Thinking about joining the military, some questions

[Chemoney]

Hey, I'm new here, and in grade 9.  I've been thinking about joining the army pending the completion of highschool.  I'm a descent student, with an 80% average.  One main reason I've been thinking about this is the debt of university.  I am pretty sure that joining the military will help pay for some of my secondary education.  I've done some investigating on the Canadian army site, but I have some questions. 

- What is the difference between regular and reserve?

- What is the training like, pay, and benefits of enlisting in the infantry?

- Do I need any prior education in aircraft, piloting if I want to become a pilot. 

I'd love to serve my country, but I have a heart condition, tratilogy of fallot (I think thats it).  How physically fit should I be to be able to hold my own?  Thanks for the imput.

 

[Cliffy433]

Congratulations!  Thinking about joining is the first big step... now, I direct you to the recruiting forum... if your questions can't be answered with some reading, I'm sure we'd be more than happy to help you out if you ask them there.

http://army.ca/forums/index.php/board,16.0.html

tlm.

 

[Ex-Dragoon]

Welcome to the forum please make sure you read the forum guidelines and the FAQs as a lot of your questions can be answered by searching and reading.

 

[Chemoney]

Hey, I'm new here, and in grade 9.  I've been thinking about joining the army pending the completion of highschool.  I'm a descent student, with an 80% average.   One main reason I've been thinking about this is the debt of university.  I am pretty sure that joining the military will help pay for some of my secondary education.  I've done some investigating on the Canadian army site, but I have some questions.  

- What is the difference between regular and reserve?

- What is the training like, pay, and benefits of enlisting in the infantry?

- Do you enlist in specialist courses like Sniper, anti-aircraft, or are you chosen specially for them?

- Do I need any prior education in aircraft, piloting if I want to become a pilot.  

I'd love to serve my country, but I have a heart condition, tratilogy of fallot (I think thats it).  How physically fit should I be to be able to hold my own?  What is a normal day like, (well, i've read about that on the site, but something like how many push-ups, sit-ups, how many KM do I have to run, etc. in a day)

I've done a bit of reading on this site, but a lot of what i'm reading is in abriviations.  

I've read through some of the FAQ, but it's a bit unclear.   I posted this in the general forum, but I was directed here.  Thanks for the help.

 

[TheCheez]

Reg force is a full time job, 5 days a week(or more), at whatever base you happened to be posted at. Reserves work on a part time basis and it is definitely possible to be a reserve and maintain a career in civie life.

Pay is pucblicly available and I believe the salary for Pte is now 24**/mo. 2LT is now 326* after the new raise. Of course your incentive level can change this.

I believe the only entry plan available for pilots right now is DEO which requires a degree. From time to time they open programs which dont require a degree but it's a good idea to have reserve experience or flight training or university eduction if not all of those. ROTP is always available if you want to go to RMC or CivU. Talk to a recruiter if you're interested in being a pilot. Main thing is to not be the guys that walked into to recruiting center saying "Wow, pilot, that'd be fun".

A heart condition will probably limit your career options. This is another one that would have to be discussed with the doctor or medic or whatnot. Unfortunately I believe this will also eliminate pilot as a career  choice. Recruiters should be able to tell you about all of this in more detail than I can though.

 

[Stomper]

Do you enlist in specialist courses like Sniper, anti-aircraft, or are you chosen specially for them?

For things like sniper, I'm pretty sure you have to be chosen to get in (Reg force only and it's very hard to get into).
However, you can apply to be an Air Defence Artillery soldier (anti-aircraft stuff) right from the get-go for both reg force and reserves.

 

[McGowan]

I've never had a better time than in the military, it's alot of fun!

 

[beyondsblue]

I'm a descent student, with an 80% average.

Just wondering, would the military consider a 80% in Grade 9 decent? I heard that in order to apply for RMC, you'd have to get a 90% in your final year of high school to be competitive.
One other thing, does the recruiting centre consider marks from different high school equal? Because the high school I'm currently enrolled in is the best one in my city. The standards are higher than other schools and the workload is heavier. So say you get 85% at my school, you'd probably get a 90% by doing the same amount of work at some other high schools.

 

[ROTP Applicant]

Just wondering, would the military consider a 80% in Grade 9 decent? I heard that in order to apply for RMC, you'd have to get a 90% in your final year of high school to be competitive.
One other thing, does the recruiting centre consider marks from different high school equal? Because the high school I'm currently enrolled in is the best one in my city. The standards are higher than other schools and the workload is heavier. So say you get 85% at my school, you'd probably get a 90% by doing the same amount of work at some other high schools.

You don't need a 90%+ average to be competitive for RMC (I got in with a low 80's average but declined the offer). In terms of considering the difficulty of your school when applying, I doubt that the selection board considers what school you went to. I was wondering the same thing last year cause I went to one of the top high schools in Ontario but I was told that since schools have the same curriculum, they are all considered equal. So my advice, if you're in Grade 11, presently attend a tough school and want a high average next year, then maybe you should consider switching to an easier school for your last year (may increase your Academic Potential). Hope this helped.

 

[Chemoney]

My school is completely new, first year it is open.  I have found it a bit difficult, but my first semester was kind of rough. 

Thanks for the advice and support guys, I've been doing a bit more reading, and I was thinking of instead of doing a few years of service, make a career out of the military.  Spend a few years right after highschool in the infantry, saving up money, living on base, then going to college or university, getting a degree on something like a pilot or an officer, then coming back, and enlist in a job like that. Maybe even attend RMC (I think that's it).  What kind of grades do you need to attend that? I know my little plan is underthought, but just something I was concidering. 

Thanks for the info, you guys have been a great help. 

I dont know if it's an inside joke here, but just something i've seen....

Cheers!