Naval Reserve and Sea time

[Acer Syrup]

I have searched and searched for my answer, but no prevail.

I work in the coast forest industry and I have never been able to have the ability to serve in the PRes until todays recent economics situations. The next couple of years my company will be a little hurting. So hey, all of a sudden a leave of absense is totally optional (even recommended).

Specifically my question is not how much sea time a reservist can get, I found that. But what are the requirements to go to sea? QL3?

Is it difficult to get sea posting?

 

[kratz]

You will need to take the NETP course. As for opportunities to go to sea, there are short term OJT position and postings that exist year round for most of the hard sea trades. Using your Divisional System, remember to keep your AVREP (Availability Report) current with the dates and which positions you are interested in filling. Your trade's CM uses the AVREP as their primary tool to fill positions.

 

[Snakedoc]

There are many opportunities to go to sea but it really depends on what trade or officer classification you are looking to get into.  Perhaps you can provide us with more information so that we can be better able to help you?

 

[Acer Syrup]

Well it would it would be a NCM position that I would apply for. I haven't really decided what trade I would pick. Honestly I was going to call HMCS Malahat recruiting and see what trades where open.

I was thinking (even though you would have never caught me saying this a couple of years ago) Bos'n. Thats about as hardcore navy as you could get. NES OP always seems to be in demend, but not too sure if that total excites me. I job shadowed a NCI OP, it was ok. Intelligence Operator perked my interest, but that doesn't sound readily available or a hardcore sea position available for Cl C position.

Any ideas what reserve units are usally looking for? i.e. reg force is always looking for NES OP it seems.

 

[Monsoon]

But what are the requirements to go to sea? QL3?

Is it difficult to get sea posting?

Once you're qualified, not difficult at all - in fact we have far too few people to man the sea-going platforms we have right now.

As for what's needed to go to sea as a reservist: as an NCM, it'd be BMQ (9 weeks-ish), NETPO (4 weeks) and QL1 (8 to 12 weeks, depending on the trade). After QL1 you'll likely have to do some OJT before you're fully qualified, but you'd be doing that on a ship at sea.

For MARS officers: IAP/BOTP (13 weeks), NETPO (5 weeks), MARS III (12 weeks), MARS IV (6 + 12 weeks in two parts). If you need additional consolidation before earning your watchkeeping ticket after that, you'd be doing it at sea.

Bear in mind that it may not be possible to get all these courses back-to-back, so the total time elapsed between starting training and getting to sea may be longer than the sum of the courses. This is particularly true of MARS training, as VENTURE has quite a training backlog these days and it seems very difficult to load reservists on the fall and winter MARS courses.

 

[Monsoon]

Any ideas what reserve units are usally looking for? i.e. reg force is always looking for NES OP it seems.

NES OP is a reg force only trade. NAVRES sea-going NCM trades are NAVCOM, NCIOP, BOSN, COOK and MESO. They're all hurting for people. MAL are probably the only ones who can tell you what their quotas for the year look like right now, though.

 

[Acer Syrup]

yah, I guess I kinda knew that NES OP was a RegF trades, I just wasn't too sure what the NAVRES equivilant was, even if there is one. Which there doesn't seem to be.

I put in an e-mail to Malahat recruiting, I'll will see if I get an email back. Many moons ago I put in a e-mail to Sig's recruiting. To this very day I have never recieved an e-mail back. haha, sorry off topic. Malahat parades on Thursdays?

This morning I found a list of Cl B & C postions on the NAVRES website. A lot of the postions are for LS and above though. Where is 4th MAROPS? I tried search the web, but couldn't nail it down.

I totally understand that I may not be able to do all my courses back to back. I will just take LOA when a course comes up and work my normal 9-5 that I have now.

I know a lot of reserves members take BMQ on the weekends in Victoria. I assume you can just take BMQ straight through, not positive though. I would like to do it back to back.

If you take a Class C postion for 3 years for example. Can you back out of that position at anytime or are you locked in?

By the way thanks for answering quesetions. Hopefully this helps others out as well.

 

[CountDC]

4 MAROPS - ESQUIMALT, FOURTH MARITIME OPERATIONS GROUP HEADQUARTERS, land billet - prob not what you want if after sea time.

You can back out of any position with the proper notice given.  Just be aware that it could affect future employment as they may not want to take a chance on you again.

 

[kratz]

If the unit is locall, do not be shy about calling the NRD's recruiter: (250) 363-3883. There is someone in the office during normal working hours and they are there to answer questions like the ones you are posting. Normally NRDs parade on Wed nights, the recruiter will be able to confirm that for you and most likely schedule you for a tour of the unit if you ask. MOG4 is the west coast operational command responsible for the MCDVs and diving unit. Normally a sailor who is an Ordinary Seaman (OS) or an Able Seaman (AB) is still under trades training, so there is not too many postions advertised for those ranks. There is ample work during the training phases. As mentioned earlier, your AVREP will allow you to ask for 2 weeks, a month ect... notice before starting a contract. This will give you time to arrange LOA with your civilian employment. Keep in mind there will be occasional examples when a last minute opportunity might arise. The Naval Reserve does not do weekend BMQ. You will normally be sent to BMQ in Borden ON for the 9 or 13 week course. The number of weeks depends if you have achieved all of the pre-BMQ training to qualify for the shorter course. After BMQ there are occasional opportunities for MOC training but normally most of the courses are in the Apr - Sep time frame. If you have received a financial benifit (example: accpeting a move cross country) and you break the contract early, there may be a requiement to repay the benifit. Otherwise yes, you can request an early temination of a contract with 30 days notice. Relying on do such a thing without a valid reason can affect the next time you apply for a contract.

 

[MARS]

Don't know when they parade - likely Wednesdays or Thursdays.

4th Maritime Operations Group (MOG4) is in Esquimalt.

Naval Reserve BMQ is done in Borden, it is NOT weekends like the militia - it IS one long course. 

Opportunities to "back out" of your long-term Class C obligations would be subject to the exigencies of the Service.  IIRC, a minimum of 30 days notice is required for you to REQUEST that your employment be terminated.  The Naval Reserve can, and has kept people for up to 6 months - not sure of the reference for that - owing to operational requirements.  Regardless of the reasons for termination of employment (except perhaps compassionate reasons - I don't know for sure) NAVRES policy is that you will not be issued another contract for the duration of the period that you had left prior to terminating your employment.  I have seen this waived occasionally, owing to operational commitments, but it is the exception rather than the rule in my experience. 

Note what Kratz said abour repaying allowances - I forgot about that.

 

[Acer Syrup]

So I got an e-mail back from Malahat recruiting. They have NAVCOMM, NCI Op, MESO, supply, cook, RMS Clerk, and MARS. Looks like I have some board reading to do to figure out which one I like more.

If the unit is local, do not be shy about calling the NRD's recruiter: (250) 363-3883. There is someone in the office during normal working hours and they are there to answer questions like the ones you are posting.

Yeah got me there. I have never really liked calling people on the phone. I Will if I have too, but if I can do it on-line why not. The real reason I ask questions here, is that there are many experts here who will tell it to me straight without the recruiter veil.

There are a lot of job postings for lower ranks called SPL. I look all over web as well as the CF abbreviation manual. All I could come up with was special.

So the more I look at my options, how do people feel about the abilities of leaving a fulltime well paying job and being a career reservist? Is it do able? My first thought is no, but what I thought was fact earlier this week is quickly changing before my eyes.

 

[CountDC]

ok - this is just my own opinion -

1.  forget RMS Clk - from what you have posted so far you will not be happy in my trade.

2. stay with the full time well paying job and be a part time career reservist.

3. if you want a full time career with the military then join the reg f.

Right now the military is on a high and jobs with reg and res are there - similar to 80's and early 90's.  Then the bubble burst and slashing happened everywhere. Somewhere around 96/97 I typed a lot of letters (over 100) to reserve members informing them that thier job had either been cut or downgraded in rank. The downgraded ones were lucky in that they were mostly given the choice of taking down thier rank to keep the job (some 10+ years Sgts became MCpls) or looking for another job. I also lost my job in the deal - found out when it came time to type my own letter - talk about a nice notice. There was also a bunch of cuts to the part time reserve positions around then too but do not recall how many.

Best advice I was ever given - do not make a full time career out of a part time career. Unfortunately I didn't listen until 10 years later.

 

[kratz]

There is no mysterious veil with NRD recruiters. They are experienced sailors like the rest of the ship's company. They are just filling one of those full-time positions that you have been asking about.

SPL is not a rank, it can be used as an employment position for OJT.

SPL - Ship's Personnel List. This is a shore office sailors are sent to in the dockyard while waiting for a position on board, or they have issues that need to be resolved ashore while their ship is sailing (ie: going on / returning from leave).  These SPL sailors are used as a manning pool for last minute taskings as they arise. 

If you asked a Career Manager about continuous full-time Naval Reserve work, you would receive the same answer that CountDC provided above. Go RegF.

That being said, depending on factors such as your trade, work ethic, and needs of the service you will find a healthy number of Naval Reservists who have been employed full-time for multiple years, with hardly any breaks between contracts. Those sailors are NOT guaranteed the work, it is just how their career has progressed. If you have an understanding civilian employer, many reservists have been able to successfully juggle both careers. If you need help with your civilian employer, search this site and google for CFLC (Canadian Forces Liaison Council).

 

[Acer Syrup]

I understand what your saying. The only reason I am remotely looking at this situation is because in my industry we are quickly looking at layoffs. I need a back up plan to get me through the tough times. Times are only going to get worse and layoff are almost inevitable.

I would join the RegF tomorrow, if my spouse could move. She has a very good that she loves, so I can't ask that of her. I have no intentions of being a career reservist for the rest of my life, but temporarily.

We all know the recruiting process takes a long time and I will need to get a jump on things if this is the right thing for me.

:crybaby: I know.

I know there is no secret veil, but there is a sort of politically correct way of dealing with retards like myself.

I do have other applications in for other jobs not in the military, I am weighing out those options (i.e. seeing if I get them). I have always wanted to join the NAVRES, but now I remember why I couldn't. I was never able to get time off for BMQ. Now the opportunity is providing itself. This is a difficult choice because I would have to leave the CIC and Victoria really needs officers.