Exiting the NZ Army?

[young1]

Once you are a recruit and start your basic training can you leave the army if you don't like it? In other words without some made up excuse about family emergency etc can you just go and tell someone "I want out"

Does anyone know for sure?

[Toaster]

I know for officers they brought in a requirement in the mid-1990's to complete a certain amount of weeks of the taining so to ensure you made a reasonably educated decision before throwing in the camouflage towel.

Simply call the local recruiter and ask. You don't have to give your name.

Don't forget - basic training is not a true reflection of the ongoing job. it's merely a testing period to see if you have the balls. If you want to join, then you are joining it for the career that follows basic training. I say stick it out and give it a couple years. Save some money and buy a cool bike.

[carver]

i think you could.
do you want out?

[young1]

My 18yr old son is doing his basic training and I have told him that I will not lie for him to get him out.

[sAsLEX]

Generally they dont like to let you go during initial training across all services as it is not a true reflection on the job and people make rash decisions when put outside their comfort zone.

When you fill in a MD 717, the form to leave the services, the default minimum time to serve from that date is 3 months.

[Skyryder]

Once you are a recruit and start your basic training can you leave the army if you don't like it? In other words without some made up excuse about family emergency etc can you just go and tell someone "I want out"

Does anyone know for sure?


Once you have signed up you will have a very difficult job to get out. As I understand basic training starts after sign up. The medical weeds out those that are not suitable so unless you have a condition that you did not mention or was not detected the chances of this as a a means of an out are slim. If you have doubts don't sign, if you already have accept your lot and get on with life. Not the definitive answer you are looking for but the best I can give.


Skyryder

[sAsLEX]

My 18yr old son is doing his basic training and I have told him that I will not lie for him to get him out.

I saw a few leave during my training in the Navy for such good reasons as their girlfriend missed them........ that lasted a month after he left what could of been a long career!

Make sure its a decent reason he is wanting to leave, as basic is nothing like the job or the experience you get once out of training.

[NOMIS]

Once you are a recruit and start your basic training can you leave the army if you don't like it? In other words without some made up excuse about family emergency etc can you just go and tell someone "I want out"

Does anyone know for sure?

u can say i want out sign you 717 form and off you go

[young1]

He has told me that 4 left in the first week, not sure if that was before or after they did the big signing up thing.

[Jerry74]

Once you are a recruit and start your basic training can you leave the army if you don't like it? In other words without some made up excuse about family emergency etc can you just go and tell someone "I want out"

Does anyone know for sure?

Usually it takes a minimum of 3 months by submitting a MD717 Release form,
However the army can do a quick release in special cases following proper approval.

When I got out it took 12 weeks to have all the proper forms and superannuation etc sorted.

If you are in a certain trade or critical manned branch release can be withheld or refused.

Think about it, its not that bad in the army, I had heaps of fun for the 12 years I was there.

[Jerry74]

As above this is for after recruit training is complete, there is a chance of getting off basic training but you have to realise that the army has invested a lot of time and resources to get you there in the first place.

Give it a shot you may love the lifestyle.

[sAsLEX]

Usually it takes a minimum of 3 months by submitting a MD717 Release form,
However the army can do a quick release in special cases following proper approval.

When I got out it took 12 weeks to have all the proper forms and superannuation etc sorted.

If you are in a certain trade or critical manned branch release can be withheld or refused.

Think about it, its not that bad in the army, I had heaps of fun for the 12 years I was there.

Good movie on what they are doing in the US military at the moment: Stop Loss

Basically instead of drafting to support the war they are stopping any one leaving.

[FJRider]

I did eight years in the Army... the first eight weeks are the toughest. If you can handle that... there's not much in your army life you wont be able to deal with.
As I recall, after about a week, you have to swear allegience to the Queen and...etc. Before that ASK and the door will be shown to you. After completing basic training, you may have a different view on life... stick with it.

[slopster]

You only have to give 12 weeks notice. Otherwise tell him to HTFU.

[sAsLEX]

You only have to give 12 weeks notice. Otherwise tell him to HTFU.

With an MD 717, and what week of basic are they told what that form is? Or where to find it? And how long is basic?

[portokiwi]

If he is still doing his basic training, he can see the Padre.
tell him the truth. you will find that they will get him out fast as they dont want to waste time on guys that dont want to be there.
The service dosnt want people in there that dont want to be in.
After his Basic training he has to put in his 717 and it takes 3 months before he is released.
yes I was in for 10 years.

[Nasty]

My 18yr old son is doing his basic training and I have told him that I will not lie for him to get him out.


This may seem harsh .. but tell him to grow a spine and see his group leader .. if he is having that much trouble they probably don't want him there anyway (seems rude but its a committment thing).

[enigma51]

My 18yr old son is doing his basic training and I have told him that I will not lie for him to get him out.

Good on you for not wanting to lie.

And this going to get me red

You need to tell your son to HTFU he needs to see it out and get on with life. Its too fucking easy to just say i dont like this im going to quite. Thats the problem with todays kids "i dont like it so i will quite"

Also you making it easy for him as well by posting on here trying to get your son out of the army.

He signed the contract now deal with it!

[Grub]

My nephew did basic 2 years ago. He's in Timor now and just loves the Army. Yes basic is tough, but the latter part of it gets better and the day of graduation changes ... they become people again. It's a life-changing experience - for the better. Basic is designed to be hard but it is really for just such a short time - and the rest of his army life isn't like that.

If he can hang on, he won't regret it.

[young1]

Thanks everyone for your comments. It is up to him now, I am encouraging as much as I can to tough it out, yes HTFU etc etc. So we will see!!

[devnull]

I agree with the others on here... tell him to harden up (Iwas in the Army too)

Yes, basic training is tough - it's meant to be.

It teaches individuals discipline, and to work together as a team

But the basic they do now isn't as long or as hard as it once was. The PC brigade has even invaded the armed services. :(

[Grub]

Posted on behalf Wannabiker (http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/member.php?u=11922) who can't get to KiwiBiker at work

[The answer is yes you can leave at any time if you don't think it is for you. Most recruits experience an initial culture shock/homesick, but this does go, and recruit training does get easier to cope with as it goes on, and recruits get into a routine. The thing I cant stress enough is that recruit training is only for a short period of your life, and that once you pass the initial training, and get posted to a unit, your life will return to almost normal.

On my recruit training I wanted to leave daily (sometimes twice a day) but my best friend, who was a sergeant at the time talked me into staying. I have now done 20 years in the Army, and have accepted an offer for another 8 years. I have two trades/professions under my belt, and am currently working away from trade for a break, as a recruiter in Wellington.]

[Nasty]

Thanks everyone for your comments. It is up to him now, I am encouraging as much as I can to tough it out, yes HTFU etc etc. So we will see!!

If he really needs to speak to someone from the 'inside' perhaps we can get him in contact with Wannabiker ... not a bad chap to chat to :)

[Hoon]

Yes basic training can be pretty tough and can be hard for some people. I was the 3rd, maybe 2nd biggest sack (of shit) in my section. If you keep screwing up then the staff come down harder on you and if its also penalizing your section then they come down hard on you too.
Some may say it's a harsh method but it works - either you sort your shit out and become an effective member of the team or you quit. Either way it's a win win situation for the Army.

If it's only the first month then tell him to stick with it. Basic Training is designed to weed out the quitters and weak minded but anyone can become harder and tougher if they really want to.

[KiwiRat]

He has told me that 4 left in the first week, not sure if that was before or after they did the big signing up thing.

Then they must be big sooks, because although arduous, military basic training in NZ is nothing compared to 25 years ago when I went through it.

I'm not the toughest guy around by a long shot, and I actually tried what your son is trying, just turned 17 but about 6 months in. The real reason being my that mate had had enough and was leaving. My parents told me to have a good think about it, don't be an idiot etc, etc.

I ended up staying and never regretted it. Life in a real operational unit is completely different. I have made some lifelong friends, and when you get older, the networking benefits kick in via all the contacts you have made.

I do, though understand that everybody is an individual, and that the military life is not for everyone, so if your son really does feel that strongly, and wants to leave, then the usual channels can be used to effect his discharge.

Just tell him not to expect to be home by Friday. 3 months is the minimum time he will have to wait.

Good luck to you both.

[Tank]

FFS DONT LEAVE.




According to reports in the NZ Herald - there are only 5 people running the Army, Air Force and Navy combined. If you leave you reduce NZ's defence force by 20%!!!

[Jerry74]

FFS DONT LEAVE.




According to reports in the NZ Herald - there are only 5 people running the Army, Air Force and Navy combined. If you leave you reduce NZ's defence force by 20%!!!

Good call hahaha stick it out its all good

[Delerium]

It depends how far you are. If you have not completed your trade training you can hand in your MD717 (leaving document) and it will be accepted with 3 months notice. You can apply for early release on the same form, which wellington needs to approve otherwise it is still 3 months (I did this when leaving the air force, I gave 1.5 months notice as that was how long it was untill the uni semester began)

If you have completed trade training you will be subject to a return of service. during this time it is very rare to be able to be released, and the period of the return of service varies with which trade you are ( I was CIS tech, so 2 years for me)
Im currently in the process of going army now, but Im not 100% sure how it will work, as I am attempting to join the army equivalent of the trade I was in the RNZAF, so I will be trained in a lot of the job already.

[sAsLEX]

If you have completed trade training you will be subject to a return of service. during this time it is very rare to be able to be released, and the period of the return of service varies with which trade you are ( I was CIS tech, so 2 years for me)

I have two years left on my Return of Service of 4 years, prob stay in longer, but no 3 month option for me until I have been in nearly 10 years. But I knew that on signing the line at 17......

[coop]

I managed to get out of the Navy within one week of signing my 717. I had an apprenticeship lined up (requested to get out early). Mine was probably not the usual case... We had completed trade training and were waiting to go to sea, three intakes of technicians sitting on their arse all day, talking shit and reading magazines. Hard life. They sent eight of us onto a frigate for one month to keep us occupied, from an engineering viewpoint, what a crock of shit that was, hence three of us left afterwards.

All thru training, basic and trade, we were able to get out within days of signing the 717, was not until we passed out that we had to give the three months notice. Not sure If the Army is the same, but I can't see why they'd keep someone there in a training environment that doesn't want to.

[Manxman]

IMHO he'd be crackers to leave so early.

Think about what the Army offers:
Mateship
Life skills
Employability (when he eventually leaves)
Pretty good pay (some trades are up 15%)
Trade skills
Overseas travel
Career progression
A good employer
An organisation you can be proud of (I'm told it's becoming an employer of choice)

Where else can you get that so early in your career/life?

Unless he has a compelling reason to leave, persuade him to stay. He won't regret it.

[young1]

Again thanks for all the replies. I have written to him today putting in many of your positive comments about the army and also a comparison of what he has there (job, career, opportunities, good pay, etc etc) to what he has if he came home (no job, no career, no car - as he won't be able to afford his loan repayments and I am not going to help him if he quits).

So again thank you everyone. Keep your fingers crossed that he does stick at it.

M

[KiwiRat]

I managed to get out of the Navy within one week of signing my 717. I had an apprenticeship lined up (requested to get out early). Mine was probably not the usual case... We had completed trade training and were waiting to go to sea, three intakes of technicians sitting on their arse all day, talking shit and reading magazines. Hard life. They sent eight of us onto a frigate for one month to keep us occupied, from an engineering viewpoint, what a crock of shit that was, hence three of us left afterwards.

All thru training, basic and trade, we were able to get out within days of signing the 717, was not until we passed out that we had to give the three months notice. Not sure If the Army is the same, but I can't see why they'd keep someone there in a training environment that doesn't want to.

Don't really understand your reasoning for leaving.

Bored, or couldn't get past the fact that the RNZN doesn't revolve around basic trainees?

Sorry, penny just dropped. You had an apprenticeship lined up in Civvy St ?

You should have tried to wangle one out of Pussers.

[sAsLEX]

Don't really understand your reasoning for leaving.

Bored, or couldn't get past the fact that the RNZN doesn't revolve around basic trainees?

Sorry, penny just dropped. You had an apprenticeship lined up in Civvy St ?

You should have tried to wangle one out of Pussers.

At a guess Coop spent a fair bit of time in NPRC, which just drains all motivation from anyone.

Problem 1: Navy was getting a new fleet of 7 ships so desperately needed more numbers to train to be Ready Day 1 when the vessels arrived.

Problem 2: Day 1 was a wee while ago and we have one of the 7 ships!?

[firefighter]

Iv'e served in the defence force 7 years, 4 years Navy, 3 years Airforce, so my advice is probably worth listening to.......yes you can just get out during recruit course (basic/whatever the fuck army calls it) yes Army is not the same as Navy/A.Force, BUT they work the same as in, if you want out, they won't make you stay as it's not in THIER best interest, if you stay, make no mistake, the Defence Force does EVERYTHING to suit it's own best interests....trust me. So yes, they don't want to keep someone who wants out desperately during basic, really, in fact, if you start telling everyone you want out during recruit training, (instructors) tell them your serious, you'll leave so fast you'll forget you were even there....) because believe it or not they won't waste anymore time, resources, money training those who don't want to be there right at the start....


EDIT: ACTUALLY WANNABIKER HAS THE INFO TO LISTEN TO!

[firefighter]

He signed the contract now deal with it!

No red for you, but you seem a little out of touch with how the NZDF works.....the contract is more for the NZDF so they can throw you out, lol.

If the Army is absolutely not for him, then honestly, why stay?

[young1]

He rang me last night, seems a lot happier now! Realises that he has to guts it out etc etc. So fingers crossed!

[Number One]

How exactly does one 'quite' btw? Sounds like something I might like to try next time things get tough :lol:

[scumdog]

He has told me that 4 left in the first week, not sure if that was before or after they did the big signing up thing.

Fark, what a bunch of pansies, sheesh we're in trouble if this is the calibre of incoming recruits.:eek5:

Tell your boy to hang-on, it's all a matter of gumption. guts and team-work.

Sadly modern schooling does not promote such qualities - let alone train you for a life of it.

[sAsLEX]

Sadly modern schooling does not promote such qualities - let alone train you for a life of it.

I think Mark summed it up rather well in Sports Cafe last night when interviewing the Breakers basketball chap, the team which is having no captain this year, when he said it would never work and that no one wins these days but 1 - 10th all get the same place!?!?

[cheese]

In the Navy you can walk out of basic training any time you want. Just asy the word and you can leave. ofter you finished training its 3 months notice. you can always leave earlier if wanted.

but......

Tell him to stick it out for at least a year. I hated the Navy a the 5 month mark as was going to leave - ended up staying 6.5 years.

[coop]

At a guess Coop spent a fair bit of time in NPRC, which just drains all motivation from anyone.

Problem 1: Navy was getting a new fleet of 7 ships so desperately needed more numbers to train to be Ready Day 1 when the vessels arrived.

Problem 2: Day 1 was a wee while ago and we have one of the 7 ships!?

Lol yep thats the one mate. Being a seventh former back in 2005, the recruiters came round and told us it was the perfect time to join... seven new ships on the horizon etc. Fast forward to now, and it's too bad we only have one... That can't even sail! Two weeks ago my flat mate (AMT) said the same shit to potential recruits at a careers expo haha.

When I had left the puss there were around 45 ordinary rate stokers sitting a NPRC, I'm not sure what the story is now, but I hear the ODs are going onto ship (along side, of course) and getting their taskbook done within a week, eligible for promotion. It may take me 4 years to get the same quals in civvie st, but I know I'll be better off for it.