Question about boots and other things

Hi all, I'm heading to Cerberus in February, and I just have some questions.

1. I have that Saphir polish that everyone talks about, but should I take dubbin too? Dubbin really helps condition leather, but you need about 12 hours to let it sink in before polishing your boots up. Will I have time to do that?

2. How much space for personal items do you actually have? Can anyone give me a description of the lockers? I have a tendency to overpack when I'm nervous and I'm trying to avoid taking too much, but at the same time, I can't see how I will fit toiletries, shoe polish, snacks etc into one tiny drawer.

3. Should I take my laptop?

4. The packing list says no power boards, but I'd need one surely?

5. Can I bring a large suitcase, a carry on suitcase, and a backpack as well?

Thank you so much in advance for your advice!

I’m a former Royal Marines Commando with 5½ years of service, and I’m looking to move to Australia and apply for the ADF’s Special Forces Direct Recruiting Scheme (SFDRS).
I’m currently 27, and my main goal is to become a Special Forces Operator. I’m not particularly interested in joining the Australian Army in a conventional role first, so the direct entry route seems like the best option for me.
I’d be grateful to hear from anyone who has experience with the process, particularly former British military personnel or anyone who has attempted selection through the SFDRS.
I’d be interested to know what the recruitment and selection process involves, how challenging it is, what preparation is recommended, and what the biggest hurdles are, both during selection and when it comes to relocating to Australia and meeting the eligibility requirements.
I understand the standards will be extremely high, and I’m under no illusions about what’s involved. I’m simply looking to get a realistic understanding of the process and learn from people who have first-hand experience.
Any advice, insights or personal experiences would be greatly appreciated.

Had my initial careers call last week and was hoping to get an engineering officer reserves role in Sydney. Unfortunately the only available ones are in Wollongong or Newcastle. I live central Sydney so it would be at least 1.5 - 2 hrs drive each way. The recruiter (very good and helpful) said it would be a bit of a struggle and could lead to falling behind on admin. He also said full time roles are still available but I’m 31 with a house and partner. Only other open reserve role in Sydney was a logistics / warehouse position.
1. Has anyone done an officer reserves role with a similar distance and how was it?
2. If I went down the full time route, what is the likelihood I’d be able to get a position in Sydney after Duntroon?

So I'm thinking about joining the army in the next couple of years, but I'm not confident that I would enjoy it. I was hoping I could get some advice, maybe some personal experiences from active or prior service members.

Growing up I've always disliked authority and being told what to - I understand the military is constantly getting told what to do but I assume it's quite different than my childhood, I've grown to hate being told what to do but thats partly to do with my youth. I certainly wouldn't ever get into an argument with someone who holds authority over me in the military but my fear is potentially becoming "passively resistant"and feeling stuck or depressed, hating my time in the forces.

I really do want to join and I can see myself living the military lifestyle but I'm worried it could be a really bad decision.

Do you think boot camp would train this out of me so I'm not always hating life when getting orders yelled at me or micromanaged?

Adf vs fifo what would you do if you had your time again? I’m looking at careers I’m 23 years old.

I did landscaping for a year and a half but decided it’s not what I want to do for the rest of my life.
My personality I like the out doors I go to the gym 5 days a week. I like going on long walks.

I watch a lot of Jordan Peterson I found him talking about getting my life together has really spoken to my soul

I’m getting a bit old and feel pretty far behind so any advice would be good advice cheers

And I’m thinking about doing chaplaincy role in the adf as I have a relationship with God. And I feel like that’s what a lot of people and missing in there life

I'm well into the path of getting in and only worried about medical assessments now and the fitness tests. I'm applying for Combat Support roles Now for fitness, I'll be honest I'm only like 145 cm and 50 kg which sounds okay, but I'm a thin dude and moderately active. and I'm not sure how long it might take for me to get to those requirements of 20 situps, 8 pushups and a shuttle run score of 6.1 even if that may seem easy to you guys. I also have NF1 which I'm not sure disqualifies me and my military recruiter also isn't sure so I guess I won't know for sure for a long time. Anyways I need some help for this lads

(26yr old Bloke)

Looking at joining the Army Reserves which are up here in Townsville and continue with my studies to become a secondary teacher.

Or

Bite the bullet, pause my bachelor's and join the Navy (which is what I've wanted to do....but COVID happened and went to Uni instead....still a first year....if curious....)

Currently I work full time at a local high school, volunteering with SES along with the local Cadet Unit. If I go for being a reservist, I can easily pause the volunteering stuff...and am unsure about how my university will feel along with my work place.

This is also coming from a place of wanting to push myself, but also desperation... financially and personally...as I am struggling to find purpose with the role I have...given the fuck all authority I have in the classroom as a teacher's aid...and the pay is just worthless if you want to have savings.

So I've been living with mum for the past couple of years...and I just can't do it anymore...

I automatically know I'll struggle at first with the physical, as I have never been able to do a push up with my wrists wanting to die...

Any help or advice would be nice, cus I am literally financially hamstrung and want to actually live and enjoy my 20s....which have not yet happen....

Thanks

Hi ,

I am 37M and applied for below roles ( in order of preference) in the army reserves:

- drone operator
- infantry soldier
- heavy vehicle operator

Today I was advised that my first preference is no longer available until fresh intakes start in March next year. I am mostly interested in that role (70%), followed by the infantry (30%). Selected the vehicle operator just because I had the option to fill.

I have already appealed from my psychological, medical and defence interview last week and cleared it.
Beep test score is achievable however swimming is something I have just started to learn.

Question:
- Does it make sense to wait for the roles to open up ?
- In your experience are the projected timeframes nearly accurate for new roles opening up ?
- Do they allow changes in roles later on ?
- The defence interviewer mentioned I could be eligible for an officer role, I am inclined to pursue that if the drone operator isn’t available. How hard is it to go from a non officer to officer role once already in the reserves ?

Appreciate the advice. Thanks.

So basically, I have no dependents, tiny social circle, and in general, I could disappear today like Casper and not many would notice.

Why ADF? I am tired of living a boring, easy life, low income, nothing much to show for or feel proud of. I can do much more, and I should.

What kind of roles would you suggest? I would probably prefer the more technical roles if I am being 100% honest with you.

I am fairly in shape, but not 100% healthy as the late 30s are creeping up on me. Had my ups and downs mentally, but I am fine, within the normal, I guess.

Are there any recruitment sessions in Perth I could attend? how long does the recruit process really take?

Many thanks

I've (30m) always been interested in the flexibility that being a choco offers, but have never had the civilian role where I could commit to an Army Officer position. I am now in a position where I could give the part-time officer role the commitment it deserves (I can work as much or as little as I want in civvy life), and I am strongly considering going through the process. There are a couple of things I want to clarify before beginning:

The initial questions I can't find clarity on are:

- Hypothetically, what is the shortest amount of time you could finish all the GSO Training? The website says in as little as 18 months, but are there options to complete sooner? I have flexibility in my schedule and can do it as quickly as it's offered. Has anyone heard of completing it sooner than this?

- How common are SERVOP C opportunities? Specifically for roles based in or around Sydney (ideally I'd be in Signals but open to other areas once training is completed)?

I'm 37, will be 38 by the time my enlistment is finalised, I've got roughly 12 months to work on my fitness, so I'm hoping to turn things around well before enlistment.

I go to the gym three times a week and have only recently started incorporating running into my sessions. I can comfortably run on a Matrix treadmill at speed 10.0 for around 15 minutes, so I thought I'd give the bleep test a crack.

I downloaded a bleep test app, gave it a go, and managed to reach a pitiful level 2.1.

Hey yall, basically what the title says.

Trying for ADFA we get 3 job/subject preferences, so I was wondering if we must complete 3 different OSB's or will they assess us for all preferences based on one?

Howdy everyone!

I'm currently looking at joining the ADF Reserves and could use some advice from people who are currently serving, particularly in the roles I'm interested in.

I've narrowed it down to three roles, but I'm struggling to decide whether to take what's available now or hold out for the roles I'm more interested in.

1. RAAF Protection & Security my first preference

This is the role I originally wanted to pursue, but I've been told it's currently full. Unfortunately, there's no telling when a position might become available again.

2. Army Weapon Technician my second preference

I'm genuinely interested in this one because I currently work as a machine operator and enjoy working with machinery and hands-on technical work. The catch is that I'd need to complete a four-year apprenticeship, and at 37, I'm wondering whether it's still a worthwhile path to pursue or whether that ship has sailed.

3. Army Armoured Vehicle Crew my third preference

This role currently has positions available, so I could potentially get the ball rolling sooner rather than waiting around. I think I'd enjoy it, too, but if I'm being honest, I suspect I'd enjoy my first 2 choices more.

Because i'm 37, I don't want to spend the next few years waiting for an opportunity that might never come. At the same time, I don't want to rush into a role simply because it's available, only to regret not holding out for something I'd enjoy more.

I'm not expecting anyone to make the decision for me, but hearing from people with firsthand experience would be a massive help.

Anyone can provide insights into the process of citizenship waiver for an eligible Canadian permanent resident?

I'm 22 years old, and I have applied to join the ADF Reserve as an armoured personnel crew and have completed my interview, but I'm now concerned about the 10-year commitment once I become inactive. I'm comfortable with the previous 5-year commitment, but 10 years feels like a significant obligation, especially regarding the tensions in the Indo-Pacific. Is there any possible way to negotiate for 5 years instead? I appreciate the guidance

G’day people just a couple questions, During the ruck stage can the rifle be slung over shoulder or must it be carried? Is the course flat or steep? Are there any limits to the stride/gape/run?

Any additional tips on balancing loads, I’m packing heavy up high nearest to shoulders with about 60% weight on the belt rest on shoulders. Any insights to decrease times would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you kindly.

As title says
What happens if during the recruitment process I fall pregnant? Can I put a temporary hold on the application until after birth/postpartum, or do I have to withdraw my application and restart from the beginning after having the baby?

My grades aren't really that good. I've gotten a few fails and my wam is LOW. How much can I expect this to affect me? I've asked my YOU recruiter and she said "It's not ideal and will affect you, but you should still apply anyway".

Have any of you guys got in with bad grades?

Hey,

I am going in as an infantry in the reserves, specifically trying to target the jan Intake over here in 11/28 (WA) in 28. I was speaking with the recruiter and as you would know choc training is spread over 1-2 years for their specific IETS. I was hoping to sign a 3 month Rats contract, but because my recruiter is navy, he didn’t know too much about it. Can anyone give me some advice on whether this is actaully a common practice for the reserves, and if many blokes actaully do it, how realistic is it?

Cheers guys

LIFE AS ET IN RAN

I m planning on enlisting in RAN start of 2027 as ET. Is ET a good option? I m more technically minded, I like to figure out how things work and connect. I was just wondering how is ET life in RAN? Is it very stressful and busy? Do you get micromanaged or given autonomy to do your tasks? And do you get lot of sea time and hands on experience.

Looking for somebody to talk to about their own experience of going into Army as a qualified VM.

Specifically; IET duration and OJT duration and location options.

Hi i’m currently a first year engineering student that wants to study mechanical in the future and i’ve been really interested in doing the DUS recently with an engineering degree. I also did my joa and got the tiers i wanted. But just one thing. I had my careers coaching session and none of my top 3 preferences were available, nor was any engineering role apparently.

My coach told me that there’s this weird bug with the system that it says it’s available when it really isn’t. And because of this, I had to get my whole application withdrawn.

Is there anyway to just know when a spot is open for the DUS pathway for engineering and just continue forward in the selection process by making that my preference, as i don’t get any notifications or anything and it feels like i’ve just made my application with three preferences* *for no reason. If no engineering roles are available then why do i have to get my application withdrawn. Why can’t i just have those in place until a role becomes available because i’ll never know when they’re available anyway as they don’t show it on the careers website.

Basically what i’m saying is if i don’t know what’s available and my application will get withdrawn each time then doesn’t that mean i’ll have to reapply and reapply with different preferences to see if they’re available. Seems really inconvenient.

Currently i’ve sent an email to my coach about sending me a list of all the engineering roles currently available that i can just switch to but i haven’t gotten a reply

Any help on what i should do to get any info on what’s available for DUS pathway or bring back my past application. Please tell me if i’m weong in any way