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Well, the time has come for me to give something back to this great forum! I recently completed IAP/BOTP and I'm being posted to Kingston for OJT (my trade is pilot and I passed the SLT test). I'll cover the three important stages of boot camp:
1) IAP
2) BOTP
3) Farnham
So, let's get into it.
IAP
1. The first 2 weeks are the worst. You may have second thoughts about your reasons for joining. You will miss your friends and family alot. You may cry. Don't worry, you'll get over it. Your pod mates will become your best friends and will make life in the Mega much more bearable.
2. Come prepared!!! If you can only do the minimum standards for the physical tests then you're gonna be in trouble. If you're the kind of person that gets stressed out easily, you're gonna be in trouble. You MUST show up ready both physically and mentally. Also, bring the following items:
1) Duplicate toiletry items: Razor, Shaving lotion, toothbrush, toothpaste, soap, soap dish, mouth wash, deodorant. They will save
your ass during the first couple inspections.
2) Swiffers: good for those dust bunnies.
3) Mechanical hand-held sewer: All your kit must be labelled. You do this by writing your name on a piece of medical tape and sewing
it onto all of your stuff. Underwear, socks, shirts, lots and lots of sewing.....save yourself the hassle and buy the mechanical sewer.
3. Make sure your room is secure. This is very important, especially when you get the C-7 rifle. Every morning before you leave, check your locks and ensure nothing is left out in the open.
4. Work as a team with your pod mates. VERY important. Establish a routine right away such as laundry duties, cleaning duties, etc. Rather than doing your laundry every night (since you can't have dirty clothes in your room), do your entire pod's laundry once a week.....easier, no?
5. Sleep is your friend. If you worry about every minute detail, you'll be up until 11pm every night and only get around 6 hours sleep. The instructors will always find something wrong with your room. Besides, inspections really aren't that important. Try to get all your duties done and hit the sack at 10pm every night. You'll be much sharper during the day because of the extra sleep. And trust me, you want to be sharp during weapons class
.
BOTP
1. Get ready for lots of long, boring hours in the classroom. Plenty of tests but they are all pretty easy (class average is usually in the 90's).
2. Some former NCM's will join your platoon for BOTP. These people bring a great wealth of knowledge with them (sometimes too much : ) that you should tap into.
3. The course is not over!!! Lot's of people start slacking off toward the end of BOTP but the instuctors will nail you. Try to stay sharp, you're almost done.
FARNHAM
1. Bring food. Beef Jerky and chocolate bars. IMP's (rations) range from complete crap to good. You'll usually have 1-2 people in your syndicate (8 people) that refuse to eat certain IMP's so chances are likely that you'll end up with Veal cutlet on a few occasions. You will be amazed by how much good-tasting food affects morale in the field.
2. No matter how bad it gets, always try to laugh. It poured rain during the first 2 days in Farnham. Our combat jackets were soaked. The next couple days the temperature went near freezing. We were constantly wet, cold, hungry.....and miserable. But a couple guys in our platoon always kept morale high by joking around or getting everyone involved in a chant/song. Make an effort to keep your comrades' morale high. It makes all the difference.
3. On the rucksack march, do NOT try anything new. IAP ends with a 13km rucksack march that can be quite painful if you decide to do something stupid like try that new pair of $30 socks with fresh insoles :crybaby:. Remember to keep it simple and just use whatever has worked for you in the past.
4. In farnham, each person will be responsible for completing a task (such as building a pistol range, rope bridge, etc.). You will have to create a plan that your syndicate will then have to carry out. This is a test of your leadership potential. During your tasks, make sure to take command of your troops. The instructors are looking for leadership more than anything else so be sure to delegate, supervise, and lead with authority. BE A LEADER!!!
That pretty much sums up what I have to say about IAP/BOTP prep. Please feel free to add any extra tips that you may have. I have to pack for my trip to Dominican Republic now, muahahahaha!!!
1) IAP
2) BOTP
3) Farnham
So, let's get into it.
IAP
1. The first 2 weeks are the worst. You may have second thoughts about your reasons for joining. You will miss your friends and family alot. You may cry. Don't worry, you'll get over it. Your pod mates will become your best friends and will make life in the Mega much more bearable.
2. Come prepared!!! If you can only do the minimum standards for the physical tests then you're gonna be in trouble. If you're the kind of person that gets stressed out easily, you're gonna be in trouble. You MUST show up ready both physically and mentally. Also, bring the following items:
1) Duplicate toiletry items: Razor, Shaving lotion, toothbrush, toothpaste, soap, soap dish, mouth wash, deodorant. They will save
your ass during the first couple inspections.
2) Swiffers: good for those dust bunnies.
3) Mechanical hand-held sewer: All your kit must be labelled. You do this by writing your name on a piece of medical tape and sewing
it onto all of your stuff. Underwear, socks, shirts, lots and lots of sewing.....save yourself the hassle and buy the mechanical sewer.
3. Make sure your room is secure. This is very important, especially when you get the C-7 rifle. Every morning before you leave, check your locks and ensure nothing is left out in the open.
4. Work as a team with your pod mates. VERY important. Establish a routine right away such as laundry duties, cleaning duties, etc. Rather than doing your laundry every night (since you can't have dirty clothes in your room), do your entire pod's laundry once a week.....easier, no?
5. Sleep is your friend. If you worry about every minute detail, you'll be up until 11pm every night and only get around 6 hours sleep. The instructors will always find something wrong with your room. Besides, inspections really aren't that important. Try to get all your duties done and hit the sack at 10pm every night. You'll be much sharper during the day because of the extra sleep. And trust me, you want to be sharp during weapons class
.BOTP
1. Get ready for lots of long, boring hours in the classroom. Plenty of tests but they are all pretty easy (class average is usually in the 90's).
2. Some former NCM's will join your platoon for BOTP. These people bring a great wealth of knowledge with them (sometimes too much :
) that you should tap into.3. The course is not over!!! Lot's of people start slacking off toward the end of BOTP but the instuctors will nail you. Try to stay sharp, you're almost done.
FARNHAM
1. Bring food. Beef Jerky and chocolate bars. IMP's (rations) range from complete crap to good. You'll usually have 1-2 people in your syndicate (8 people) that refuse to eat certain IMP's so chances are likely that you'll end up with Veal cutlet on a few occasions. You will be amazed by how much good-tasting food affects morale in the field.
2. No matter how bad it gets, always try to laugh. It poured rain during the first 2 days in Farnham. Our combat jackets were soaked. The next couple days the temperature went near freezing. We were constantly wet, cold, hungry.....and miserable. But a couple guys in our platoon always kept morale high by joking around or getting everyone involved in a chant/song. Make an effort to keep your comrades' morale high. It makes all the difference.
3. On the rucksack march, do NOT try anything new. IAP ends with a 13km rucksack march that can be quite painful if you decide to do something stupid like try that new pair of $30 socks with fresh insoles :crybaby:. Remember to keep it simple and just use whatever has worked for you in the past.
4. In farnham, each person will be responsible for completing a task (such as building a pistol range, rope bridge, etc.). You will have to create a plan that your syndicate will then have to carry out. This is a test of your leadership potential. During your tasks, make sure to take command of your troops. The instructors are looking for leadership more than anything else so be sure to delegate, supervise, and lead with authority. BE A LEADER!!!
That pretty much sums up what I have to say about IAP/BOTP prep. Please feel free to add any extra tips that you may have. I have to pack for my trip to Dominican Republic now, muahahahaha!!!
