Life in the Canadian Armed Forces

welcome to a life of honor service teamwork and pride welcome to the Canadian Forces more than 90,000 Canadians serve in our army navy and air force in more than 100 trades and professions there are men and women just like you who accepted the challenge and master the skills to prove themselves in one of the world's most elite military forces across Canada and around the world in times of war and national need the Canadian Forces are always ready to defend to help and to serve members of the Canadian Forces spend a wide range of careers and commitments from part-time service in the reserves to full-time occupations in the Regular Force at home bases in Canada aboard ship or on deployment overseas all Canadian Forces members enjoy the security of a stable job many benefits and a great working environment regardless of whether you're in the Army Navy or Air Force every member of the Forces starts their military career with basic training for the Regular Force this takes place at the Canadian Forces leadership in recruit school in San Alicia youth Kubik basic training teaches you the basic skills and knowledge common to all trades it will make you physically and mentally fit and leave you with a great sense of achievement purpose and confidence compare how I was before so now yes I have changed drastically I have a lot more confidence myself I know that if I put my mind to something I could achieve it well for the reserves basic training may be conducted locally at your home unit these courses are held on weekends spread out over several months for officers and noncommissioned members alike when you're done at st. John the next stages of your training will depend on whether you're in the Army Navy or Air Force and on a specific occupation you've chosen throughout your training you'll be housed in dormitory style barracks you'll wear your uniform during working hours and you'll be fed at the base kitchen once your training is complete members of the Regular Force will be posted to one of the Canadian Forces bases across the country at work you'll wear your uniform at all times but at home your dress in your lifestyle will be the same as most Canadians many members who are single choose to reside on base in barracks like these although you can always count on space being available the rent is reasonable and meals are offered at the base kitchen again at a reasonable cost advantages I guess would be saving money and just the convenience of living on base so you have the gym right there stay in shape there's lots of guys looking for people to play various sports whether it be basketball volleyball badminton squash hockey I could literally play hockey every day if I wanted the food is surprisingly good I'm actually pretty big fan of it it's gonna be hard to move out and have to cook for myself afterwards for personnel with the spouse and/or children there may also be on-base housing available for rent even if only one of you is a member of the Forces but many members choose to live off-base in private housing that they rent or own I'd like to think I live a normal life I have a wife and two kids we live currently off-base I think I have the best of both worlds I have a job that I can play out in the field be in the sandbox if you may that hole I got to be a father and get to see my kids grow up whether you live on base or off you'll find schools hospitals sports and recreation facilities Family Resource Center's and other community organizations that enhance the quality of military life for both single people as well as families in fact many Canadian Forces members are actively involved in their local communities members of the reserves continue to live at home in their communities working part time with their reserve unit or full-time joining regular units for exercises and deployments or serving full time for limited periods under terms of service that can last from two weeks to three years in the regular force you'll get four weeks off per year with pay right from the start after five years of service that goes up to five weeks of paid holidays by then a commissioned officers annual salary could top $70,000 and other ranks could be earning over $50,000 a year having a good steady salary was always something in the back of my head aside from the travel and patriotic side to be able to do all that and be paid at the same time it's a it was a healthy career choice for me hey absolutely fantastic I wouldn't be very honest if I didn't say that the the pay wasn't an incentive it's a it's a great pay structure with the Canaan military the the pensions fantastic and I can say all the way from home knowing that my loved ones are take care of as well when I'm gone Reserve Force personnel are paid a daily rate for the days they're on duty they may also be eligible for transportation assistance allowance depending on a distance between the residents and their unit you also receive free medical and dental care as well as prescription drugs and you can apply to have your dependents covered under the public service health and dental care plan as for your pension plan it matches the program of other members of the federal public service while they're under contract reservists are also entitled to free medical and dental care and they're entitled to participate in the public service health and dental care plan to provide coverage for their families keeping fit is a big part of the Canadian Forces lifestyle whether it's in team sports like basketball softball soccer and hockey or individual workouts at some of the best equipped gyms in Canada many bases also have swimming pools and arenas and all of these facilities are also available to your spouse and children at a minimum cost the military fitness center that is dedicated to the soldiers is also dedicated to the family here my my kids get to use the same facilities that I use in my training whether you've just moved to new posting across the country or you're about to leave on a six-month deployment overseas it's a stressful time for you and your family no matter what you or your family needs help with information and assistance is available through the military Family Resource Center located on every Canadian base you'll find trained professionals and dedicated volunteers to help you with counseling and referrals even employment assistance for your spouse the people here were so friendly they right away grabbed a bunch of pamphlets on what do you need to know tell me the dynamics your family how old are your children what programs would you want to use what the military is trying to do is show that there really are a family and they do take care of their people military's been very good to me I had a daughter who had special needs and required me to be home almost 200 days of the year to take care of her in the hospital and the military is the only job in the world where they'll give me the time off and pay me and support me the whole way through a career in the Canadian Forces is so much more than making a living the career in a Canadian Forces allows you to see things that you normally wouldn't get to see in the civilian world and and experience things that you wouldn't so you're part of a much bigger thing when you're in the Canadian Forces I've made some of the best friendships of my life here in the military whether it be through the training you go through together or whether it be when you're overseas the stuff you go through you form some really strong friendships since I joined the military and I progressed and I've done different jobs I've been very proud of what I've been able to accomplish I'm 28 years old now and most 28 year olds that I know they they don't have the responsibility that I do at this point there's other things as well you know as being part of the military things like going on adventure training the the whole camaraderie esprit de corps you know having a team that you're working with all the time and then feeling like you're you're really making a difference when when you get to participate in some of these these activities like deployments and things like that I wanted to serve in the Canadian Forces I was not born in this country actually immigrated to this country so I like to give something back am i calling personally was definitely to contribute to Canada as a whole and the experiences that I've gone through thus far have really made me the person that I am today and better prepared for anything that comes my way from here on in there is no career more challenging or rewarding an opportunity to take part in defending our country and participate world events that will change your life and the lives of the people you are helping you'll obtain world-class qualifications you'll gain skills and leadership you'll visit more destinations than most people will see in a lifetime and make great friends along the way are you ready to make a difference

Channel: Canadian Armed Forces

Views: 71,875

Rating: 4.9220185 out of 5

Keywords: Canadian Forces, Canadian Force, Canadian Armed Forces, Army, Canadian Army, Navy, Royal Canadian Navy, Air Force, Royal Canadian Air Force, Job, Jobs, Career, Careers, Military, National Defence, job security, health, dental, family

Id: YZptoz4iOdA

Length: 9min 32sec (572 seconds)

Published: Thu Nov 27 2014