Reserve Q?s: Is summer training mandatory? Is it difficult to find the time as a student?

[Veteran`s son]

Is summer training for Reserves mandatory?

Couldn‘t the BMQ and the rest of Basic Training be completed during the one evening a week and certain weekends that must be attended for training?

Also, is it two or three weekends a month for training?

 

[DnA]

BMQ can be taking during the summer, monday to friday, or every 2nd weekend during the year

SQ an your QL3, QL4, etc are done during the summer

 

[DnA]

for the reserve, you owe them
1 night a week
1 weekend a month
an, during the spring break period, their‘s usually training in that

an summer training

 

[Veteran`s son]

Is it difficult to find the time to be a student and be in the Reserves?

Is this challenging for most people?

Any replies would be appreciated!

 

[Korus]

I guess that depends on the person, and how much free time they like to have.

I‘m currently studying engineering, and am serving in the reserves as well. I try to do training courses full time in the summer, and manage to find the time to attend almost all parade nights and exercises, though I sometimes have to miss one during midterms.

So it is do-able, I know other people do it to, but at times it does require time managment skills to be able to jugle getting good grades, and the giving as much as you can to the reserves.

 

[DnA]

I‘m a high school student in the PRes, I have no problems with it, an a bunch of other people in my unit are in college/university an they dont seem to have problems with it

 

[SpinDoc]

Expanding on what Korus says...

Yes, it depends quite a bit on both yourself (what kind of schedule you have) and also the responsibilities that are entrusted to you by your unit.

If you join as an NCM, early on in your career as a private chances are you won‘t be entrusted with tasks that would take you extra time beyond parade night. As you get higher in rank (and if you‘re still in school), you might have to do some prep work at home (i.e. prepare lesson).

Depending on your unit/your boss, young officers may get minimal responsibilities or they might be entrusted with something a bit heftier, such as planning and managing a course, etc. It might take a lot of time or it might take very little time, depending on how one tackles the responsibility.

Hope that didn‘t muddy the water too much.

 

[Pikache]

School work is not an excuse for missing training.
Do them ahead of time. Do a little planning.

 

[ninty9]

School work is not an excuse for missing training.
Do them ahead of time. Do a little planning.

I beg to differ.

What is more important in ones life? Reserves or getting a degree from a University. The Reserves is a job, school is much more important.

If one cannot do both, quit. Its simple, but I don‘t think i‘d choose any work over my education. I‘m the one paying for the education, so why wouldn‘t I do it?

 

[Pikache]

^You‘re right. I‘d choose education over missing a training night.

However, I‘ve not seen any situation where a little planning, (and perhaps less partying) does not free up time to finish your school work and allows you to attend training.

In university, you are told in advance, or given an idea when your assignments are due and when your tests and exams are.
So, plan around that.

 

[combat_medic]

DnA: correct me if I‘m wrong, but didn‘t you just join up? You may want to hold off on saying how easy it is to juggle school/work and reserves until you‘ve been in for a while.

 

[DnA]

Combat_medic

that is correct

but, I dont see the Rsv‘s taking up that much time though, it‘s only really 1 night a week mostly, an I think most people can handle that

aslong as you have good time managment, I cant see it being a problem, but I‘m sure some people do have a problem an cant make it to every night or weekend for whatever reason

just my oppion

 

[311]

Im in high school and reserves and I find that it is a little hard.Its just most teachers expect you to be doing work on the weekend , and while on course , it takes up your weekends. Its not impossible by any means, it just means you have to work a bit harder on weekdays.

Im doing BMQ right now and all but one of us is either in high school or university... so you should be able to do it.

 

[combat_medic]

DnA: STOP answering questions to which you don‘t know the answers. As an untrained private with no time in, no courses, and no experience, you may want to refrain from always voicing your opinion. Also, you may want to remove your exact name, unit, and platoon from your signature... just some advice.

As for courses: in Western Area, they are running BOTH BMQ and SQ during the weekends, and there is some talk of offering some trades courses, but that hasn‘t happened here (in 39 CBG) yet. To complete his training, and progress in his career, there may be times when he‘s required to go away for courses, but the reserves has gotten much better with this in that they‘er breaking everything up:

example: leadership training used to be 13-16 weeks straigh. NOW it‘s done mostly through the home unit, with only a 6 week (or so) commitment to go away for. They‘ve realized that they need to tailor courses more for the working person and student, so the course lengths are getting shorter, but now there‘s just more courses to take.

I hope this clarifies a little. Also, there‘s still a lot of changes happening, so just tell him to keep his ears open.

 

[Recce41]

Combat Medic
Thanks, He‘s getting on my nerves too. Vet Son, your question is one of the reasons. Regs dislike Res. Our Res are the only ones in the world that cannot be ordered to go play. I hope one day they say, every man/woman has to do three yrs, Res/Reg time. That you have to go to the field, etc.

 

[muskrat89]

Regs dislike Res. Our Res are the only ones in the world that cannot be ordered to go play.

Like that‘s their fault? That‘s like saying "I dislike Canadian Regulars because they are the only ones in the western world with old tanks and trucks"

I can only speak for the Militia Unit that I was in, but we busted our humps TRYING to get "ordered to go play"

 

[combat_medic]

DnA: as a brand new recruit, you have NO responsibilities in the reserves. You show up, march around, and leave. You‘re not on course, you‘re not a leader, you have NOTHING to do during the week other than maybe polish your boots.

Once you‘ve had even a little time in, you‘ll realize that it‘s not a big party for everyone else. As a leader, you have to prepare lesson plans, call all of your troops, prepare for exes, and keep in touch with your superiors. I‘ve been in for 4+ years and I‘m JUST figuring that out.

Even as a corporal, there‘s lots to be done, and most of it isn‘t on a Thursday night. I imagine for you it‘s a piece of cake right now. Your reserve time ends the moment you walk out the dorr, but don‘t make the assumption that it‘s the same for anyone else. At the moment you have no experience to draw from, so stop trying to refer to it.

 

[canada]

It is difficult to lead a balanced life as a full-time student and stay involved in your unit. To Bedpan or whatever his name was, education is going to get you somewhere in life, I don‘t know about you but my economics degree is a lot more sought after in the classifeds than my training to shoot people. I guess that depends what news paper you read. It is somthing that one can do but school (university) takes up a lot of time, espically if your in anything other than music or fine arts or some basket weaving degree. I‘m hoping to stay with the reserves during a graduate degree but it may have to go.

Those of you in high school, don‘t say anything you have it easy.
Bedpan, think before you speak, much of the army could do with that.
:mg:

Cheers -aw

 

[Recce41]

When soldiers have excuses not to show, burns me. When a whole Sqn is tasked to support a unit, and only 10 people show. That is BS. And the Tank thing makes no sense. In the Brit and US Army, soldiers go to jail if they don‘t show. In ours we tell them, OOO next time we‘ll take away your kit. The Res are a socal club now. When people sign in and just go to the mess, or just sign in. My view and others, all COs and RSMs be Reg, and have a full RSS staff.

 

[Pikache]

^Yeah, I‘m just a bloody private, and only in 2nd year history, yet somehow managed to juggle my schedule.

I‘ve heard too many ‘I can‘t come out because my teacher/prof assigned me this assignment due monday like two months ago, but now I‘m getting around to doing it.‘