  In fact, in many cases you will incur obligatory service in exchange for the education we pay for.  The only programs we offer that are remotely similar to what you have described come under the Second Career Assistance Network (SCAN), which is designed to help you transition back into civilian society, but those programs are primarily designed for people who are at the end of long careers (e.g. 20 years).  The bottom line is, don't go looking at the CF to provide you with tuition for a bachelor's degree after serving 3-4 years as an RMS Clerk.  That program simply does not exist.

 

[ericorion]

Thank you Pusser for the very insightful post.  I've just always had this infatuation with the military and from the time I was thirteen I knew that I would join the military sometime in my life.  After some extensive research on the web and long hours on this forum I've come to the conclusion that the Reserves would be the best path for me to take.  I know that being a part of the Canadian Forces mold me into a much more determined and confident man.  It also would give me the opportunity to pay off some of my tuition. 

My father lives in Winnipeg and as of now my plans are to join the reserve unit over there.  I would probably go to community college to knock out some of the classes that I will have to take in order to get my bachelors degree.  I am just worried as to how long it would take for me to attain security clearance to Canadian Forces since I've been living in the United States since the age of 12 (I am now 18).  I am a Canadian citizen with no criminal history.  Does anybody have any idea as to how long it would take a temporary  resident of the United States to get security clearance in order to join the Canadian Forces?

 

[infantryian]

The United States is a pretty close ally, so you shouldn't have too many problems with that (my assumption), but as for the timings, this is a great thread to check out.

http://forums.army.ca/forums/threads/81054.0.html

 

[ericorion]

I already had a look at that actually but thanks.  I guess the question can't really be answered by anyone but by the recruiter with whom I will be speaking with tomorrow.

 

[infantryian]

My guess is the recruiter will also not give you a direct answer, because it is not under his/her control regarding the speed of the processing. If they provide you an estimate it would be to easy for someone to say to them 'You said it would only be X long, what's the deal?'.