Thinking of joining the RDF

richindub2

I was talking to someone last friday night whos in the fca and he was telling me it was a good laugh; not too much work, get to fire guns and play at being in the army etc. Just wondering if any people here are in / have been in it and what their experiences of it are?

Im seriously considering joining this time next year as Ill have a fair bit of free time after the LC and I think itd be of more use than getting a job in Super Valu or some such.

What are the requirements for officership? How often do you get called up? (afaik its one night a week for marching and a weekend every so often?) Do you do a lot of ten mile jogs in the rain or how fit do you have to be? And er are there regular drug tests?

I know theres not much pay in it, my main interest would be in getting to play around with the hardware and possibly having some fun

irishguy

i am in it 5 or 6 years,i am a corpral its a good laugh cheap drink the pay is good. there are no forced marches or anything like that. its easy, just go up to you local barracks and ask 4 info. then u can go up on a traning night and see what its like. you have to sign up for 3 years but they dont hold you to that. also there is drug tests [i have never had one thanx god ]. to become an officer takes a while, you got to wait till your a 2* or corprall to apply for the course [which is really hard] they only hold courses ever few years and if you get accepted and you pass then you go on a list and when a place arrises you will get it when your name gets to the top takes quite a while.anymore questions?

richindub2

do you get warnings about the drug tests before they come up or are they surprise ones?

from reading the FCA site i gather its about 10 days a year of full day / weekend long stuff and one day a week of parade ground stuff, is that about right?

how bad / good exactly is the pay? Yer man last friday was saying it wasnt too bad considering the work isnt in anyway hard, said he got paid 200e for just 'guarding' something for a few hours one night or something?

bottom line i guess is do you recommend it?

cheers

irishguy

if they are going to happen they will be on camp and you wont be told just picked at random. on camp last year they searched a few ppl and there gear at random a special drugs squad from the curragh came down. ya its about 10 depending what unit u join, the infantry does the most and hardest jobs. i think ill get 500 - 600 on camp this year. ya i would recommend it you lear loads meet loads of new ppl go loads of places looks great on a cv and in a few years u can go on peace keeping missions

phreak

firstly, there are drug tests for all new recruits now.

you only get paid on the camps in the summer or other courses during the year. Also as your friend did you can do a weeks guard duty and get paid. You actually only do 2 24 hr shifts during the week because you have to get your rest

For a new recruit(1*) the pay is around €350 a week. By far the best thing is the cheap drink...€2.20 for a pint...SWEET!

Jim

know a couple of fca "heads" myself,

they tell me tis a good laugh, easy cash, cheap booze.....

there all muppets though, so watch u dont get sucked into the trap............. also, ur screwed if we get invaded:eek:

Jim

know a couple of fca "heads" myself,

they tell me tis a good laugh, easy cash, cheap booze.....

there all muppets though, so watch u dont get sucked into the trap............. also, ur screwed if we get invaded:eek:

[btw, its called the "reserve forces" now] :rolleyes:

phreak

yea its called the RDF now and i agree there is ALOT of muppets in it. I've left it now but it was good for the money during the summer.

irishguy

agreed there is alot of mupets there, like every where. they allways get drug tested when they joing i forgot [i did years ago] but a new thing came in there a while back where they do random testing on camp has never happened anyone i know yet. you will get 350 + grauity which is about 150 ish which you get once a year as a kind of a thank you for staying a member. they will also be introducing paying all year round based on the amount of traning you attend. also there is only a month of traning left it stops for the summer

Nemici

My mate joined for one reason only - to shoot guns.

he joined up and went religeously for a year, went on camp. fired a steyer and an anti tank round or two.

He was happy and he left.

Plus the cheap booze. but he didnt like us slagging him about going to the F.ree C.lothes A.ssociation..............

Elem

Rich, you wouldnt get into the FCA, your too small. Unlucky

SHRIMP!

richindub2

Sounds like a good laugh anyway, if i can convince a couple of mates to join with me i imagine itd be great. Last question - nobody seems to have confirmed / denied the marching once a week thing, is this vountary or what? If not are there lots of barracks around? Wouldnt want to be traveling to Meath or something once a week...

Cheers


(minimum height requirement is 5 5, im 5 9....so not quite shane Shouldnt you be off working in your great junior cert qualified job anyway?)

de5p0i1er

Why are the taxpayers of this country been made fork out there hard earned cash to let a bunch of teenagers drink cheap booze and get free combats. The day there called up to defend the country I'll start flying the enemy flag there a joke.

Elem

Originally posted by richindub2
Sounds like a good laugh anyway, if i can convince a couple of mates to join with me i imagine itd be great. Last question - nobody seems to have confirmed / denied the marching once a week thing, is this vountary or what? If not are there lots of barracks around? Wouldnt want to be traveling to Meath or something once a week...

Cheers


(minimum height requirement is 5 5, im 5 9....so not quite shane Shouldnt you be off working in your great junior cert qualified job anyway?)

Now that was a good come back

irishguy

Sounds like a good laugh anyway, if i can convince a couple of mates to join with me i imagine itd be great. Last question - nobody seems to have confirmed / denied the marching once a week thing, is this vountary or what? If not are there lots of barracks around? Wouldnt want to be traveling to Meath or something once a week...

you have to go once a week its not just marching [but for a recruit it mainly is] we also do classes in wepons [striping/asembling weapons] you also do classes in the area in which you joined i.e if you join the MP's you military law medics you do medical classes. there are loads of barracks there is surely one near you. the more you go the more chance you get to do stuff.

Why are the taxpayers of this country been made fork out there hard earned cash to let a bunch of teenagers drink cheap booze and get free combats. The day there called up to defend the country I'll start flying the enemy flag there a joke.

Because it is standard military practice to have a reserve, ok I know the RDF isn’t perfect but it really is been changed. Its not just a “bunch of teenagers” I know a lot of people who are highly skilled and successful, who make a lot of money and give up there free time to do there part [I have gone away on many weekends and helped out at many events that I never got paid for] I have seen the huge change that is gone on during my time there but give it 5-10 years and we will have a highly trained professional reserve. There is allot of highly trained extremely dedicated people in the RDF, I would gladly entrust my life with [there is also allot of people in it who I wouldn’t trust with a spud gun] if there was a war tomorrow I would gladly fight for this country I have applied to my C.O to join the integrated part of the RDF [you serve with the PDF for a year and go on a 6month peace keeping mission] I admit if any country wanted to attack us we couldn’t do very much in open warfare. But if you read up about this our country does not have an Army it is a defence force it is not meant to stand up against large army’s, its main role is to keep the peace within Ireland, helping out the civil authorities, fisheries protection, there is also a directive there about protecting the country about foreign aggressors but this isn’t really the main directive any more. But I pity the country that would try to take over Ireland it would just be back to Militia fighting and "jungle warfare tactics" there is enough weapons and ammunition stockpiled in this country to arm every able bodied adult, which is about 1m people, now try and fight 1m armed people who are trying to protect there homes, this is Irelands unofficial defence policy. Which I hope we never have to test out.

Victor

You get an annual gratuity at camp (assuming you have a certain level of attendance at training) plus regular pay. Most units train twice a week. Typically 4 full weekends per year. Typically 1-3 weeks camp / courses per year. A friend (sergeant) did about 10 weeks full time last year. Officers are promoted from the ranks in the RDF.

The reason the beer is so cheap is the DoD doesn't charge the messes exhorbitant rent like most most are.

Try:
www.military.ie
www.irishmilitaryonline.ie

woosaysdan

Why are the taxpayers of this country been made fork out there hard earned cash to let a bunch of teenagers drink cheap booze and get free combats. The day there called up to defend the country I'll start flying the enemy flag there a joke.

and what you think the permanent army are any way good??? god help you if you do. im with the 3 cav sqn and we just won the all army falling plates shooting!!! its a great laugh and very enjoyable and come highly recommended by me

Mac daddy

whats the deal with it? Is it fulltime or partime over the weekends, or do you have to take time of work ever now and again, do even get paid when your not there the whole time, thinking about joining myself. :ninja:

Victor

Originally posted by Mac daddy
whats the deal with it? Is it fulltime or partime over the weekends, or do you have to take time of work ever now and again, do even get paid when your not there the whole time, thinking about joining myself. :ninja:

One weekday (varies depending on unit) evening training session circa 35 times a year - no pay.

One Sunday morning training session circa 35 times a year - no pay.

Four weekends away a year - no pay.

Annual camp, full army pay (less food cost) plus fixed gratuity (€500?) for having attended a certain percentage (60%?) of training sessions.

Obviously rank and skills pay extra.

phreak

Originally posted by Mac daddy
whats the deal with it? Is it fulltime or partime over the weekends, or do you have to take time of work ever now and again, do even get paid when your not there the whole time, thinking about joining myself. :ninja:

the way it works is...

2 hrs once a week (usually a wednesday night)

field days on some weekends. this means about 5 hrs on a sunday.

3/4 weekends away at camp a year.

week long camps during the summer.

you get paid for the week long camps(about €350 a week). You also receive a gratuity once a year. kind of a thank you payment. its about €100 for new recruits.

if you're into guns and cheap booze this is the pasttime for you!

Barry Aldwell

I've been thinking about joining the FCA for a while now. What's the minimum age to join? I heard 16, but I read on the site that it was 17. I'm 16, and heading into the summer holidays I'd like to join, just to have something to do. Plus there's the guns. Can't forget the guns.

Also, what is the haircut? Or is there a standard?

phreak

you have to be 17.

you can't join in the summer. there are no weekly parades.

you don't have to cut your hair. (although i shaved all mine off in camp last year)

irishguy

its 17 but i joined when i was 15 most ppl dont ask for a birth cert, you should get away with it

DMT

Is it possibile to transfer to the PDF?
If you have a degree is there a possibilty of becoming an officer?

irishguy

ya cant transfer to the PDF but you can apply normally and thye will take into account your traning. Haveing a degree really helps to become an officer if you apply for a cadetship when you complete the course your officer straight away. the max age is 23 and is increased to 25 if you have a degree

regnar

Firstly let we just say that whoever is going on about "its a laugh with some cheap drink and guns" lark to kindly shut their word hole! the reserve is NOT like that! Most of the time any good unit are training hard in their retrospective fields of expertese! for example my unit are allways doing tatics! Platoon and section in attacks! Drills drills and more drills! this stigma that the word f.c.á invokes is just sickining! here we are giving up OUR free time to train for an eventuallity the we hopoe we never have to do! and we dont get much respect for it either! the way things are going we will be a totally new force in a few years.....

if your interested in joining then look up www.military.ie under the reserve section....

Dont listen to these muppets go on about how cushy it is and how you get paid to drink cheap beer and shoot stuff! if you join under that impression your gona have to deal with the shock of change later on....

STaN

Im in the FCA/PDF

Joined with a couple of mates from school a few years back. Back when they had the old minging uniform, which i still have.

For.. *ahem*... dressing up* ... mmmm ... occasionals... :cool:

It was good fun. I found it very badly organised though. I was in the 11st transport something or other where they trained you on HGV's, once you've done that, moving onto jeeps and such. No, no tanks

We also trained with the old 5.72 before they decomisioned it for the styer. We were the last group to use it. Was good fun on camp... they HAD to spend thousands of tracer rounds. I didn't go back the next year. Still not even a private.... Any1 wanna go back with me? heh

I did find it very disorganised though.

DMT

Originally posted by regnar
Most of the time any good unit are training hard in their retrospective fields of expertese! for example my unit are allways doing tatics! Platoon and section in attacks!

What do the various units each specialise in and can you choose which unit you want to join?

Infy

Stan what year was that 2001? Cos i was in the last crew to use the Fn as well. oh its 7.62 by the way.

STaN

Originally posted by Infy
Stan what year was that 2001? Cos i was in the last crew to use the Fn as well. oh its 7.62 by the way.

Yeah i think it was. 2 summers yonder

Yeah, forgot what the gun was called. It'd be fun to get back into actually. I still have the old uniform, should i give it back? I wonder can i change barracks too and how i'd do that.

Bam Bam

What are peoples opinion of both the Army Reserve and the Naval Reserve?

people don't just think its cheap booze and guns do they?

I'm a Pte in the Army Reserve and have been for 3 years. I don't drink and take what I do very seriously.