Bmq 2011

[Shaw_Cable]

Hello. I was just wondering if anyone has some tips for BMQ? I've been selected as a NAV COMM in the Navy, Enrolment Aug 18, BMQ starts Aug 29. Any information would be appreciated :)

[portageforever]

I have a few words of advice, and this helped me greatly when I heard it before I went on BMQ last year.
1. If you dont know how to sew, learn before you start your course, you will sewing labels on every single piece of kit they issue.
2. it isnt necessary to broad cast you were in cadets(you will become an easy target) let your actions speak louder than your words, ( my actions spoke loudly and I was course senior for 6 weeks out of the 14)
3. with that being said, you can help out your platoonmates greatly with all of the knowledge you already have, you can teach and assist them in the transition to a full time military lifestyle)- the skills youve learned as a cadet(polishing boots, making your bed, ironing, drill etc) will make your transition extremely smooth.
4. try try try to make timings as a platoon, they give you insane timings some very unrealistic, but try try try.
5. always have your KIT SECURED, esp your rifle!
6. and lastly, take everything with a grain of salt, never lose your sense of humour and have fun!
wow that was more than a few words...lol..hope this helps:armysalute:

[Zipperhead]

Meaghan mentions some excellent points.

My only sage advice to you is - never feel tempted to correct your instructors on anything while on BMQ. They will figure out their mistake on their own.

Don't start any conversations with your DS or other candidates "When I was in Cadets.." or "That's not how we did it in Cadets".

The valuable skills that you have learned will only help you get through this eye-opening course, use them as a fall-back to help you out when the stress increases.

[portageforever]

Ive been racking my brain and I've got a few more tips/words of advice
1. week 0--admin week--bring enough civies to last you atleast 4 days, including pt gear for your pt test--once you get issued your kit your civies and you'll personal kit will get locked up and you wont see til week 4 after indoc
2. keep your pt trg up right until you leave for bmq, the better shape your in the better off you'll be
3.. if your living in blue sector..get use to climbing stairs, lots and lots of stairs(i lived on the 10th floor)
4.get this one in your brain well before you get there: whatever you do they will always find fault(esp when it comes to inspections) but if they see you got your s@#$ together they will back off and eventually cut you some slack(at this point they expect you to be busy helping your teammates)
5. the biggest goal the staff want for course candiates is to work as a team, thats the focus throughout the entire course, teammates ahead of self
i hope this info helps, feel free to pm if you have any questions
cheers:armysalute:

[Shaw_Cable]

Thank you very much! This really helps. The Captain that interviewed me told me about the stairs lol. Everything else though is really good knowledge for me to know. I didnt plan to advertise I was a cadet, but your wording makes it much clearer and easier. Just a question though, what does a Course Senior do? Would it be like a Divisional Petty Officer/Platoon/Flight leader?

[Flashman]

Keep track of your own performance within your section:

Are you sharing equally in the section's tasks?

I always tried to make sure I was doing a fair share as a minimum.. you don't want to be the person in the section who didn't help, always better to have done too much.

[portageforever]

Thank you very much! This really helps. The Captain that interviewed me told me about the stairs lol. Everything else though is really good knowledge for me to know. I didnt plan to advertise I was a cadet, but your wording makes it much clearer and easier. Just a question though, what does a Course Senior do? Would it be like a Divisional Petty Officer/Platoon/Flight leader?

Im glad I can help! Course Senior is very much like being a DPO . As Course Senior you are the direct link b/w your course staff and the platoon. There are 50 recruits in each platoon and you are responsible for getting them to and from classes, relaying orders, setting standards etc etc... You have a 2IC, and 4 section seniors--you pass on the orders from the staff to the section seniors and they pass it on to their respective sections.
Normally one is course senior or section senior atleast once throughout the course, normally you are in charge for a few days and than the duties get passed on to another teammate. Thats the standard, my platoon required consistency and someone that was very organized(and also didnt take any crap and was honest~ on a side note dont ever tell the staff what you think they want o hear, always be honest) and thats why I was CS for 6 weeks...lol...
Cheers:armysalute:

[djgrant]

All great advice!!! Having been Basic Training Staff on 3 separate occasions and locations (Cornwallis, Chilliwack and St-Jean), I can't really add anything... big point is, always aim for teamwork and helping others where you can, and don't refuse help from others - both approaches will make you stand out right away, and you don't want that!


My only sage advice to you is - never feel tempted to correct your instructors on anything while on BMQ. They will figure out their mistake on their own.

Don't start any conversations with your DS or other candidates "When I was in Cadets.." or "That's not how we did it in Cadets".

This is not just good advice, it is an absolute survival tactic!!! Even when your staff is wrong about something, to actually point it out to them is absolutely taboo! I can speak from personal experience on this point from when I did basic training! :)

They will also quickly figure out that you have previous experience (amazing what a little self-discipline, confidence, etc (not to mention standard of uniform upkeep) can reveal in an individual's background), they will want to draw upon it as a resource, but advertising it in the above manner will definitely be self-defeating in the long run.

Don't forget, your staff will all have lots of previous experience, have done special training (GMTI) for instructing BMQ, have lots of resources to draw upon. Learn from them, relax, and enjoy the experience.

[J. Gleiberman]

All great advice!!! Having been Basic Training Staff on 3 separate occasions and locations (Cornwallis, Chilliwack and St-Jean), I can't really add anything... big point is, always aim for teamwork and helping others where you can, and don't refuse help from others - both approaches will make you stand out right away, and you don't want that!



This is not just good advice, it is an absolute survival tactic!!! Even when your staff is wrong about something, to actually point it out to them is absolutely taboo! I can speak from personal experience on this point from when I did basic training! :)

They will also quickly figure out that you have previous experience (amazing what a little self-discipline, confidence, etc (not to mention standard of uniform upkeep) can reveal in an individual's background), they will want to draw upon it as a resource, but advertising it in the above manner will definitely be self-defeating in the long run.

Don't forget, your staff will all have lots of previous experience, have done special training (GMTI) for instructing BMQ, have lots of resources to draw upon. Learn from them, relax, and enjoy the experience.

I know from a specific example if you feel the need to correct the instructors (especially in front of the course) you may wind up looking for employment elsewhere. A friend of mine was on the pre-RMC course and was booted on the Peer Review section. Essentially he took it upon himself to correct the staff when he thought they were doing something wrong and essentially the staff turned the course against him. He apparently set a record for the lowest Peer Review Rating in the history of Chilliwack.

Don't know if they do the Peer Review part anymore, but I am sure there are other ways for the staff to ensure this kind of conduct is corrected.

[Thib]

They will also quickly figure out that you have previous experience (amazing what a little self-discipline, confidence, etc (not to mention standard of uniform upkeep) can reveal in an individual's background)

I can still remember easly they foud out how I was an ex-Cadet (they never found I was an ex-CIC officer even if I recieved my commission scroll on my BMQ :P) On my second or third day during the morning insepction, they just told me to do an about turn and I did it. The next words out of my Mcpl voice where: Cadet or reserve?

My best advise to you, is take the course has a game. You will quickly learn the rules, they are simple (they are always right you are always wrong) and in the end once you graduate you will have a great carrer in front of you with plenty of adventure.

[JMcKay]

I can still remember easly they foud out how I was an ex-Cadet (they never found I was an ex-CIC officer even if I recieved my commission scroll on my BMQ :P) On my second or third day during the morning insepction, they just told me to do an about turn and I did it. The next words out of my Mcpl voice where: Cadet or reserve?

My best advise to you, is take the course has a game. You will quickly learn the rules, they are simple (they are always right you are always wrong) and in the end once you graduate you will have a great carrer in front of you with plenty of adventure.

You should have just answered reserve, as that was your most recent experience... Then they still wouldn't have known...

[FutureParatrooper]

Fitness,Fitness,Fitness ( though im not in the military yet)

[FireForEffect]

Hello. I was just wondering if anyone has some tips for BMQ? I've been selected as a NAV COMM in the Navy, Enrolment Aug 18, BMQ starts Aug 29. Any information would be appreciated :)

The forums at army.ca would likely serve you better. Welcome to the Andrew! ;)

[Dieselboats]

The forums at army.ca would likely serve you better. Welcome to the Andrew! ;)or navy.ca :lol:

[Lerch]

Whatever happens, keep setting yourself goals!

Each couple weeks holds a new event (war museum, C7's, cap badges, etc..) so keep looking forward and working hard to get there.

IIRC if you're in the Green sector, after a couple weeks you're staff will post everyone's cap badge on a board near the entrances. Everytime someone VR's or is removed from course, they'll take out their cap badge.