Joining RE Sappers. First formal interview

[wingy24]

Hi, this is my first post so please excuse me if I have posted in the wrong area, i'm sure I will be re-directed if I have.

I was just wondering if I could get some help......I have an application to join the Sappers pending, I want to be a draughtsman. I have had my BARB and the recruitment office has checked my medical records. They gave me a call the other day and told me to come up next week and sit a formal interview.

I would like to know what to expect (questions asked etc). Who will I be being interviewed by... I'm guessing a recruitment officer? Can anyone tell me what I should know? I have been doing a great deal of research about the Army and my chosen career path, but I can't help thinking there is something I am missing

By the way i'm 24 and an Engineer by trade, design and electrical.(No old jokes please) I know i'm going to be one of the older new recruits, but i'm fit and i believe that my life experience is going to help me in the army.

Thanks in advance for any help.....Great site!!

Sticky

 

[Priam]

Hi, this is my first post so please excuse me if I have posted in the wrong area, i'm sure I will be re-directed if I have.

I was just wondering if I could get some help......I have an application to join the Sappers pending, I want to be a draughtsman. I have had my BARB and the recruitment office has checked my medical records. They gave me a call the other day and told me to come up next week and sit a formal interview.

I would like to know what to expect (questions asked etc). Who will I be being interviewed by... I'm guessing a recruitment officer? Can anyone tell me what I should know? I have been doing a great deal of research about the Army and my chosen career path, but I can't help thinking there is something I am missing

By the way i'm 24 and an Engineer by trade, design and electrical.(No old jokes please) I know i'm going to be one of the older new recruits, but i'm fit and i believe that my life experience is going to help me in the army.

Thanks in advance for any help.....Great site!!

Sticky

You can spell, construct sentences and have some formal engineer training.

Do not sweat about the interview!

Have a search through the forums key words draughtsman and interview.

There was a thread on choosing draughtsman as a trade a while ago.

I had my interviews eons ago and cannot answer your questions accurately.

Good luck and enjoy.

 

[wingy24]

Thanks!

That was quick...I'll have a good look through some of the other posts tomorrow. Time to catch some Z's.

Also I noticed that you could specialise in certain fields (diving etc). Have I got this right? Foremost I will be a Soldier; secondly a Combat Engineer and I will also pick my trade (Design). Are you required to pick a specialisation? Or is this something that you are picked to do?

Can anybody tell me what they think is a better choice of career, bomb disposal, paratrooper, or diver?

Thanks again for any replys....

Sticky

 

[Fatbadge]

Also I noticed that you could specialise in certain fields (diving etc). Have I got this right? Foremost I will be a Soldier; secondly a Combat Engineer and I will also pick my trade (Design).

Yup!

The Specialisation is up to you.. Volunteered, not Voluntold.

 

[plant_life]

Being older will pay dividends. You have more life experiance and should be a lot more mature than most coming through. Good choice of trade. At the moment they are in the process of amalgamating design draughtman with E & M draughtman at class 2 level and you choose in which discipline you want to specialise in at class one level.
Make sure you know a bit about the Corps, a bit about combat engineering, a bit about the trade you want to do and a bit on current ops.
Good luck.

 

[buggrit]

Dont sweat the interview, its usually done by an auld officer thats been put out to pasture and all he's worried about is where his next pims is coming from.

 

[wingy24]

Thanks again to all that replied, you have put my nerves at bay.

Sticky

 

[Nightrained]

I remember mine 18 months ago. I went in a suit, looking smart as they asked me to. They mainly ask you about YOU, as a person more than anything and what family and friends think about you joining. It's most likely the person that's been talking to you already at the careers office, for me it was a Staff Sergeant.

Oh and he'll also ask you how many times you can run up and down 'trig point'.

 

[wingy24]

Does anybody have any clue as to what sort of golden hello I will get?
I have only had it explained very briefly, are we talking G's here or just a poxy food stamp?

Thanks for the reply, but what the hell is "trig point"? I'm guessing some sort of orienteering? By the way most of my friends wish me luck but think i'm mad. Most of my family are totally against me joining barr my Dad, who's backed me 100%. I don't really get on with the rest of the family too much anyway, so who cares what they think?

Also, you say they will ask more about "me" I haven't exactly had the best upbringing around, actually to be honest I had a sh1t time as a youngster, left home at 15 and basically bought myself up and educated myself without too much support. Is it better to keep these things to myself? Or if i'm asked should I just be honest (as i prefer) and tell the real story? ( I think that it has all helped me be a well rounded, strong individual anyway). Just don't want the Army thinking i'm a nut or that i've got a chip on my shoulder.

Wingy

 

[Holdfast]

Does anybody have any clue as to what sort of golden hello I will get?
I have only had it explained very briefly, are we talking G's here or just a poxy food stamp?

Thanks for the reply, but what the hell is "trig point"? I'm guessing some sort of orienteering? By the way most of my friends wish me luck but think i'm mad. Most of my family are totally against me joining barr my Dad, who's backed me 100%. I don't really get on with the rest of the family too much anyway, so who cares what they think?

Also, you say they will ask more about "me" I haven't exactly had the best upbringing around, actually to be honest I had a sh1t time as a youngster, left home at 15 and basically bought myself up and educated myself without too much support. Is it better to keep these things to myself? Or if i'm asked should I just be honest (as i prefer) and tell the real story? ( I think that it has all helped me be a well rounded, strong individual anyway). Just don't want the Army thinking i'm a nut or that i've got a chip on my shoulder.

Wingy

Welcome to ARRSE,

Be truthful, if you don't you'll be found out eventually. You are quite mad but in a good way. You will be joining the best bunch of lads in the world, the glorious Corp of Royal Engineers. Once a Sapper always a Sapper. Who are all stark raving banana's anyway.

Do you care what your family think, it's your life live it as you want.

As for the golden hello, I only got a few sheckles from my recruiting Centurian, so I'm not sure what the going rate is.

As for the Para, diving etc, just see how it goes and make a decision later on.

I hope all goes well for you at the interview and your training.

Holdfast

 

[plant_life]

If you say you want to be a Clerk of Works after a few years there is a good chance you might get a golden hello. What level of education have you studied to? The C of W (C) currently get an HND in Construction upon successful completion of the course. If you've already got that qualification or higher you might be able to get fast tracked. Ask your recruiter.

 

[wingy24]

I have just dropped out of a HND course that I was doing with my employer. The reason I dropped out was that the company took an extremely dim view to my choice to go for the Army and stopped putting me in for my Pro E training (CAD program). TOZZERS! So I decided to leave and know work for myself doing Mech-Elec. Looking back, I wish I had just kept my mouth shut and finished the HND first..... I'm too honest really.

Otherwise I left school with nothing, started work at 15 (said I was 18, and ended up working 60 hour weeks on nights for 22K p/a) Not bad for a 15 year old! 3 years in that job and I had saved enough to go back to college where I took my GCSE in maths and english, then done GNVQ Int Eng (equal to 5 GCSE). Then took AVCE advanced Eng (equal to 2 A levels). Also got a load of City & Guilds in ACAD design and electronics. Then ran out of money and as I had to pay for everything + house, had to go back to work my a*se off and earn some real cash to pay my depts.

Wingy

 

[plant_life]

The Corps is desperatly short of C of W's from all three disciplines but especially mechanical and mechanical. You'll be snapped up if you say that is what you want to do.

 

[wingy24]

The Corps is desperatly short of C of W's from all three disciplines but especially mechanical and mechanical. You'll be snapped up if you say that is what you want to do.

Did you mean mechanical and electrical? Or just mechanical?

Wingy

 

[plant_life]

You have the 3 eperate disciplines at Clerk of Works level (Construction, Mechanical and Electrical) but the Chartered Engineers are E & M.

 

[tricky_ricky]

Wingy24, do you have an RE recruiter at your ACIO/AFCO? If not then be aware that you may not be getting all the advice that you should get. I'm an RE recruiter in Scotland and without knowing or seeing your quals it sounds like to me that you could be eligible for a Golden Hello when you pass phase 2 training as long as you state at this stage that your intentions are to become a Clerk of Works.

If your recruiter is not aware of any of this then tell him to phone Major Andy Tuston, He is the RE SPSO and he will tell your recruiter exactly where your best options are regarding your qualifications and any golden hellos. Like I said, I'm an RE recruiter and I am not exactly aware of every type of qualification that carries a golden hello and I would have to phone Andy, so if your recruiter is non RE type then I bet he definantly doesnt know.

Hope this helps, by the way the interview is not that formal, its purely a means for the recruiter to find out about you as a person, your background, your fitness preparation and to give you advice on the differences between your lifestyle, compared to the lifestyle you are likely to lead in the Army. Dont sweat it, you cant not be offered the job because of it, unless of course you beat the sh*t out of him or bring up something that would make you ineligible. Just be totally honest and try not to give him closed answers as he has to write a report on you.

 

[wingy24]

TR thanks for the advise, the guys at AFCO Chelmsford are looking after me ok, i've had to wait ages due to them questioning my medical forms (had a small injury to my back when I was 15, also had eczema once), it took ages because my doctor decided not to do his paperwork for a couple of months (the useless twaat!)and so held up the process. Got the all clear now.

When I was waiting, I decided to try and e-mail some people in RE to try and get things moving a bit (I thought it was the Army holding things up), I ended up getting a call from Major Tuston. He told me that there were places available in Febuary, and to talk to the selection centre and tell them that I had spoke with him and he would get things moving for me.

Any idea, if the interview goes well, how long it will be to the selection weekend?

Wingy

 

[Nightrained]

TR thanks for the advise, the guys at AFCO Chelmsford are looking after me ok, i've had to wait ages due to them questioning my medical forms (had a small injury to my back when I was 15, also had eczema once), it took ages because my doctor decided not to do his paperwork for a couple of months (the useless twaat!)and so held up the process. Got the all clear now.

When I was waiting, I decided to try and e-mail some people in RE to try and get things moving a bit (I thought it was the Army holding things up), I ended up getting a call from Major Tuston. He told me that there were places available in Febuary, and to talk to the selection centre and tell them that I had spoke with him and he would get things moving for me.

Any idea, if the interview goes well, how long it will be to the selection weekend?

Wingy

Up to 6 weeks if all goes well.

Major Tuston - " The average Engineer comes back from Leconfield in 8 weeks!!! "

Dr Tuston - " You will be out of hospital in 8 weeks!!! "

Tustons Used Cars - "Bound to last a lifetime"

 

[tricky_ricky]

[/quote]

Up to 6 weeks if all goes well.

Major Tuston - " The average Engineer comes back from Leconfield in 8 weeks!!! "

Dr Tuston - " You will be out of hospital in 8 weeks!!! "

Tustons Used Cars - "Bound to last a lifetime"[/quote]

Nightained, if you are going to give out advice about something you have no experience in then I believe you are not going to get on at your new unit. I take it you have not taken on board what you have been told on the other thread? Keep your mouth shut and head down!!! Something tells me that your a gob Sh*te.

Anyway, Wingy24,
To answer you question correctly,
Please bear in mind every office has its own procedure, but in general the practise is the same. If after your 1st Int the recruiter believes that you are ready(and if course you believe so too) for ADSC then your 2nd Int can be done immediately, even the same day if the Senior Recruiter is available. After both interviews are completed and you have completed your BARB, BST and are Med Fit then you will be on the next available selection course. The average waiting time for our Selection Centre is 1 week, but I cant tell you what it is for yours. However your recruiters should be aware that once passed selection your intake is Feb, therefore they will ensure that you attend before your intake date.
The key thing is you passing it, The main things are your Physical assesments and your confidence, give 110% and you should be ok.

Like many things in forces life, only take advice from people in the know, dont listen to rumours,hearsay,jungledrums etc. There are a lot of bullsh*tters out there. If you have any other worries then do ask your recruiters as that is what they are there for. Hope this helps you, and good luck

 

[plant_life]

The recruiting sgt at the moment says a lot of guys are being referred when they go down for their selection because of suspected heart murmurs. 9 times out of 10 when they guy goes to the hospital for an ECG everything is fine, it's just because you are nervous so your heart is beating a little erratically. So if this happens to you don't be disheartened (boom boom), chances ae you are fine.