Applying for ADF, need some info for Fire-Fighter specialist testing !

rhabdog

New Member
Hi all,
I'm currently applying for the same job. Any updates on this post would be greatly appreciated...particularly on the 'extra testing' as I'm through most of the initial aptitude stuff. Just the 'extra's' the medical and psych to go.

Thanks
 

StingrayOZ

Super Moderator
Staff member
You can download the Beep test on MP3 im pretty sure from the adf site. If not there its widely avalible on the internet. Put it on your mp3 player and find a ~20 m flat space. I will atleast give you an idea how to do it and pacing yourself to get a good score and not freak out on the day.

My BMI is still high (Im in the 30's) but I can do 3 sets of 50 pushups and score pretty highly on a beep test. Im trying to downsize myself from my rugby conditioning, playing 2nd row for a 1st division surburban team.

BMI bugs me, because anyone whos tall (~200cm) is going to have a hard time with the BMI (well the people I know do).

With a BMI in the 18-19 range I would say look at loaded training. Talking out my arse, I would personally concider that a little light. Have you tried moving with a hiking pack with sand or water?
 

aleruri

New Member
Heading on over to www.defencejobs.gov.au would be a good start. It provides basic information about most trades and Corps in the the ADF. Have you decided what sort of thing you want to do in the reserves?
Hi,
I am kind of new here, actually I am new in Australia. I just got my Australian Permanent Residence (but I have been living here for 2 years), and I read in somewhere that you can join to the army reserve without being a citizen but you have to commit yourself to apply for the citizenship after six months of service. Also, the immigration website says that you are allowed to apply for the citizenship after serving six months in the Australian Army Reserve. Anyone has any experience with this? Does this mean that I can apply right now, even having been a resident for less than one month?
Another question, I read that "there is no fixed period of service for the Reserves", does this mean that I can leave the reserve whenever I want?

Thanks in advance for any information.

PD: I am an Electronics Engineer with five years experience (Telecommunications, 4 overseas, 1 in Australia) and I also have a Masters degree in telecommunications from an Australian university, I also hold a specific vendor international certification (CCNA), I am thinking in joining to the reserve as "Specialist Service Officers (SSOs)".
 

Marc 1

Defense Professional
Verified Defense Pro
Hi,
I am kind of new here, actually I am new in Australia. I just got my Australian Permanent Residence (but I have been living here for 2 years), and I read in somewhere that you can join to the army reserve without being a citizen but you have to commit yourself to apply for the citizenship after six months of service. Also, the immigration website says that you are allowed to apply for the citizenship after serving six months in the Australian Army Reserve. Anyone has any experience with this? Does this mean that I can apply right now, even having been a resident for less than one month?
Another question, I read that "there is no fixed period of service for the Reserves", does this mean that I can leave the reserve whenever I want?

Thanks in advance for any information.



PD: I am an Electronics Engineer with five years experience (Telecommunications, 4 overseas, 1 in Australia) and I also have a Masters degree in telecommunications from an Australian university, I also hold a specific vendor international certification (CCNA), I am thinking in joining to the reserve as "Specialist Service Officers (SSOs)".
13 19 01 and talk to one of the specialist recruiting teams. Good luck mate.
 

cashchamp

New Member
usa wanna join aus army

how do i go about gaining citizenship in aus. so i can join the army? does the aus army have a program to gain citizenship by joining???
 

Go229

New Member
Is there anything as citizenship by military service in any country? I know this is the case for the Legion Etrangere.
 

Gremlin29

Super Moderator
Staff member
Verified Defense Pro
Something to consider, some countries don't allow dual citizenship so there's a possibility that you would be giving up your US citizenship. I know this was the case with Canada.

Just curious, what opportunity do you think the Australian Army would provide you over what can be found in the states?
 

Kilo 2-3

New Member
Hello and welcome to DefenceTalk!

I'm an American, so my depth of knowledge here may not be as great as the native Australians or any American expats with ADF service here (if there are any).

Before you read the rest of this post, I encourage you to read this

Why the military?

This is the question you have to ask yourself before you go any further.

Joining the military of any nation and becoming a soldier is one of the greatest challenges you will ever face in your life. In boot camp/basic training, you'll get torn down to the ground and built back up again as a solider.

You'll learn lessons that you will never forget and become a new and very different young man or woman. You'll give up some of the best years of your life for a higher cause. You'll be hardened in a fighting machine, and no matter what job you do, ultimately what you do contributes to end result of any army: killing, maiming, and destroying other human beings to protect your family, your buddies, and your nation.

Now sometimes, those hard, those ugly realities, they're justified. As George Orwell said "we only sleep peacefully in our beds because rough men stand ready to do violence on our behalf." But you have to decide for yourself that that is something you're willing to do.

I applaud you for even considering the armed forces. It shows that you are a young man or woman of maturity, drive, and focus, and for that I salute you. As a soldier you'd be joining a proud tradition and joining a line of service that I too aspire to join.

But before you do anything else you have to decide that you truly want to be a soldier.

Next, why the ADF?

I don't want to sway your thinking; but as a American you have the chance to join the US Army, Air Force, Navy, or Marine Corps, four of the best-trained, best-equipped, and best-paid military forces in the world. You'd have a whole new set of opportunities you wouldn't get in the ADF, including greater chances for travel, faster promotions, good benefits and more educational opportunities.

Plus, as an American, you can walk into a US Army recruiter's office and be enlisted in a much simpler process than the on you, as a foreign national would have to take to enter in the ADF.

If you want to join the ADF, it will be a long, difficult and at times, discouraging road. In addition to the hurdles of military life, you have to go through the bureaucracy of becoming an Australian citizen. But if you decide that the ADF is your one and only choice, then Bravo Zulu* for you!

I genuinely wish you the best what ever choice you make!

*US Navy slang: "Well done!"

End this part of this post

Now, back to your original question.

There are several routes which a foreigner can join the Australia Defence Force (ADF), each of which is determined by your citizenship status and current or former military service.

If you currently have not served in the armed forces of any nation and do not have Australian citizenship, you can't join the ADF.

However, as an American non-veteran, there's two things you can do to change your status.

1. Apply for Australian citizenship and then, once you have this, enlist. There are several ways to do this. You could a) move permanently to Australia, although before you do this you would need to file immigration papers (permanent visas, etc.) b) marry an Australian. or c) if one or both of your parents are Australian, then you're already a citizen and can join up more or less right away....

I'd suggest looking at the Australian Dept. Of Immigration and Citizenship's website for more info.

2. Join the US military. At minimum, you'd need to reach the rank of Sergeant (a pay grade of E-5) to be eligible for an enlisted position in the ADF (you'd enter the ADF as a sergeant). You'd also need to have a US High School diploma or its equivalent, although you'd need this to join the US Army or Marines in the first place.

Once you've reached this rank and have decided the ADF is still for you, let your US enlistment expire, get Australian citizenship, and enlist in the ADF.

Any idea what kind of trade/career you'd like to pursue in the Australian Army? Different jobs are more competitive to get into than others, and the Army is going to recruit based off of its needs.

The ADF's overview for overseas applicants (As an American you are classified as an "overseas applicant")
Recruitment Centre | Defence Jobs

The Australian Army's site for overseas applicants
Recruitment Centre | Defence Jobs

The ADF Website regarding Australian citizenship
Recruitment Centre | Defence Jobs

The Australian Department of Immigration and Citizenship
Australian Citizenship – Becoming an Australian Citizen

Sorry for the length of this post. I hope it helped in some way.

You asked a really good question and I wanted to give you a thorough and complete answer.
 

Himynamesjoe

New Member
Allergies in the Australian Army

Hi,

Im applying to join the Australian Army.

I'm allergic to emythromycen and amoxicillin, and have my assesment day next week. I have a doctors letter saying what my reaction is (a mild skin rash) and I'm wondering if this will have a huge effect on my application?

Im going for Cavalryman. I'll be really devo if they tell me I cant join up because of two minor reactions.
 
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lopez

Member
Hi,

I'm allergic to emythromycen and amoxicillin, and have my assesment day next week. I have a doctors letter saying what my reaction is (a mild skin rash) and I'm wondering if this will have a huge effect on my application?

Im going for Cavalryman. I'll be really devo if they tell me I cant join up because of two minor reactions.
which country???

[EDIT]for the benifet of others he is from australia.
 
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lopez

Member
when i saw it at first i thought i had made a fool of myself...

and to make and attempt to answer your question, if the reaction is that mild i couldnt see it being to big of a problem aslong as you dont apply for anything too special.
 

SigmaTramp

New Member
Question: applying for Rifleman position in the Australian Army.

Hey all,

I've been thinking of applying for the forces for some time now. I'm 20, and looking at the rifleman position for the ADF. I've got my HSC, I'm not incredibly fit but that's easy enough to fix, but I am profoundly deaf in my right ear. this doesn't effect me day to day, but I know the assessing doctors are pretty pedantic about these things. I'm wondering if this'll instantly put me in the Class IV category and render me unable to join any combat & security roles at all? When I was much younger and there was recruiters coming to schools a bloke from the Armoured Corps told me It wouldn't be as big a problem as being colour blind, as one of my mates at the time was.

What do you guys think?

Cheers.

(Also, I'm not 100% i'm posting this in the right place, so Mods, move the thread as you wish.)
 

Wahuuga

New Member
Hey mate, I've recently joined the NZ army, I leave for basic in 3 weeks. I also had slight hearing loss in my ear, and this would have instantly not allowed me to join the military. Had to go to a specialist to get cleared. Was wax, not deafness.

My point is, and i'm only assuming that its the same in Aus, any form of hearing or vision impairment would mean that you wouldn't medical clearance for any trade.

They always get way more applicants than there are spots in an intake, so they are going to prefer fully fit people to people like yourself.

Another thing to bear in mind is that combat trades always get heaps of applicants, everyone wants to play with guns. A bad medical, and your not being that fit will defiantly work against you.
 

SASWanabe

Member
Is schooling an issue for the Aus Army?

im a 16 yo currently half way through year 12..... i doubt i will graduate/pass the year. does anyone know if the army has an issue about people who dont graduate or have bad grades?
 

Bonza

Super Moderator
Staff member
im a 16 yo currently half way through year 12..... i doubt i will graduate/pass the year. does anyone know if the army has an issue about people who dont graduate or have bad grades?
It depends on what you want to do in the Army. I take it from your post that you're Australian - if you go to Home | Defence Jobs and have a look at individual positions in the Army, it will tell you requirements on education levels. So some positions (like pilot, for example) have higher requirements than say, enlisting as a rifleman, which if I remember correctly only requires passes in year 9 maths and english (I could be getting my facts mixed up but am at work so don't have the time to check, apologies if I'm incorrect.

In any case have a look at the position you're interested in on the website I've linked and that should give you more specific information. :)
 
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