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Reserve INT

  • Thread starter Thread starter CrazyCanuck
  • Start date Start date
No worries

INT is always open (COTP)....the are constantly looking for people especially with all these new organizations opening up
 
COTP - Continuous Ocupational Transfer progarm

It is a program that is open year round for application and is for the following trades only

081 aesop
091 Flight engineer
131 SAR tech
???  Geo tech
???  Ammo tech
??? Clearance diver
111 Int Op
5?? NDT

The basic requirement is to have 4 years in and be QL5 qualified in your current MOC. Each trade has its own entry requirements as well.
 
Well its a tough dilemma I have...

On the flip side, does anyone know any Int Ops or Int Officers who have CT'd from the res and actually proved themselves to be quite competent in the trade?

 
As one of those off-the-street Int Ops, I'm going to have to agree with NCRCrow and Mauler, there just is no substitute for that previous experience (Hence my 'steep learning curve' comment earlier).

With direct entries, it truly is hit or miss - sometimes the direct entries make good Int Ops (after some time, obviously), sometimes they are not (I've seen cases of both). Whereas when transferring from the regs (esp the combat arms), you have that invaluable experience under you, and furthermore you have 4 years of evaluation of your performance, which can help weed out some of the undesirable people in the trade..

My particular case, I joined the reserves in my first year of Uni. Originally going combat arms, but my poor vision precluded me from that, so I steered towards Int. It's been a good go, but the learning curve has been steep..
 
Well all I can say is that the Int Coy I met with was sceptical at first.  But after I spoke to them for almost 3 hours they obviously felt that I have what it takes, otherwise they would have probably not offered to take me "off the street."

Believe me, they explained everything to me...and they did say that I had alot of catching up to do.  But they felt that I had a good academic background (BA International Relations, MA in Intelligence and Strategic Studies) to make a go of it.  I will have alot or learning to do...but I'm up for the challenge.

I guess what I am trying to say is that if they thought that I was capable (I'll take the advice of a WO who has been in for 20 years) and I think I am capable then I am confident that I can make a good Int Op.  And if not, well then at least I will be a reservist and will have the opportunity to change to something else or leave the CF for good.  They said that the 2 years I will spend with them will give them a chance to evaluate me.  To me, it seems better then being stuck in the Infantry for 9 years and end up not being fulfilled.

I know academic bacground don't mean much...but hey, if I've spent 6 years at univeristy studying intelligence, strat studies and history specifically, why not make a go of it.

As for the comment about me sitting at home on mama's couch watching montel and waiting to get into the regs...well that's not me...like I said, I want to do as much as I can while traning with the unit and earning my stripes and if that entails scrubbing floors on a class B or whatever in the meantime then so be it...so reserve those comments for someone you know...I'm not looking for an easy way in here...I'm just looking for what's best for me...

Thanks for all the advice tho' guys.
 
Alright...I was a little hard on ya about Mama's couch, but why waste 3 years of pensionable time and experience by staying in the PRes.

Go hard at it, like I said the next 5 years is going to be an exciting time in the CF.

Be there, don't watch it on CNN.

An INT OP/O with no medals scares me!!
 
ReadyAyeReady

In all honesty I have to say that the reg force time that you require is most definitely time well spent. The direct entry int op that sat next to me on my QL 5, whom I later had working for me (I was a Sgt and he was just barely a MCpl after 5 years in the trade)  was a prime example of this. This individual and others were living proof that the TI prior to OT is absolutely needed.

I completely understand your concern in regards to not being able to get into the Int branch after four years and expending an enormous amount of time and effort to get to a place that you cannot go. My response is this: You are expressing a willingness to join a military organization, to put your life on the line as it were, unlimited liability, that sort of thing. My friend "Who dares wins", if you want it bad enough YOU will make it happen.

If you want assurances that you will be able to get into the branch after x number of years in the regs, you have the right, at least at the moment, to call up the Career Manager in NDHQ and ask him, plain and simple.

Again, my worst day as an Int Op was still better than my best days as an Air Force Tech.

Mauler
 
I am currently a student at the U of A in Edmonton going into the second year.  My current program is Science with a Specialization.  Putting aside the mostly boring science courses, I am actually quite interested and fascinated by military and strategic studies related things.

I am interested in the Reserves but more specifically in Intelligence.
The plan is to begin the application process in about a month or so (as I will be traveling for a month) and then hopefully, eventually start some sort of training next year in the summer.

Does anyone know if there’s any chance of becoming an Intelligence Officer in the reserves and if not, then what are the chances of being an Intelligence Operator?

Any other related comments, suggestions, advice would be appreciated.
Thanks
???
 
Call your local recruiting office and ask for a listing of the local reserve units and then call them and ask them.
 
If you want to go Army Int in the Reserve world, chances are not that good for being an Int Officer off the street, unless you display a lot of maturity and credentials. 
Chances of becoming an NCM Int Op off the street are better. If you demonstrate, once again, maturity and enthusiasm, you stand a good chance, though remusters tend to be preferred.
 
It is too easy for you to find out your current, local options since 6 Intelligence Company is in Edmonton.

Drop by:
Brigadier James Curry Jefferson Bldg
Armoury Support Centre, room 103
11630 - 109 Street NW
Edmonton, Alberta T5G 2T8

or phone them at 310-ARMY.

------------------------------------------------
Legal disclaimer - no need to read. The intelligence system is all about making informed decisions, which requires assessing raw information, often acquired by digging through the most arcane sources. In this case, I had a trained interrogator and Swahili linguist down in Guantanamo type "military intelligence edmonton" into GOOGLE for me!  Perhaps...just perhaps....you're not quite ready for such intelligence challenges ::) Have you considered being a Public Affairs Officer? They're well respected too  ;) Sayyyy....you're not "couchcommander" are you? He's UofA too.
 
I would like to thank everyone for their responses as I know this type of thread has been started before.  I also have a little spiel of my own:

Firstly, No I am not "couchcommander"; however, I am sure that there are quite a few people with some U of A affiliation from Edmonton.

Secondly, I did do quite a lot of research, but the fact that the 6 Intelligence Company website has not been updated for many months now did not help.  About a year ago when I was in grade 12, I even went to the Jefferson Armoury location and did speak briefly to a recruiter, but that was just regarding general things.  So, then I basically decided to finish high school first, head on to University, and take things from there.

I now know what I generally want and before I start anything serious, I just wanted to ensure that I had the most information possible.

I realize that lots of people probably say they want to be in Intelligence, but then back away when they realize that it’s a very tedious and detail oriented job.  I also think that it is one of the most important occupations because it has the potential to strongly affect everything else.
 
Obviously, you are aware that there are Reserve Intelligence units.

This is the link for the Recruiting world regarding IntOs:

http://www.recruiting.forces.ca/engraph/career/tradeinfo_e.aspx?id=82&bhcp=1

It will give you the recruiting requirements.
 
I just so happens that I have a Int Op pamphlet sitting beside me. Don't ask. Anyways, it's doubtful you will be able to become an Int Op just coming in off the street. They usually prefer an Occupation transfer or a Component transfer. Something I was told was that they prefer people to come in from Infantry or the other Combat Arms. Also, of course, people with a knowledge of other languages, multi-cultural experience, and operational experience are preferred. Call your Intelligence Branch and talk to them though. If this is really what you want to do, you have to get to know everyone there. Good luck.

 
Al1212; Your best bet is to try to get ahold of someone at the unit. Come in on a Wednesday night and ask the recruiters if you can talk to the int people (Just beware that they can be very busy at times). That's the only way you'll ever find out what it's all about.

If you really want a website to check out, try 3 Int Coy's website;
http://www.army.dnd.ca/LAND_FORCE_ATLANTIC_AREA/3_INTELLIGENCE_COMPANY/int.htm
or 2 Int Coy's website;
http://www.army.dnd.ca/LFCA/2int/main.shtm

But if you want the most information possible, you'll never find it on the internet. You'll have to go in and talk to an actual, real world Int Op.
 
As long as I have lurking on this site I have been interested in res Int in any position. I have read all the posts regrading it, visited all the website mentioned. I have the desire to wear the North Star as my capbadge (That's my goal at least)

I have 2 years left to complete my degree. I was thinking of joining another unit until then. Is there any preference of trade they want for res Int op (or does that matter) I will be completing a Honours Geography Degree with lots of regional geography.

In my searches I have found info on the Naval Reserve web-site about Naval Reserve Intelligence (R82B). I would like to know if anybody is a Naval Reserve Intelligence (R82B) Officer?

Is it as hard to get into as Res Int Operators or Officers?
 
As I mentioned, if you call and ask them, they'll give you all the information you require. And they're nice and interesting to talk to, promise. I don't know much about Naval Reserve Intelligence, as that's not my interest. However, when I phoned about being an Intelligence Operator, I was told that only in the most exceptional cases would they take someone off the street. It was recommended that people should get other military experience, preferably in the Combat Arms. You should phone to see what they say about Naval Reserve Intelligence. Phoning really isn't that bad.

Cheers.
 
Both army and naval intelligence prefer experienced personnel to transfer in - - it makes it easier to teach candidates how to assess an enemy battalion's likely courses of action, if one knows what a battalion is.

In the Reserves, and occasionally in the RegF for applicants with specific qualifications, the "previous-experience" requirement may be waived. Speaking for the Reserves only.....as a very broad generalization, if one is going to join without having served elsewhere first, it is more likely to happen with army NCMs and naval Officers, for several reasons.

Army Int Ops are going to undergo a significant amount of training, where all the basics are covered anyway (they'll just learn easier with previous experience). Army Int Offrs tend not to be as understrength, therefore the unit recruiters can hold out for experienced applicants, are less motivated to take people directly.

NavRes Int Officers is still a new and growing field. On the one hand, there is a back-log of former NCAGS/NCS-classified officers requiring training. On the other, there are a lot of line serials that need filling. As for Navy Reserve Intelligence NCMs, there aren't any....so there would be little competition if that's the route you really want to take.

As with Army Int, the best advice is to ask the person in your neighbourhood holding the chequebook. 6 Int Coy was given above. My Gitmo buddy was busy pulling out fingernails, so I had to google it myself, but HMCS Nonsuch is:

HMCS NONSUCH
11807 Kingsway Ave
Edmonton, AB T5G 2W5 
Ship's office: (780) 452-8843

oh......and one recurring stumbling block for can be getting a security clearance. IF your dad is the local Tamil Tiger spokesman, your mom is North Korean...and you just moved to Canada on Monday, from Iran......joining the Intelligence Branch may be problematic - - you may want to consider Tim Horton's for your career-fulfilling aspirations
 
Journeyman

Thank you for the reply.
Like I said before I have 2 years left of University before I can move to a city where there are Res Int opportunities. Should I start the process of joining now and then transferring or just wait two years.

It seemed funny that there was no mention of naval Int operators, would you know why they don't exist yet?

Thanks again
 
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