How often will I get relocated if I have a family?
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Kay_87 said:
To expand a little on Harrigan's answer -
1. Yes - but... every few years could mean 3 years to 10 years. Hard air trades are less likely to move so often, but they still move. And only to locations where the trade is active. you probable wouldn't see a crewman (armored) in Goose Bay...
2. Not really - a "CM" in case you or anyone else reading this thread is not aware - is your "Career Manager". This is the person assigned to take care of your trade / usually rank specific and all the positions available within your trade. For the most part (and Harrigan nailed it here) needs of the service are paramount. Just having family doesn't quite cut it here. Now, if there are real extenuating circumstances that would cause you the need to be in a certain spot, and it's not unrealistic, there are avenues you can take - still, all without a guarantee, but know that there is no "cut-and-dry" here.
Relocating is a huge part of what we do and it happens to thousands of us annually (APS is a season in the CAF...) The military does make it "fairly" painless - not everyone has an easy posting, but it's not as bad as you would think. Imagine - my son has literally hundreds and hundreds of friends as he was in 6 schools between grade 5 and 12!
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smale436
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If you don't want to move much and are an aircraft technician, ask to come to Cold Lake. You won't go anywhere for at least ten years. There are many people here who have done over twenty consecutive years here as well. Granted, at that point they did not want to leave.
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BinRat55 said:
CDNAIRFORCE is being very specific with his recommendation, and in that regard I would reinforce his thoughts. If you are a tech (aspecially AVS, but AVN close as well), have a pulse, and want to work in YOD for a while, odds are good that you can stay for some time. There is enough organizational and workplace variety (for the stations of the cross of any particular MOC-500 trade) in Cold Lake that the CM will be in no particular hurry at all to post you out after 2-3 years.
Mileage may vary at other Wings.
:2c: to CDNAIRFORCES' :2c:
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smale436
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Thanks for that! You really summed it up with the "stations of the cross" phrase. I don't care to assume whether Binrat has been posted to Cold Lake, but my "generalizations" are based not on "a few pers" but on the majority of the MOC 500 Series I've met in my eight years here. The people who come to CL as a first posting and leave less than 4-6 years are few and far between. They had surrounding circumstances like family issues, compassionate situations, career progression/succession, service couples, etc. Between type course, AGYS training, load course for AWST and minimum two years to get A Levels you find yourself fairly qualified after 3-5 years. Couple that with always being short in manning and the chance of them posting you "just because" are quite slim, and worse for AWST than AVS/AVN. I've been told that unless you have a serious issue you're wasting your time going to a CM interview looking for a posting out if you've been a Cpl for a few years and hold level A's but they have no issue for postings elsewhere on base to different units. (And that's been fairly accurate in most respects) Even support trades are in the same boat. Most clerks and supply techs I know here are averaging 8-10 years here. Come to CL as a Pte, move around the wing and leave CL (or not) as a Sgt/WO.
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A few pers or 200 pers... I am not trying to "undermine" the AF experience you or anyone else has on this site - my point is that you are not a career manager. You tell an individual who's not in yet (or in and new, or even better - a spouse...):
We like to do what's called "manage expectations" and as such, unless you are directly responsible for a certain decision, you do not go around making definitive statements like "YOU WON'T GO ANYWHERE FOR AT LEAST 10 YEARS..." While it is entirely possible you are correct, can YOU promise this? For all you know, the OP is a spouse with a family problem and want's ammo for the serving other half. I completely understand what you mean - but I have the benefit of having over 25 years served, 10 of which on an air force base. Others may not.
All i'm saying is have some objectivity when handing out advice here or anywhere else for that matter. There are a lot of people on this site with less time and experience as you who some tent to take the "older, wiser dude" as gospel. Do and say what you wish, but if you get in the habit in the CAF of making statements to your troops that are definitive and can't follow through, you are in for a bad time.
MY :2c:
CDNAIRFORCE said:
We like to do what's called "manage expectations" and as such, unless you are directly responsible for a certain decision, you do not go around making definitive statements like "YOU WON'T GO ANYWHERE FOR AT LEAST 10 YEARS..." While it is entirely possible you are correct, can YOU promise this? For all you know, the OP is a spouse with a family problem and want's ammo for the serving other half. I completely understand what you mean - but I have the benefit of having over 25 years served, 10 of which on an air force base. Others may not.
All i'm saying is have some objectivity when handing out advice here or anywhere else for that matter. There are a lot of people on this site with less time and experience as you who some tent to take the "older, wiser dude" as gospel. Do and say what you wish, but if you get in the habit in the CAF of making statements to your troops that are definitive and can't follow through, you are in for a bad time.
MY :2c:
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smale436
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While I intended that last statement to provide anecdotal experience from the typical Cold Lake experience, I can see how the wording left some to be desired for someone who may not even know where Cold Lake is. I get where you're coming from so thanks for the advice.
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It's all good. A lot of times the experiences we live are ingrained in us so much that the reality we live is our own bubble. I, and a great many of us have provided "words of wisdom" or advice not seeing the bigger picture because it's all we know and hey, how can anything else be true right?
That being said, I do know exactly where you are coming from - there are many places for someone to "hide" as it were on the bigger bases / wings. Gander for instance not so much. Petawawa - everytime you are posted (24 separate UICs one can be posted to) is considered a posting. I know of a guy who managed to spend his whole 22 year career in Pet. And he was a purple trade!
Conversely, I know of a girl who was posted to Greenwood, qualified to work on a specific airframe, there for 8 months before being tossed onto a course for a second frame, moved to Trenton. Total time in Greenwood - less than 2 years.
That being said, I do know exactly where you are coming from - there are many places for someone to "hide" as it were on the bigger bases / wings. Gander for instance not so much. Petawawa - everytime you are posted (24 separate UICs one can be posted to) is considered a posting. I know of a guy who managed to spend his whole 22 year career in Pet. And he was a purple trade!
Conversely, I know of a girl who was posted to Greenwood, qualified to work on a specific airframe, there for 8 months before being tossed onto a course for a second frame, moved to Trenton. Total time in Greenwood - less than 2 years.
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I think 8 Wing Trenton wins the award for "RCAF location most likely to facilitate entrenched personnel." I once ha a CWO tell me he had 15+ postings in his career....later admitting to serving in three locations: Cornwallis (basic), Borden (MOC500 tech trg), and Trenton (entire op career).
:nod:
G2G
:nod:
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Well that would make sense. The only base that has 3-4(with J's) unique airframes stationed, not found anywhere else. A pilot or a tech working on them would stay in Trenton for his entire career unless he gets switched to another airframe.
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Hi All,
Just wondering how often to Pilots have to relocate after training ? And if posted in a remote location with less opportunities for significant other, do CF provide any NCM posting for spouses etc ?
Any info is helpful. Thank you in advance.
Just wondering how often to Pilots have to relocate after training ? And if posted in a remote location with less opportunities for significant other, do CF provide any NCM posting for spouses etc ?
Any info is helpful. Thank you in advance.
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There are resources to help spouses gain employment at each base, nothing is guaranteed.
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Loachman said:
No, just meant if CF helps find civilian spouse some office job or something, as some of the squadrons are in pretty remote locations. It will be a big ask to have her just sit at home and waste her education and career dreams. Looking at,
- what might be the options available for my wife ?
- if she has a job in another city is there any facility/compensation provided so we can see each other more often ?
- Is there any consideration if she wishes to join forces so she can have a job at the same squadron as me ?
I have no idea at all about this and what to expect.
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