ADF recruitment crisis.

[McTaff]

It took me 4 months, I commission (Seaman Officer) on 29 Jan 08.

Thanks for your postings McTaff, in this thread especially.

You're welcome. You'll be thanking me in the middle of your fourth exercise, though. I think I was one of about ten people who actually enjoyed that stuff.

A few tips for NEOC:
1) Don't fall asleep in class
2) Don't get gobby
3) Set your alarm for twenty minutes past, and get dressed in the dark
4) Don't get gobby
5) Don't forget anything
6) Never be last out of the door
7) Don't get gobby, ever
8) Sea Training is a great time. Take a camera and get loads of pics.
9) Don't get gobby.

 

[octopus7]

I must be mad then because money isn't on my top priorities list when I consider being a submariner. Sure my pay at the moment is crap because i'm only working as a forkie / storeman for $38,000pa and I know that as a submariner the pay is quite high once you have your "dolphins". My main reasons for joining the ADF are:
1 - Having a career where I am respected and offered ongoing training and treated as a valuable member of a team.
2 - Serving and protecting Australia and it's people both at home and overseas.
3 - Getting a chance to visit other countries and cultures, something I could not afford to do otherwise.
4 - I am a believer in the old navy saying "it's not a job it's an adventure".
5 - And the pay and benefits such as subsidized accommodation for myself and my fiancee , free medical & dental, help with relocating and numerous other benefits.
Now I just have to hope that the recruiter respects my reasons for joining.

 

[McTaff]

It took me 4 months, I commission (Seaman Officer) on 29 Jan 08.

Only two more weeks. You'd better be pounding out more than 5km every couple of days, and I'd be hoping you can pull out at least 40 pushups and situps each by now!

If you can post an email address up here for me to get in touch, I'll be happy to share the good gen on what you're about to do.

 

[TimNZ]

Ramsi And Bougainville

Hey, my name is Tim, I am currently researching my M.A. at Canterbury University in New Zealand. I am looking at illicit drugs as a threat to state security, and am particularly interested in the use of drugs such as marijuana, or the profits for involvement, for weapons acquisition in PNG, Bougainville or the Solomon Islands.

Does anyone know if marijuana was cultivated in Bouganville during the civil war? Are there any form ADF or police personnel out there who know whether this occurred at all?

Tim

[email protected]

 

[Todjaeger]

Hey, my name is Tim, I am currently researching my M.A. at Canterbury University in New Zealand. I am looking at illicit drugs as a threat to state security, and am particularly interested in the use of drugs such as marijuana, or the profits for involvement, for weapons acquisition in PNG, Bougainville or the Solomon Islands.

Does anyone know if marijuana was cultivated in Bouganville during the civil war? Are there any form ADF or police personnel out there who know whether this occurred at all?

Tim

[email protected]

Not to be mean, but what does the drug trade in PNG, Bougainville & the Solomons have to do with recruitment/rentention of personnel in the ADF? I suggest that the question be reconsidered, and then posted in its own thread or another thread touching on arms sales from the drug trade.

-Cheers

 

[enghave]

Only two more weeks. You'd better be pounding out more than 5km every couple of days, and I'd be hoping you can pull out at least 40 pushups and situps each by now!

If you can post an email address up here for me to get in touch, I'll be happy to share the good gen on what you're about to do.

Thanks, email address is williamkersey at mac.com.

 

[McTaff]

Thanks, email address is williamkersey at mac.com.

I sent you an email a couple of days ago. Check your spam folder

 

[triggerhappy]

life of a ADF Clearance Diver.

Hello all,
I am new to this site and i have been reading most of the forums and you are all very interesting people with alot of intel.
Im not sure if i am posting this in the right place but i was wondering if anyone is a ADF Clearance Diver??
I am currenty going though the process of joining the ADF and my ideal job would be a CD.
Could anyone here let me know what im in for that a can't read on the internet? or let me know what the lifestyle is like?
Any comment would be greatly appreciated as it would also come in handy for my assesment day.

-cheers all

 

[McTaff]

Being a CD is a no-holds-barred effort with respect to physical and mental prep. I spoke to two guys, one current and one post, and they both said the same things:

If you want to be able to bang this course out you would want to be physically in such superb shape you could walk through a cinderblock wall with nothing but sunglasses and a can of your favourite soft drink. Generally, you'll want to be in the realm of 2.5 km in under nine minutes, can do over a hundred presses, situps and be doing in the order of an hours worth of cardio a day. Quite simply, you can go through the recruitment process, but by the end of your basic training you want to be in that realm.

As for recruiting I can only give some general tips: You have to be pretty smart about how you approach problems, most of the ways they will test you have a "gotcha" in there somewhere. Quick maths, good communications skills and the ability to think under pressure (doing three unrelated things at once is a great way to test this, but too many ways they can do it to clue you in).

-Know your equipment; know navy ships, helicopters and some general info on armament (type and number of guns, missile type for instance).
-Don't restrict yourself to Navy, know Air Force and Army bases, equipment, etc without sounding like a fanatic.
-Know your ranks by rote, and learn who is in charge of the country and the military (Defence Minister, Chiefs, etc)
- Before you go, find all CD related documents from the recruiting website, and print them out. Learn the info on there, job descriptions, roles, pay.
- When you contact recruiting, have all your school records, certificates, birth documents and so on before you roll up. That way you can get in there and hopefully chat with a service member (not a civvy). They are the goldmine. Show them you've learned the job description/ranks/people, and then ask them what you need to know, see and do to get through your interview process.

-

The lifestyle? Don't kid yourself. It isn't barrels of fun every day, but it's challenging, and sure beats sitting in an office chair getting beasted by the board of directors. You earn your keep hard, but it's enjoyable in the end. You'll make stacks of friends, do things you've never thought you'd ever do - those are the most fun parts and sure enough your buddies back on civvy street will wish they'd done it too. Especially as a CD, you'll get to play with some pretty awesome stuff.

 

[flyboyEB]

Hey all,

Does the ADFs 'recruitment crisis' extend to pilots in any of the services?

 

[McTaff]

Hey all,

Does the ADFs 'recruitment crisis' extend to pilots in any of the services?

They have stacks of applicants and plenty in the pool. Doesn't mean you don't have a chance if you want to try.

The biggest issues is with enlisted ranks. There just aren't enough people.

 

[smirkinov]

As a potential recruit I've found this thread fairly helpful, and would like to thank the contributors for sharing thier wisdom. I have a few questions that I would appreciate some enlightenment from those in the know, but first I will provide some personal background info.

Background

I'm 28 years old, with a few years experience as a forklift driver on nightshift in a freezer. I've been smoking for about 3 years, but am cutting down towards quitting before I enlist as part of cardio preparation. I've completed the first year of university studies in Cartography. My current fitness is average, and my BMI is about 25. I've started cardio training 3 times a week riding my bike 5-10km, and am working on increasing my pushups/situps reps 3 days a week.

I believe that I could pass the initial recruitment physical, but personally I'd like to be in good enough shape to complete bootcamp without struggling to keep up physically. During the next semester of Uni, I'm doing 2 units only, while working nightshift 3 nights a week, and incrementally increasing my physical condition before I plan to enlist at the end of this year hopefully for a posting as a Techician Geomatic (RAE) ***defencejobs.gov.au/army/Jobs/TechnicianGeomatic/***

Questions

***defence.gov.au/news/armynews/editions/1061/topstories/story19.htm***
1 Topo Svy Sqn... pathways to entry? Any info on this unit would be appreciated as there isnt alot online, and I believe it would complement and enhance my cartographic skills.

Bootcamp fitness testing... What are the distances and required times that are tested, including weight of equipment carried and terrain covered?

Beyond cardio endurace training, and pushups/situps, what other personal training is recommended to benefit potential recruits?

How does Corps assignment after recruit training work? I understand that enlistment is for general entry, but how do I increase my chances of ending up in the job I signed up for?

How long is the estimated wait between talking to a recruiter and arriving at bootcamp? I'd like to be on base training early next year at the latest, ideally late this year once uni semester ends. Should I get the ball rolling ASAP, or do I have a few months up my sleeve to continue to improve my fitness?


Thanks in advance for any insight given in respose to this post.

 

[ReconAus]

Hello all
Once i've finished yr10 at the end of this yr i hope to join the army as a rifleman.

Question: How long do you have to be in the army to start specializing, e.g Sig, Com, Sniper.

ReconAus

 

[old faithful]

Good luck recon, you will probably do 1 specialist course a year. recon,regt sig, pioneer, dfsw,mortar....once you have found your "trade' you will improve upon iit every year according to rank. if you dont do a spec course every year, you will probably be doing promotion course in its place. recon is a small platoon, and very selective. I f thats the path you want, bone up on navigation and all your skills as a rifleman, keep an extremely positive attitude at all times, and train hard on fitness in your own time after work. when you have section comps, try to be super competitive. good luck.

 

[ReconAus]

Thx for the info OF.
I've always wanted to be a Sniper, so im guessing thats in the recon platoon. I've been trying to find info on what the fittness requirements are to become a sniper, i've spoken to Brit, US and Dutch snipers but all there requirements are different to each other so im still not sure, also would i benefit if i joined a shooting club to become a good shot ?

Any help or tips on this would be great
thx

ReconAus

 

[McTaff]

Would i benefit if i joined a shooting club to become a good shot ?

Any help or tips on this would be great
thx

ReconAus

I'd make sure you can totally smash the basic fitness assessment, mainly because you want to be exceeding the minimum (as Army have a system for rewarding those who do better) every time you do your assessment.

Experience with handling a weapon would be somewhat useful, as technique for getting good shots at long ranges is almost the same for every weapon. You don't want to be charged with adrenaline first day you handle a Steyr.

However, it pays not to be a weapons nut. Be calm. No good bragging about how good a shot you are with a .303 at home. Just chill out and take it as it comes; the super-militant braggarts at initial training don't make too many friends in my experience. (When I went through initial training, I was a pretty good shot but had never handled a weapon before. However, one guy did so well, and his only comment when asked was "I've handled a weapon a few times before". Turns out he was in shooting comps for years, just didn't want to brag.)

But to be honest, first you want to be a good soldier. That is number one priority. You want to be good at everything they throw at you (without being Mr Goody Two-Shoes). Excel at everything without being loud about it and you'll find that doors will open for you.

 

[ReconAus]

Thx fo that McTaff i wan to join a shooting club before i join so that hopefully i am a bit better then the average person, i would'nt want to brag about it, one of the main reasons is so im confident in myself and know that i have the capabilities to pass.

ReconAus

 

[aussie89]

Hey All- Assement day GE Enquiery Please Help

Ok first off this is a great site and fantastic for advice

My situation is that i applied last year while in year 12 to be a seman officer through ADFA. I Passes assement day along with Officer Boards in Canberra and signed my letter of offer. I didnt get the educational Qualifications required for adfa (wasnt far off) so that didnt go ahead. I am currently enrolled and attending university away from home but i want something more hands on to do with my life so i re-applied for General Entry
My preferences are

Boatswains Mate
CSOMW

My assesment day is in a week so im wondering any advice people can give me. Are they going to look on it negativley that im going to leave uni for the Navy and what are they going to say about me not getting the Marks for ADFA. Any help is greatly appreciatied.

 

[McTaff]

Ok first off this is a great site and fantastic for advice

My situation is that i applied last year while in year 12 to be a seman officer through ADFA. I Passes assement day along with Officer Boards in Canberra and signed my letter of offer. I didnt get the educational Qualifications required for adfa (wasnt far off) so that didnt go ahead. I am currently enrolled and attending university away from home but i want something more hands on to do with my life so i re-applied for General Entry
My preferences are

Boatswains Mate
CSOMW

My assesment day is in a week so im wondering any advice people can give me. Are they going to look on it negativley that im going to leave uni for the Navy and what are they going to say about me not getting the Marks for ADFA. Any help is greatly appreciatied.

They will question if you are just having a "second stab" at getting to Seaman Officer through the side door. They will accuse you of not being committed to the job you are applying for.

They also may throw either (a) you are too scared of academic work and are setting yourself a ceiling, or (b) that you won't finish anything you start.

These are all tests to see exactly how committed you are to getting in. Stick with it. Tell them that the Navy is the first and foremost goal. HOW you enter the Navy isn't as cut and dried to you as you think you'll excel in any field that they could give you as long as it challenges (and interests) you.

If they try to use your previous failure, try to turn it around and imply that it shows you are keen. Try to speak to current serving members who are doing those jobs and have an idea of what Watchkeeping, BM work and shipboard life is like as this is important to show you have done research. This also solidifies your efforts and shows you are really keen.

Tell them that you're here to be a part of a bigger team, and that you know it isn't all "Hammersley". It's many hours of hard work punctuated by short periods of little sleep. Tell them you are prepared to bite into this and give it your best shot. When they ask "how good your best shot" is, then you tell them that you, "without being overconfident, am willing and able to put everything into this career".

Know how much you'll get paid, where you'll be trained and how much time you'll spend at sea.

It's a bit late for me to give you much else, apart from have a solid idea of WHY you want to join. Sure - state the obvious benefits but give them a solid personal reason you hold in your heart as to why you want to be part of the defence force.

All the best.

 

[aussie89]

They will question if you are just having a "second stab" at getting to Seaman Officer through the side door. They will accuse you of not being committed to the job you are applying for.

They also may throw either (a) you are too scared of academic work and are setting yourself a ceiling, or (b) that you won't finish anything you start.

These are all tests to see exactly how committed you are to getting in. Stick with it. Tell them that the Navy is the first and foremost goal. HOW you enter the Navy isn't as cut and dried to you as you think you'll excel in any field that they could give you as long as it challenges (and interests) you.

If they try to use your previous failure, try to turn it around and imply that it shows you are keen. Try to speak to current serving members who are doing those jobs and have an idea of what Watchkeeping, BM work and shipboard life is like as this is important to show you have done research. This also solidifies your efforts and shows you are really keen.

Tell them that you're here to be a part of a bigger team, and that you know it isn't all "Hammersley". It's many hours of hard work punctuated by short periods of little sleep. Tell them you are prepared to bite into this and give it your best shot. When they ask "how good your best shot" is, then you tell them that you, "without being overconfident, am willing and able to put everything into this career".

Know how much you'll get paid, where you'll be trained and how much time you'll spend at sea.

It's a bit late for me to give you much else, apart from have a solid idea of WHY you want to join. Sure - state the obvious benefits but give them a solid personal reason you hold in your heart as to why you want to be part of the defence force.

All the best.

Thank You Very Much for the advice. Very Helpful. Do you honestly think i have a shot at getting in as a BM or they will simply look at the fact that i didnt get accepted as officer entry so thats it?

My thinking with this is that if i was suitable for officer then why not general entry.

Just wondering what your thought is on this

Thanks again