Transfering to commonwealth armies

[Pkm594]

Hi there all

In my trade and at my current posting within the British Army there is alot of talk and some action about transferring or getting jobs with the Australian, New zealand and Canadian Armed Forces/ Defence Forces.

1. Has any one any tips on the viability of these moves.

2. Do any other Armies across the globe do/accept this, eg US Forces?

I would assume that apart from the French FL you would have to find an army that spoke English.

I'm not necessary looking at jumping ship of leaving my own nations service but the way in which the Armed Forces of the UK are been constantly squeezed and reorganised. The old redundancies are looking like they will come back for someones political ends.

Unlike the US and other countries the backing of troops by the average UK civilian and MP(who has no experience of service life or any relative serving) is very bad (polite version). :mad:

Sorry for getting off thread.

Any information is gratefully received. Cheers:D

[climber]

Hi There,

I am an Ex Australian Army WO2 now working in the sandbox, I have seen a few British Forces soldiers and Officers transfer from British Army to Australian Army. It can be hard to transfer to the Australian Army as there is a high demand of people wanting to transfer in, whether that be to Army Navy or Air Force. The problem is that the Australian High Commision and the Overseas Transfer Cell receives thousands of applications weekly. This is not meant to dishearten any prospective person to not transfer. If you have a sought after or high profile skill chances are the Australian Defence Force will take you but it does take time somewhere in the vicinity of 12 - 18 months. There is one sure way to do it, get on a Long Look trip and do it while there on that or do a 2 year exchange. Skills they are always looking for are SF, Aircraft Mechanics, Clerks SGT and above, Infantry Officers and a few others. The plus is, if you get the green light the Australian Army, Navy or Air Force will pay for removal and flights to Australia(Business Class).

[Pkm594]

Cheers Climber

My unit is mainly made up of Ammunition Technicians

[BKK]

A friend of mine in Czech SF has had a CZ friend do that program into the AUS SAS. It can be done. I use to have the website for that program. You might be able to find it on the AUS defense site.

This is a piece off that site that I had stored for the RAAF. It might give you an idea of some of the general requirements/regs.

Air Force Recruiting Information for Ex Service or Serving Members of a Foreign Military Force only.

Note: Foreign nationals who do not have prior military experience must apply for enlistment through Defence Force Recruiting once they have satisfied normal Australian permanent residency requirements.

Vacancies

The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) has limited vacancies for qualified and experienced current Serving Members and recent Ex Serving Members of Foreign Military Forces. Detailed below are the specialisations and musterings that the RAAF is presently interested in:

Officers

Pilot;
Navigator;
Air Defence;
Air Traffic Control;
Engineer (Aeronautical, electronics, armament and airfield);
Logistics;
Administration; and
Education.

Non-commissioned Officers

Airborne Electronics Analysts; and
Geospatial Imagery Intelligence Analysts.

Entry Requirements

General

Age: Maximum age on appointment is 39 years for aircrew and 44 years for other forms of entry. Applicants need to be within the age limit by at least 8 months on application.

Employment Standard: Applicants must not have any employment or locality restrictions that might impede participation in base combat duties or participation in physical fitness testing.

Discharge: Applicants must be discharged from their parent service (including release from reserve service obligations) before appointment. Applicants cannot be appointed whilst on terminal leave.

Service History: Applicants must have an above average service history. Officer candidates must hold minimum rank of FLTLT (or equivalent), while Airmen must hold minimum rank of Leading Aircraftsman (LAC) or equivalent with significant experience.

Mobility: All applicants must be prepared to serve anywhere in Australia or overseas at short notice.

Availability: In general, applicants who accept an offer of employment must be available to join the RAAF within 12 months after the offer is made. An offer will generally be made up to 2 months after the application is received, followed by a 6-12 month processing period.

Immigration

The RAAF currently has a labour agreement to permit sponsorship of visas for those individuals who are recommended for processing for appointment or enlistment. Those applicants approved for sponsorship are responsible for obtaining a permanent resident visa. The applicant and each dependent family member must hold a permanent resident visa before appointment.

Applicants must make a written undertaking that they will apply for Australian Citizenship as soon as they are eligible (normally after three months service in the Permanent Air Force).

Security

Applicants must hold an appropriate Australian Defence Force (ADF) security clearance (minimum of 'secret') before appointment. Australian security arrangements require that applicants have a background of at least 10 years, which can be directly verified by the Defence Security Agency. Current international agreements permit verification of applicants who have been living in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom or the United States. Applicants from other countries require more specific and lengthy vetting procedures, which may preclude their appointment being considered.

Application Timings

Whilst expressions of interest can be submitted at any time, formal applications are reviewed in March of each year, in consideration for vacancies that are anticipated for the following financial year ie: 1 Jul - 30 Jun. Candidates being considered for a vacancy must be available for appointment within the following financial year.

Specialisation Requirements

Pilot

The RAAF currently only has a requirement for pilots who are:

Qualified Flying Instructors (with fast jet experience);
Fighter Combat Instructors;
F/A-18 pilots or instructors; and
Pilots with other unique qualifications (eg: test pilot, previous exchange pilots with the RAAF).

Navigator

Navigators must be:
Category B (above average) and have completed two operational tours. The RAAF's current requirement for navigators require experience in the following areas:
Air Lift Group (C130, B707) : minimum 1500hrs with postgraduate qualifications (eg: tanker operations);
Surveillance and Response Group (P3C Orion): Must be TACO / TAC NAV qualified with minimum of 1500hrs; and
Air Combat Group (F-111): Minimum of 800hrs on strike/reconnaissance aircraft with postgraduate weapons qualifications.

Air Defence

Applicants must be qualified and competent fighter controllers and must have:
Proven ability to control a minimum of four fighter aircraft without supervision (live not simulated);
Minimum of 80hrs simulated control; and
Minimum of 150hrs live control (some experience in the last three years).

Engineering Officers

Applicants who are qualified in electrical engineering (particularly in ground�based fields rather than avionics-related fields) and aeronautical engineering may be considered.

Air Traffic Control

Have held an Approach Radar (APR) and an Aerodrome Control (ADC) rating in the last three years. In addition it is desirable to have held a minimum of two APR and two ADC ratings, Supervisory ratings, have Training Officer or Instructor qualifications and have experience in a deployed environment.

Mustering Requirements (for non-commissioned ranks)

Airborne Electronics Analyst

Applicants must be qualified Airborne Electronics Analysts.

Geospatial Imagery Intelligence Analyst

Applicants must be qualified Geospatial Imagery Intelligence Analysts.

Information Required

All expressions of interest can be sent to :

STAT Attn: AT2
Directorate of Personnel - Air Force
Department of Defence
R8 - 6 - 039
CANBERRA ACT 2600
AUSTRALIA

Or alternatively via e-mail to:

SGT Stacey Ould (stacey.ould@defence.gov.au)

Expressions of interest should contain the following information:

Name;
Postal Address;
Nationality;
Phone number and Facsimile number;
Email Address;
Current or Previous Defence Force;
Date of Birth;
Date of Enlistment;
Current Rank or Rank on Discharge and Date of Discharge;
Reason for Discharge (if applicable);
Employment History to include:
Training and Postgraduate Courses Completed;
Total Hours Flown and Aircraft Types Flown (for aircrew applicants);
Total Live and Simulated Control Hours (for air defence applicants);
Proficiency Rating; and
Any other Relevant Details.

Education

All overseas qualifications submitted must be accompanied by an assessment of Australian equivalencies. This is to be undertaken at the applicant's cost.

The body that assesses overseas trade and education qualifications is AEI (Australian Education International). AEI, through the National Office of Overseas Skills Recognition (AEI-NOOSR), provides official information and advice on the comparability of overseas qualifications with Australian qualifications. This aims to help overseas qualified people work and study in Australia.

Postal Address:

AEI Group
Department of Education, Science and Training
GPO Box 9880
CANBERRA CITY ACT 2601
AUSTRALIA

Phone: +61 2 6211 9334
Facsimile: +61 2 6240 7636

or their website, http://aei.dest.gov.au/AEI/QualificationsRecognition/Default.htm

[1371SGT]

Hi there all

In my trade and at my current posting within the British Army there is alot of talk and some action about transferring or getting jobs with the Australian, New zealand and Canadian Armed Forces/ Defence Forces.

1. Has any one any tips on the viability of these moves.

2. Do any other Armies across the globe do/accept this, eg US Forces?

I would assume that apart from the French FL you would have to find an army that spoke English.

I'm not necessary looking at jumping ship of leaving my own nations service but the way in which the Armed Forces of the UK are been constantly squeezed and reorganised. The old redundancies are looking like they will come back for someones political ends.

Unlike the US and other countries the backing of troops by the average UK civilian and MP(who has no experience of service life or any relative serving) is very bad (polite version). :mad:

Sorry for getting off thread.

Any information is gratefully received. Cheers:D


I'm working with a couple of Brits who also served in the Canadian military.

I'll run your question past them and see what kind of answer I can get for you.

[Pkm594]

Thanks very much BKK and 1371SGT for the information on that I look forward to any more you might have.

BKK The print I made of your info has been posted on the notice board here at my work.

Thank you both.

[BKK]

No prob. I will email my CZ friend to see if he still has the website link.

[BKK]

PKM594

PM me your email. My CZ friend sent me some word Doc applications, and a point of contact.

[Pkm594]

BKK tried to send you a PM but your storage is used up. Make me a space mate.

[gdamadg]

If you pm me your email, I can send you some info on coming here.

The big part is you have to be at least a resident of Canada and a waiver of citizenship can be done as long as you have a skillset we need.

[gdamadg]

http://www.recruiting.forces.ca/v3/engraph/resources/noncanadians_en.aspx
[QUOTE]Canadian Forces (CF) policy states that in order to be eligible for enrolment into the Forces, applicants must hold Canadian citizenship. The only exception made to this policy is as follows:

are not Canadian citizens, but do hold Permanent Resident Status; and
possess specialized skills/qualifications the CF has need of and cannot fill with a Canadian citizen; and
do not pose a risk to any national interest; may only be enrolled into the Canadian Forces if permission is granted by the Commander of the Canadian Forces Recruiting Group (CFRG).
Application Procedure for Non-Canadian Citizens
As you do not currently hold Canadian citizenship you will have to be granted a Citizenship Waiver by the Commander of CFRG prior to starting any of the selection testing. In order to do this you must provide a curriculum vitae (CV) or resume to:


Canadian Forces Recruiting Group Headquarters
Attention: SSO Selection
Canadian Forces Base Borden
PO Box 1000, Station Main
Borden, Ontario L0M 1C0

Your CV/resume should include the following information:


Personal Information
Name (in full)
Date and place of birth
Brief outline of where you lived (include dates)
Where your immediate family is currently residing (include parent, siblings, spouse and parents-in-law)
Reasons for your relocation to Canada
Date of arrival in Canada and date you were granted Permanent Resident Status
Education
Name of all educational institutions attended
Grade/Level completed and year of completion
Diplomas/Degrees awarded
Areas of specialization
Marks/Grade Point Average
Apprenticeship/Journeyman qualifications
Employment
List all part-time, summer or full-time employment positions you have held
Dates for each position
Brief description of duties for each position
Qualifications or training you received "on-the-job"
Activities
List all volunteer positions you may have held
List all clubs/organizations/community groups you have belonged to
If there are any other points, or pertinent facts you would like to include, please feel free to do so.

Once you have submitted your CV/resume, it will be assessed by the Headquarters to determine what skills you possess that may be of benefit to the Canadian Forces. Once this assessment has been completed you will be contacted directly and told whether or not a waiver of your citizenship has been granted. You will not undergo any of the selection testing until you have been granted this Citizenship waiver.
Questions
For any additional questions with regards to the completion of your resume or application please do not hesitate to contact your nearest Recruiting Center or call on the toll free number at 1-800-858-8486. [QUOTE]

[BKK]

BKK tried to send you a PM but your storage is used up. Make me a space mate.

Thanks for the head up. I am in the green now. Send it.

[1371SGT]

Thanks very much BKK and 1371SGT for the information on that I look forward to any more you might have.

Looks like gdamadg beat me to it! One of the chaps over here pointed me to the same website that he linked to in his post.

Whatever decision you go with, I hope it works out for you.

[gdamadg]

Originally Posted by 1371SGT
Looks like gdamadg beat me to it!

I just happen to be at work. If the individual was already in country, I could have gotten contacts for a local area. I know they do foreign recruiting visits to all of our major allied countries, but I am not sure of the next scheduled visit to the UK.

[ECN146-2]

http://www.defencejobs.gov.au/default.asp?initMedia=1&media=flash&bounceBack=/default.asp&p=1051

Non-Commissioned Officer Selection Criteria

Army may recruit a soldier deemed suitable for service in the Australian Army, providing that the following key criteria are met:

* As a minimum, have successfully completed a level of education equivalent to an Australian Secondary School certificate (year 10) and have completed relevant specialist Defence Force training courses and experience equivalent to at least 3 years full-time study, so that the nominee is fully qualified for employment in the occupation in which they have been nominated within Army (see below under the heading 'Education').
* Possess a minimum of three years relevant post-qualification experience.
* If from a non-English speaking background, the individual has a minimum vocational proficiency in English (as defined by DIMA).
* The soldier possesses a rank of at least Sergeant.

We've just got 2 Poms into our workshops, so it's certainly viable.