ShazoozleBamboozle
Newbie
Hello everyone! Sorry if I do post this in the wrong area, first time here. Right, the reason I'm starting this is because there are plenty of Commonwealth candidates who usually post up questions regarding this and at first, like them I was scavenging through this forum to find something similar to help me on my journey. There are many similar posts like this, but they are usually non-commonwealth candidates. To also give you a quick heads-up, I have been already resident within the country for roughly 3 years, so it might have a faster acceptance/approval rate than if you were applying from out of country as a commonwealth candidate.
Submission of Interest (02/11/2020)
On a cloudy.. rainy.. wet day.. decided to go onto the Royal Navy website and check out the available roles to commonwealth candidates (Commonwealth Jobs & Roles), to see if any appeal to me and whether I should consider putting in an application on the spot.
After going through, decided that there were nothing that really appealed to me apart from Mine Warfare Specialist, which also happened to be a priority role at the time (unaware if it still is in priority recruitment), but I did not want to make a hasty decision and decided to have a quick look around the role and understand it a little bit better before submitting anything further. So I decided to sleep on it and check it out the next day. After waking up the next morning, got a nice cuppa' (trust me, you got to get used to the lingo innit) decided to head over to these forums, have a chat with a local AFCO and then decided to read a bit further regarding MWS (Mine Warfare Specialist) and it's job.. I did see a lot of negatives but I found the positives outweighed them.
So I went ahead and decided to submit an application on the website as a Mine Warfare Specialist on the 2nd of November, 2020, however, I knew this was going to be a very long journey due to the fact that we were amidst a pandemic and it was not getting any better at the time.. so I knew I was in for a long run.
First Contact (05/11/2020)
So after being prepared for a long wait, I was quite shocked to say that I received a call on the morning of the 5th of November, 2020, by a CA (Career's Advisor) who had just mentioned that they have received my application and are going to be taking it further in the next few days, but in the meantime they will be requiring a couple of more documents/information being filled out on the portal, this includes:
So I got on my way and completed all the required documentation, and send it off via the online application portal, once that was done I was just sitting put and waited for the next contact they made with myself.
Second Contact - (02/12/2020)
After completing all of the documentation/information forms they required and a short wait, I was finally contacted by my CA and she said that they are happy with the initial screening questions that I had submitted and had a date available for a Psychometric Test, they mentioned three available dates and I was eager and available since work was ready to offer my the day off in order to get this complete (nice of them, I know, it pays off to be a kiss-ass).
So I booked the earliest date available for the test and got on my way to preparing for the Psychometric Test, all I can say for this is please please don't stress as much as you think you should? Just complete as many practice tests as possible, if you put in the work, you will be able to smash it easily. Most people say it's basic GCSE's but I think it was easier than GCSE's, and trust me, I'm dumb and if I could smash the test, so can you.
As soon as I got off the phone with the CA and having a date agreed upon, I received an abundant number of emails to notify me that I have a couple of documents/messages in my applicant portal which were:
So on the day, I went roughly 25 minutes early so I can settle down and be prepared for the big test ahead, I was not too overly stressed since I felt confident due to the number of times I practiced test questions/papers (again... practice, practice and practice!). Oh also, a lot of people just attended the test in a hoodie and joggers, whilst I was in a shirt and trousers (no tie).
The test started at 09:00, so we were taken up stairs at approximately 08:50 to get our documentation checked (Passport or ID Card) and once that was checked, we were sat down and given a quick brief on the examination and how it was going to be. Then we were off, we had approximately 9 minutes to complete the General Reasoning and Verbal Ability section, 16 minutes for the Math section and 10 minute for the Mechanical Comprehension section. (Tip: If you can't answer a question, skip it and move on. If you have time after finishing off the rest of the questions, come back to the ones you've skipped and if you still can't get it, then just make a guess, do not leave it blank!)
Since our test was conducted just before the Christmas break, we were also informed that they would only be giving us our results on the 4th of January, so this delayed me a little bit as I think if they were still able to mark them on the day and give us our results, we could have had our interviews straight after.. but oh well, who am I to say?
Test Results - (05/01/2021)
After a heavy belly from Christmas Day and New Years', the big day has come where I didn't actually get a call when I expected (the 4th of January), however I got a call the very next day, but I was snoozing and missed the call (I could sleep through anything, it's shit I know).
Regardless, when I woke up I noticed the missed call on my phone and also noticed a text from the new CA assigned to my application, so I rang the number back straight away and was informed that I had passed the Psychometric Test successfully and had scored enough for my desired role and possibly more roles if I was looking at a change later down the line in the application.
With this, the CA also advised that they will now be taking me onto the next step of the application which will be the Selection Interview, so once again I was mentioned a couple of dates and I chose the earliest possible date which will be the 25th of January, 2021 at 10:00.
After accepting the date, I was also advised that she will send over the medical form that I would have to complete and would be better if I completed it and sent it off to Capita since that way they can create the file for my application as soon as possible, so post interview, they are able to send me to the next stage as soon as possible, so I got them printed off and filled out to get that sent out to Capita. The medical form included all personal details and any medical background ranging from personal injuries, surgeries, etc. to that of your family.
I know the above seems very standard and similar to possibly every other applicant out there, but I know some information might be different to the regular applications that are made from non-commonwealth candidates. I will update this thread as the application process goes through as regularly as possible, so will look at updating this on the 25th of January after the selection interview has been completed and the result of it.
Yours Truly,
ShazoozleBamboozle
Submission of Interest (02/11/2020)
On a cloudy.. rainy.. wet day.. decided to go onto the Royal Navy website and check out the available roles to commonwealth candidates (Commonwealth Jobs & Roles), to see if any appeal to me and whether I should consider putting in an application on the spot.
After going through, decided that there were nothing that really appealed to me apart from Mine Warfare Specialist, which also happened to be a priority role at the time (unaware if it still is in priority recruitment), but I did not want to make a hasty decision and decided to have a quick look around the role and understand it a little bit better before submitting anything further. So I decided to sleep on it and check it out the next day. After waking up the next morning, got a nice cuppa' (trust me, you got to get used to the lingo innit) decided to head over to these forums, have a chat with a local AFCO and then decided to read a bit further regarding MWS (Mine Warfare Specialist) and it's job.. I did see a lot of negatives but I found the positives outweighed them.
So I went ahead and decided to submit an application on the website as a Mine Warfare Specialist on the 2nd of November, 2020, however, I knew this was going to be a very long journey due to the fact that we were amidst a pandemic and it was not getting any better at the time.. so I knew I was in for a long run.
First Contact (05/11/2020)
So after being prepared for a long wait, I was quite shocked to say that I received a call on the morning of the 5th of November, 2020, by a CA (Career's Advisor) who had just mentioned that they have received my application and are going to be taking it further in the next few days, but in the meantime they will be requiring a couple of more documents/information being filled out on the portal, this includes:
- Sports, Hobbies and Interests Form
- Request Scan and Upload Birth Certificate
- Scan and Upload your Overseas Documentation (These included references, police background check, a letter to confirm you have no national service liability and a letter to confirm where you will be staying whilst in the UK - I did not have issues with this as I was already in the UK)
So I got on my way and completed all the required documentation, and send it off via the online application portal, once that was done I was just sitting put and waited for the next contact they made with myself.
Second Contact - (02/12/2020)
After completing all of the documentation/information forms they required and a short wait, I was finally contacted by my CA and she said that they are happy with the initial screening questions that I had submitted and had a date available for a Psychometric Test, they mentioned three available dates and I was eager and available since work was ready to offer my the day off in order to get this complete (nice of them, I know, it pays off to be a kiss-ass).
So I booked the earliest date available for the test and got on my way to preparing for the Psychometric Test, all I can say for this is please please don't stress as much as you think you should? Just complete as many practice tests as possible, if you put in the work, you will be able to smash it easily. Most people say it's basic GCSE's but I think it was easier than GCSE's, and trust me, I'm dumb and if I could smash the test, so can you.
As soon as I got off the phone with the CA and having a date agreed upon, I received an abundant number of emails to notify me that I have a couple of documents/messages in my applicant portal which were:
- Event invitation for the Psychometric Test (Accept this, this notifies them that you are definitely attending - If there is an issue, please ring the AFCO/CA and get that sorted).
- A couple more Information Request Forms (MOD Form 493 - Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 & Tattoos and Piercing Form - just be honest about it).
- A COVID-19 awareness and the rules that should be followed whilst at the test centre.
- Practice test link and guidance on how to prepare (Please prepare and use these links).
So on the day, I went roughly 25 minutes early so I can settle down and be prepared for the big test ahead, I was not too overly stressed since I felt confident due to the number of times I practiced test questions/papers (again... practice, practice and practice!). Oh also, a lot of people just attended the test in a hoodie and joggers, whilst I was in a shirt and trousers (no tie).
The test started at 09:00, so we were taken up stairs at approximately 08:50 to get our documentation checked (Passport or ID Card) and once that was checked, we were sat down and given a quick brief on the examination and how it was going to be. Then we were off, we had approximately 9 minutes to complete the General Reasoning and Verbal Ability section, 16 minutes for the Math section and 10 minute for the Mechanical Comprehension section. (Tip: If you can't answer a question, skip it and move on. If you have time after finishing off the rest of the questions, come back to the ones you've skipped and if you still can't get it, then just make a guess, do not leave it blank!)
Since our test was conducted just before the Christmas break, we were also informed that they would only be giving us our results on the 4th of January, so this delayed me a little bit as I think if they were still able to mark them on the day and give us our results, we could have had our interviews straight after.. but oh well, who am I to say?
Test Results - (05/01/2021)
After a heavy belly from Christmas Day and New Years', the big day has come where I didn't actually get a call when I expected (the 4th of January), however I got a call the very next day, but I was snoozing and missed the call (I could sleep through anything, it's shit I know).
Regardless, when I woke up I noticed the missed call on my phone and also noticed a text from the new CA assigned to my application, so I rang the number back straight away and was informed that I had passed the Psychometric Test successfully and had scored enough for my desired role and possibly more roles if I was looking at a change later down the line in the application.
With this, the CA also advised that they will now be taking me onto the next step of the application which will be the Selection Interview, so once again I was mentioned a couple of dates and I chose the earliest possible date which will be the 25th of January, 2021 at 10:00.
After accepting the date, I was also advised that she will send over the medical form that I would have to complete and would be better if I completed it and sent it off to Capita since that way they can create the file for my application as soon as possible, so post interview, they are able to send me to the next stage as soon as possible, so I got them printed off and filled out to get that sent out to Capita. The medical form included all personal details and any medical background ranging from personal injuries, surgeries, etc. to that of your family.
I know the above seems very standard and similar to possibly every other applicant out there, but I know some information might be different to the regular applications that are made from non-commonwealth candidates. I will update this thread as the application process goes through as regularly as possible, so will look at updating this on the 25th of January after the selection interview has been completed and the result of it.
Yours Truly,
ShazoozleBamboozle
