An update from the Canadian Forces Recruiting Group (CFRG)

Having got home from work I fired up the laptop and there was an email from the Canadian Forces Recruiting Group (CFRG). I have to admit I had mixed feelings about opening it – would it be good or bad news? As it turns out it was a request for me to ring them as the phone number I had given wasn’t working and they wanted to speak to me.

It was a pleasant change to get through to the R3 Plans/Foreign Applicant Coordinator on the first attempt; normally I get the answer machine as he’s a very busy man. The news was good, the PLA is complete and they are offering me a job. I’ve been offered Sgt which I am more than happy with as CFRG HQ is only authorized to enrol applicants up to and including the rank of Corporal - any higher rank is considered a 'controlled' rank and requires written approval from DGMC (the rank structure goes Cpl - Master Cpl - Sgt). He said they would like me to go to Cold Lake (an Air Force base on the lines of Top Gun), however, there are 3 offers on the table; Wainwright and the training school at Borden – I think they may have me lined up to do some teaching/training but he didn’t have the full details. I am more than happy with the offer, however, I still have to jump through the regular recruiting hoops, i.e. medicals, interviews, security etc and of course there’s the small matter of being granted Permanent Residency (PR) which is by no means a done deal.

Having had a quick scan on the net, Julie and I would be quite happy out in the middle of nowhere in Cold Lake, but the house prices are steep (there’s oil in the sand there) and the children need to be our main priority really. I'm leaning towards Borden simply on the grounds of logistics etc, i.e. it's on the east side so cheaper flights for visitors, the states are within driving distance, it's reasonably near to the city, the property is cheaper etc etc.

So, I’ve now got a couple of days to weigh up the pros and cons and then get back with an answer. They’ll then get the official recruitment process underway and apply to HRSDC for an Arranged Employment Opinion (AEO). That will obviously bolster the immigration paperwork I submitted 3 weeks ago and will mean that I don’t have to stump up the ‘proof of funds’ (C$25,749). At some point they’ll then need to fly me out there for the mandatory interviews, medicals, and security clearances etc prior to signing on the dotted line - that won't be for a while though because the medicals are only valid for a year. Obviously I can’t physically enlist until my time is done here anyway (May 2011), so it will probably be a case of hurry up and wait to hand the ID card in after everything has been processed.