Fca...?

DanOB

right so let me get this straight..

Ireland is a neutral country, so if u join the FCA the chances of u ever getting called up are very slim... sounds like a good offer yeah?

so tell me this, what age do u have to be to join? where you can join? how much you get paid? and what do i get out of it?

your helps appreciated

Manic Moran

Where's the point in joining if you intend never to be called up?

Last mandatory call-up I am aware of was 1985, for the Air India disaster off Cork. Basically policing up bodies, crowd control, etc. Occasionally volunteers have been accepted for other duties such as Border Patrol, the Special Olympics, and so on.

In theory they are looking at changing the rules to allow more RDF personnel to go abroad (Currently very few, special skills do), but for that to happen there needs to be a serious sea change in the DoD.

NTM

Maskhadov

FCA ??? It doesnt exist anymore !!

armchairninja

Maskhadov wrote:

FCA ??? It doesnt exist anymore !!

Presumably he's referring to the RDF!, Not everyone knows of the name change, and a name change was basically all it was!

Fionn

some of the info you seek will be available in this thread

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2054882136&referrerid=&highlight=rdf

DanOB

Maskhadov wrote:

FCA ??? It doesnt exist anymore !!

yeah screw u

muletide

I am surprised the army are not banging on your door to recruit you. You sound like just the sort of mature and sensible person they are after.

Maskhadov

retract that post please. its against the boards.ie charter

DanOB

Maskhadov wrote:

retract that post please. its against the boards.ie charter

the sarcasim of muletide is against the boards.ie charter?

armchairninja

I wouldnt call it sarcasm, I would say he was alerting you to the fact that if thats your attitude that the army may not be the place for you.
They tend to require a better grasp on the english language than a mere simpsons quote, especially when your looking for help from someone.
However a personal attack on someone as seen by "Yeah Screw You" is seen as against the charter, "attack the post, not the poster!"

GerryRyan

Try http://www.62infantry.com/Training.shtml for the basic info you're after.
And the re-org being referred to was more than just a name change - despite what others would have you believe.
I would recommend joining - besides the craic you have, there's a lot to get out of it. I managed to get my full driving license out of the RDF/FCA and have my name down for a few more courses, aswell as an adventure weekend like thing soon enough.

Just turn up at your local unit, just to have a look in (there shouldn't be a prob with this), if you like what you see, then join.

Morpheus

DanOB wrote:

right so let me get this straight..

Ireland is a neutral country, so if u join the FCA the chances of u ever getting called up are very slim... sounds like a good offer yeah?

So this is what they are teaching in school?

Ireland is not NEUTRAL
never has been, we have a foreign policy of non involvement, we are not constitutionally neutral, that would take a referendum, we would also need a larger army in order to protect our sovereignity.

Please repeat after me
we are not neutral
we are not neutral
we are not neutral
we are not neutral
we are not neutral

so tell me this, what age do u have to be to join?

under 35 and over 17

where you can join?

where do you live?

how much you get paid? and what do i get out of it?

for the most part you get the same rate as your pdf comrades.
you do not get paid for weekly night meetings, normal training and range days.

you do get paid if you attend paid training courses, annual camp and if you make yourself available for any other of your allowed 42 days (i think?)mandays per year.

what do you get out of it? well for a start you will get out of the habit of calling it the IDF.
you will meet some great people and some not so great people,
you will probably get out of it what you put into it,
depending on what unit you join, you may find yourself on annual camp going through the following emotions,

tired
sore
cold
wet

fumbling for the bog roll in a forest at 4am while holding onto your rifle in the pitch dark,

not ar$ed about going on the beer every night of camp as you feel like crap when rolled out of the billet at 7am,

screaming obsenities as you charge the last ten yards of a section attack unleashing volleys af blank ammunition at the enemy

smiling like a maniac when firing blank belts from the GPMG and lobbing thunderflashes

knackered from putting in section attack after section attack drills,

screaming as your chopper drops from 2000ft down the side of a mountain at 160mph and wrenches to a halt 6 feet up before your unceremoniously pushed out the door and forced into a clover leaf all round cover pattern while said chopper tears off into the sky.

smiling to yourself weeks after that camp.

i could go on...

on the other hand it may not be for you, you may not want to push yourself as hard as the next soldier, you may want it all to end.

oOoOoOo

DanOB wrote:

so tell me this, what age do u have to be to join? where you can join? how much you get paid? and what do i get out of it?

62 Artillery Regiment in McKee Barracks (near the Phoenix Park) is currently recruiting. Come along between 7:30 and 7:45 next Tuesday if you are interested.

TempestSabre

Morph&#233 wrote: »

So this is what they are teaching in school?....

I wasn't taught anything about it in school. Were you? Did hardly any modern history either.

segaBOY

62 Medical Company LSB is in St. Bricin's Hospital nrear phoenix park if you're interested in being a medic. Parades every Tuesday at 2000

For anyone from cork the medics are based in Collin's Barracks up Patrick's Hill, give em a ring for info.

marcsignal

Manic Moran wrote:

In theory they are looking at changing the rules to allow more RDF personnel to go abroad (Currently very few, special skills do), but for that to happen there needs to be a serious sea change in the DoD.

NTM

In actual fact the ONLY stumbling block is the Private Sector, most firms won't give RDF members time off to go on camp, unless they take it out of their holiday time (Profit before Patriotism so to speak), the PDF and DoD have no problem with the idea at all.

As regards the OP, just call to your local RDF Unit, they will be happy to give you any info you want.

If you're into computers you could also join a Field Signals Unit, you'll learn stuff there that's useful in civvie life too, as well as getting your basic infantry training.

cork1

If I wanted to leave the fca what would I have to do?Also I am doing an apprenticeship if I get called to do a few months of classroom work I could be sent to do it in a differnet part of the country.But if I wait til after my apprenticeship I could be too old.what should I do?

marcsignal

Leaving is not a problem, if you have really decided it's not for you, the only issue will be returning your full kit (Uniform etc), they will pursue you about this if you don't return it.

You will remain on a non-effective list until your term is up, but you will only be called up while on this list if we get mixed up in WW3, which is pretty unlikely.

However if you have work or college commitments that mean you will not be able to parade for a long time you can make arrangements to leave to persue your study/work and come back later, just talk to your NCO and he/she will arrange a meeting with your Platoon Officer. It shouldn't be any problem.

I'm not serving anymore myself, I did 8 years 1982-1990.
It wouldn't have been a problem then, so i guess it would be even easier now.
I had to leave because of work, and by the time i got it sorted out with the job i'd been away from it for 5 years, and never went back.
I always regretted it to be honest:( . I really enjoyed it.

the_syco

marcsignal wrote:

If you're into computers you could also join a Field Signals Unit, you'll learn stuff there that's useful in civvie life too, as well as getting your basic infantry training.

Sorry to go so far off topic that I should nearly write it in another thread, but how so? Although I'm not elgilable to join the RDF (failed the hearing), the Civil Defence has a Radio Communications, which may be like it (big maybe). I'm interested in computers, so I'm just flinging this question out there.

marcsignal

Thats a pity about your medical, bummer:(

Maybe you could take it again somewhere else ? and get in under the radar so to speak, or is it a serious hearing problem ?

I don't know much about the Civil Defence or their entry requirements but you might get an answer to your question here

http://www.civildefence.ie/cdweb.nsf/home+page?openform


Hope this is helpful ?

marcsignal

Just had to post this;) ha ha !, I wouldn't be able for it now, too many pints, cigarettes, kebabs, and TV


The Russians must have been shi*ting themselves

the_syco

marcsignal wrote:

Thats a pity about your medical, bummer:(

Maybe you could take it again somewhere else ? and get in under the radar so to speak, or is it a serious hearing problem ?

I don't know much about the Civil Defence or their entry requirements but you might get an answer to your question here

http://www.civildefence.ie/cdweb.nsf/home+page?openform


Hope this is helpful ?

Aye, I'll look into it. I knew I'd fail the hearing, as the first time the medic saw me he said "if you need a hearing aid, you'll fail", but the way I saw it, it was either do the test and fail, or wonder "if" for the rest of my life. Also, cos I'm now 25, I'm too old to join the PDF (was hoping to go from the RDF to the PDF), but I may try it again in a year or two, to see if anything has changed, as anyone I know who has done the RDF (and I know a good few, from different barracks) has said its great craic.