Time

I've been looking into joining the Reserve for a while but I have ine concern, namely time.

How much time does the RMR occupy in your life?

I don't want to waste a recruiting officer's time before I definately know I can meet the requirements of the Reserve.

 

mimimum attendance probably works out at 40ish days.

but you need to do a lot of work in your own time, fitness training 4-5 times a week which is what makes it such a comittment

http://www.royal-navy.mod.uk/server/show/nav.2979

^^ covers the one week here and 2 week here camps

 

One evening a week, one weekend a month, one fortnight a year, running in your own time about every other day.
The first 18 months or so, while you're in recruit training, are worst because you can only really miss one or two of those weekends or you end up getting back trooped and then training takes 2 years+ and you don't want to get in to that game. Later you have a bit more flexibility, provided you make up the total number of days.
It's quite a lot of commitment and guys do lose girlfriends over it. They're in the minority though, most people manage to balance it.

Sorry if that's not the comforting answer you were hoping for but nothing worthwhile is easy.

 

Right now during recruit training,
It takes officially 1 night a week (Wed) 2 weekends a month and 2 - 2 week courses, we had one in jan and the next one is in July.
However in actual fact, most of us train for at least a couple hours every night, plus Hill walking in our weekends off, not to mention prepping kit and fixing bits here and there.

It all adds up to a pretty big commitment especially if you are working full time as well, don't expect to keep much of a social life outside the unit.

K

 

If you have got the time to do all that it takes, you might as well join the real thing and not the pretendies. :wink:

 

Pretendies? I prefer Rubber it at least sounds tongue in cheek.

K

 

Rubber then.... it was tongue in cheek, hence the wink :wink:

 

I know m8, just touchy as always!

No malice intended.

K

 

Lucky for me I didn't mention anything about RNR standing for "not really required", nearly pee'd myself when an old Csgt mate told me that one.

 

Axeman,

Depending on which RMR unit you join will depend on how high the commitment level required is. While all require the 1 evening a week, two weekends a month and the 2 fortnight training courses, RMR Bristol can hold you on phase 1 training if you take longer to acheive the standard. While another RMR unit requires you to acheive the phase 1 standard at the set time or come back and try again next year.

So the unit you join will have a slight affect.

 

Thanks everyone. I have one further question.

I'd be looking to apply next year after I finish journalism school. My course will be pretty intensive so I don't want to apply before it's over. Also gives me an extra year to work on my fitness.

When I am a journo, I'll be working shifts and potentially quite unpredictable hours. With this in mind, is it realistic to think of joining the RMR?

 

so whats the time scale of the diffrent stages of training? from holding troop to the green lid

 

If your doing shift work whilest going through recruit training then it could make it awkward to attend some of the recruit weekends (again depending on the unit you go to). This could make keeping up with the standard of the rest of the troop difficult and may mean trying again the next year.

Once you have your lid attendance is up to you, so you choose what weekends and time you want to put in. This means if your shifts clash then it isn't as big a problem.

If it's realistic or not is up to you. As only you will know if you can put in the time required. At the end of the day there is no harm in trying. If you find it hard to keep up with work and training then you can drop out. There is no loss of face in trying.

 

I can't give a time scale from holding troop as the time is normaly from passing selection.

The norm is it takes about 8 months per phase. So in theary its possible if you pass every required stage of training. If not then it takes longer.

 

What? I have to disagree with that I'm sorry, do you manage your time well? I know someone doing a medicine degree and he keeps his social life tip top.

Not having a dig mate just wondering if you really meant you wont have a social life outside the unit :?

 

Well if you work from 0600-1700 then go training usually from 1800-2100 on mon to fri, then go walking on your weekends off it really does not leave you that much time for socialising, unless you go without sleeping which i have had to do on occasion. You can always fit the odd night out in at the weekends, but compared to what i was used to.

Haha, please do not compare full time employment to being a student they are very different things.

K

 

Oh right fair point, I swear I read you were in education, my bad sorry.

 

Not anymore, unfortunately graduated in the summer so now out in the big bad world and it is as bad as i was told it was going to be.

K

 

What do you work as?

 

Unless you're going for SBS(R), 3 hours every night plus all day at weekends seems like an absurdly high training load.
I realise that different people need different amounts of training but I managed to reach the standard with about an hour every other day and a 2 hour session at the weekend.
You've got to really beast yourself for that hour of course.

I work full-time too and managed a decent approximation to a social life. The main social problem I found wasn't the amount of time it took up, it was the fact that you have to give it priority (during recruit training at least (the first 16 months or so)).
On one occasion, the dates for a weekend changed at a couple of months notice and I had to rearrange a holiday that I'd already booked. No one forced me to move my holiday and I'm sure they'd have been understanding if I'd said I couldn't go but I'd have been behind with the training so I could have easily ended up backtrooped.