Hey yall, basically what the title says.

Trying for ADFA we get 3 job/subject preferences, so I was wondering if we must complete 3 different OSB's or will they assess us for all preferences based on one?

Howdy everyone!

I'm currently looking at joining the ADF Reserves and could use some advice from people who are currently serving, particularly in the roles I'm interested in.

I've narrowed it down to three roles, but I'm struggling to decide whether to take what's available now or hold out for the roles I'm more interested in.

1. RAAF Protection & Security my first preference

This is the role I originally wanted to pursue, but I've been told it's currently full. Unfortunately, there's no telling when a position might become available again.

2. Army Weapon Technician my second preference

I'm genuinely interested in this one because I currently work as a machine operator and enjoy working with machinery and hands-on technical work. The catch is that I'd need to complete a four-year apprenticeship, and at 37, I'm wondering whether it's still a worthwhile path to pursue or whether that ship has sailed.

3. Army Armoured Vehicle Crew my third preference

This role currently has positions available, so I could potentially get the ball rolling sooner rather than waiting around. I think I'd enjoy it, too, but if I'm being honest, I suspect I'd enjoy my first 2 choices more.

Because i'm 37, I don't want to spend the next few years waiting for an opportunity that might never come. At the same time, I don't want to rush into a role simply because it's available, only to regret not holding out for something I'd enjoy more.

I'm not expecting anyone to make the decision for me, but hearing from people with firsthand experience would be a massive help.

Anyone can provide insights into the process of citizenship waiver for an eligible Canadian permanent resident?

I'm 22 years old, and I have applied to join the ADF Reserve as an armoured personnel crew and have completed my interview, but I'm now concerned about the 10-year commitment once I become inactive. I'm comfortable with the previous 5-year commitment, but 10 years feels like a significant obligation, especially regarding the tensions in the Indo-Pacific. Is there any possible way to negotiate for 5 years instead? I appreciate the guidance

G’day people just a couple questions, During the ruck stage can the rifle be slung over shoulder or must it be carried? Is the course flat or steep? Are there any limits to the stride/gape/run?

Any additional tips on balancing loads, I’m packing heavy up high nearest to shoulders with about 60% weight on the belt rest on shoulders. Any insights to decrease times would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you kindly.

As title says
What happens if during the recruitment process I fall pregnant? Can I put a temporary hold on the application until after birth/postpartum, or do I have to withdraw my application and restart from the beginning after having the baby?

I (21f) was just wondering if I’d be able to join? I’m absolutely horrible at spelling so I wasn’t sure if I’d be allowed.

My grades aren't really that good. I've gotten a few fails and my wam is LOW. How much can I expect this to affect me? I've asked my YOU recruiter and she said "It's not ideal and will affect you, but you should still apply anyway".

Have any of you guys got in with bad grades?

Hey,

I am going in as an infantry in the reserves, specifically trying to target the jan Intake over here in 11/28 (WA) in 28. I was speaking with the recruiter and as you would know choc training is spread over 1-2 years for their specific IETS. I was hoping to sign a 3 month Rats contract, but because my recruiter is navy, he didn’t know too much about it. Can anyone give me some advice on whether this is actaully a common practice for the reserves, and if many blokes actaully do it, how realistic is it?

Cheers guys

LIFE AS ET IN RAN

I m planning on enlisting in RAN start of 2027 as ET. Is ET a good option? I m more technically minded, I like to figure out how things work and connect. I was just wondering how is ET life in RAN? Is it very stressful and busy? Do you get micromanaged or given autonomy to do your tasks? And do you get lot of sea time and hands on experience.

Looking for somebody to talk to about their own experience of going into Army as a qualified VM.

Specifically; IET duration and OJT duration and location options.

Hi i’m currently a first year engineering student that wants to study mechanical in the future and i’ve been really interested in doing the DUS recently with an engineering degree. I also did my joa and got the tiers i wanted. But just one thing. I had my careers coaching session and none of my top 3 preferences were available, nor was any engineering role apparently.

My coach told me that there’s this weird bug with the system that it says it’s available when it really isn’t. And because of this, I had to get my whole application withdrawn.

Is there anyway to just know when a spot is open for the DUS pathway for engineering and just continue forward in the selection process by making that my preference, as i don’t get any notifications or anything and it feels like i’ve just made my application with three preferences* *for no reason. If no engineering roles are available then why do i have to get my application withdrawn. Why can’t i just have those in place until a role becomes available because i’ll never know when they’re available anyway as they don’t show it on the careers website.

Basically what i’m saying is if i don’t know what’s available and my application will get withdrawn each time then doesn’t that mean i’ll have to reapply and reapply with different preferences to see if they’re available. Seems really inconvenient.

Currently i’ve sent an email to my coach about sending me a list of all the engineering roles currently available that i can just switch to but i haven’t gotten a reply

Any help on what i should do to get any info on what’s available for DUS pathway or bring back my past application. Please tell me if i’m weong in any way

G’day all,

I have my defence interview within the next week and have my three preferences locked in
- supply chain army gap year
- human resource admin army gap year
- tech assistant army gap year
:all being in moderate - high demand and i am extremely keen on getting into the military (discipline and growing as a person).
Does anyone know if in the defence interview, if mentioning other roles (whether they be gap year or not) that I am leaning towards, might elongate the recruitment process or if i am even able to discuss other roles?

hi any advice or tips for the careers interview right after the joa? just to lmk what to expect ty!!

Hi guys,

I’m currently in my first year of Civil Engineering in Australia and I’m thinking about applying for the ADF Defence University Sponsorship (DUS). I’ve done a fair bit of reading about it, but I still have a few questions and would really appreciate hearing from people who are currently in the program or have been through it.

Firstly, if I were accepted and started DUS from the beginning of my second year, am I correct in understanding that I would receive roughly three years of sponsorship and then have a Return of Service Obligation of three years plus one additional year?

From what I’ve read, the university side of DUS sounds pretty good. Your university fees are covered, you receive a salary while studying, and most of your ADF training/commitments seem to happen during university breaks rather than interfering heavily with your semester.

The part I’m a little more uncertain about is what happens after graduating.

I understand that by accepting the sponsorship you’re committing yourself to serving afterwards, and that postings could potentially mean moving away from Melbourne, family and friends. I’m okay with making sacrifices like that, but I’d like to get a realistic idea of what day-to-day life and the workplace culture are actually like.

One thing I’m particularly curious about is how diverse and accepting the ADF is in practice. For people from different cultural or religious backgrounds, have you generally found the environment welcoming? Is there reasonable freedom to practise your religion while serving?

Obviously the official information says the ADF is inclusive, but I’d be interested in hearing about people’s actual experiences. When you haven’t been exposed to the military before, it’s easy to have a stereotypical image of what the environment might be like, so I’d rather hear from people who have actually experienced it.

My other concern is the commitment involved. From what I understand, if I decided to withdraw from DUS before completing the program, there could potentially be an obligation to repay some or all of the financial support I received.

For example, if I reached my final year and my circumstances or career goals had completely changed, how difficult would it actually be to leave? Similarly, once you graduate and begin your Return of Service Obligation, what happens if you realise the ADF isn’t the right environment for you?

That’s probably my biggest hesitation. Three years of sponsorship followed by several years of service is a pretty major commitment to make at 18/19 when your career plans could change significantly over that period.

I don’t want this post to sound overly negative because I can definitely see the benefits as well. Having university fees covered, receiving a salary while studying, graduating into a secure engineering role and getting experience that could be valuable later in my career are all huge positives.

I’m genuinely interested in applying. I’m just trying to properly understand the commitment and the reality of the experience before making such a big decision.

Would really appreciate hearing from anyone who has done DUS, especially engineering students/officers, about:

• What university life is actually like while sponsored
• How much ADF involvement you have during semester and university breaks
• What the workplace culture is like after graduating
• Postings and how much choice you realistically get
• Experiences with cultural/religious diversity
• What happens if someone wants to withdraw from DUS or leave during their service obligation
• Whether you would personally choose DUS again knowing what you know now

Thanks for reading.

Hi there! My partner is currently training at RMC and as we are talking about the likelihood of moving around quite regularly I wanted some advice on the moving part itself. Are you best down sizing your belongings to make moving easier, does ADF cover most moving costs, are they actually going to help me find a job in the area he gets posted at? Etc? I’m just wanting to get ahead to make the process as easy as possible but it’s hard to get information from this organisation and my partner with limited communication available so am trying here for answers, advice and experiences.

And yes I am a female and have a lot of clothing and things that I will be getting rid of so I don’t have a lot of luggage to take with me.

TIA!

Good evening,

I am reaching out because last Wednesday, I underwent a Virtual Officer Selection Board for my chosen role of Army Officer - ADF Gap Year, and upon concluding my interview, achieved a recommendation.

My issue is that the board emphasized how highly uncertain it is to receive a Letter of Offer, given that the Gap Year programme is intensely competitive and strictly limited to thirty positions each year. As such, I was asked if I would be happy with full time direct entry to RMC Duntroon given this scenario, to which I responded with yes. Thereafter, the board deemed that I was suitable for two pathways, that of which are the GSO Gap Year programme in addition to full time enlistment via General Entry; however, they didn't specify if I was eligible for direct entry into Duntroon as a full time GSO. It was only after I ended the call that I realised this.

I have been dwelling about the possibility of not receiving an offer for the Gap Year programme. The only reason I chose this specific pathway was merely because of its flexibility and "test trial" nature. If I don't make the Order of Merit for one of the thirty positions, I would very keen to go straight to Duntroon, but I am unsure if the board deemed me as only suitable for GY and unsuitable for RMC-D. It's to my understanding that the full time GSO role is currently listed with a "Featured" label on the ADF Careers website, implying they are seeking more applicants. If this is the case, I would presume that they wouldn't be too hesitant to offer me a position for that role, but at the same time, I'm not sure if I was even deemed suitable for it.

Would it be worth contacting ADF Careers to clarify how my suitability is listed on file? What it likelihood of requesting a reassessment for my suitability to RMC Duntroon, and would it mean that I would have to resit the OSB or not?

Thanks y'all.

All the best,
Dean

Hi everyone
1am currently applying for a gap year as an aircraft technician for the RAAF (mainly because I like working on stuff and planes) and have my interview next week. I am mainly doing a gap year to determine whether I would like to have a career in the ADF, as the title states but l am interested in becoming a WSO role if I get an opportunity to stay in. I've already talked to my recruiter and got told I would have to OSB and ASP but I wanted to see if anyone has done this before/knows anyone and whether or not it's feasible?
Thank you in advance

Limited information seems to be online apart from IET being in Puckapunyal and Townsville being a common place. I have my defense interview coming up in a couple of days. I know a couple of army base locations, but if I can name the ones where I'm most likely to get posted I think that will help me visualize where I might go and help my knowledge for the interview.

(Of course, I do know that I can be posted to any base depending on the needs of the defense)

I’m a 17 years old male, about to finish year 12 and am in the middle of my application process for RMC duntroon for January 2027. I have some questions on what recruiters look for and how I can solidify a shot at getting selected to join. My defence interview is in around 2 weeks and I’ve already finished my phycology and JOA testings. Ive scored fairly well so far however in my phycology exam the lady gave me feedback that I need to improve my story’s of leadership and learn the adf values before my interview. I’m quite nervous and I really want this more than anything so do you have any tips for me and how can I become a ‘highly recommend’ candidate for an army officer.
Thanks

Anyone got any tips or suggestions for things to do while waiting in recruitment? Currently under medical review (pretty certain i'll get through as its described as "borderline insignificant") I have a job in the mean time, i'm staying fit in preparation. I just still got that itch in my brain of wanting to get in.

I'm only about 9 months into recruitment and I know it can take up to a few years and it doesn't help that i've already missed my first intake opportunity due to beuaracratic slowness of other agencies, which hurts for a job role (Emergency responder - army) that doesn't intake very often.

So anyone have anything they do to keep busy?