fourteen2two
Corporal
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They have duvets now I believe? Bit difficult to make a bed pack! Shouting at recruits and chucking bedding out of windows would be bullying surely?
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Yet the vast majority of those who went through that system often refer to it as the best times of our lives!
fourteen2two
Corporal
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Not sure about that but certainly had a laugh there!
Not doing too bad so far, couple of little bits I needed to sort yesterday but not too bad. Got senior man for the block so keeping me busy
Corporals don't mess about as expected and some big characters shall we say but so far so good!
Vushtrri
Sergeant
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Good to hear it’s all going ok,..hope you handed over a crock of shit and ball achers when you walked out the door at the end of shift!Not doing too bad so far, couple of little bits I needed to sort yesterday but not too bad. Got senior man for the block so keeping me busy
Cool.Not doing too bad so far, couple of little bits I needed to sort yesterday but not too bad. Got senior man for the block so keeping me busy
I'm still on track for joining Thompson Intake next week.
Did you do covid test at the airfield on arrival or LFT before you set off? (looks like I have to do the latter based on the emails I've received).
You will report to the airfield for lateral flow testing. Then when you get a negative you will report to the main camp for arrivals administration. First few days a very long but stick with it. If you're a smoker you will find me in the smoking/vaping area most evenings. Pop over and say hi!
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I've had an email saying that I've got to do a lateral flow test before I set out and bring proof of a negative result with me, I've got to go straight to the main camp.
Noted, though I'm not a smoker but will see about popping over if I can.
Well a quick update and a thanks to all those who offered advice here. I graduated on Wednesday and I going on to phase 2 shortly. The course was considerably tougher than I anticipated, perhaps down to my age maybe but I managed to get through without being reflighted. Thanks again everybody and now the hard work really starts, learning an entirely new trade from scratch!
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Good news and congratulations on completing the first hurdle. The cliche is it's easier from here on in, more thinking less shouting.
fourteen2two
Corporal
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Well done, off to Cosford soon. Less bull there but the training is quite intensive. I worked as a civvy lecturer there after leaving in 96. The staff will always help if you struggle so don't be afraid to ask.
Best of luck.
Best of luck.
Defenestration
Corporal
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Good job.
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Well done and congratulations upon your graduation.
If I may ask, what were your biggest challenges?
GD on Wheels
Sergeant
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Well done. Good luck for phase 2.
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Well done & good luck going forward. In some ways I'm glad to here it was tougher than expected; if you found it that way with your background then others will have found it harder and I'd like to think that the standard of personnel leaving training is high.
CPT was really tough, weather was horrendous and the corporals were very harsh (I am certainly not complaining because it should be tough in my opinion). I think for me it wasn't the individual tests that made it so tough, it was the general day to day life. The early mornings, problems at home during the course and the phys made it particularly difficult. I think being older and having some life experience in some ways made life somewhat more difficult as I wasn't used to living like that for such a length of time. That being said our corporals were brilliant and I am glad we didn't get an easy ride, the change in everybody was very noticeable by the time the course was finished.
Despite my efforts in working on my fitness before Halton I still found the PT sessions extremely tough. I joked afterwards that I only had one phys session throughout the entire course where I didn't puke!
The standards at Halton were definitely high and for that reason every person was very proud on graduation day. Safe to say I don't regret joining and it was definitely one of the best decisions I ever made, even if I was very close to throwing the towel in early in the course!
Also despite the bad times, I had some bloody good laughs and made some really good mates. The banter is good and morale in the block was generally really good apart from CPT week, The AT week was also a particular highlight.
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That's awesome and your honesty is an indicator of your integrity. Those attributes will serve you well in the future.
What would be the biggest piece of advice you'd give to anyone who is about to start a new life at RTS?
Number 1 for me would be fitness, however fit you are just keep going at it because the phys will push you! Other than that I would say turn up with a positive attitude, listen carefully to what you are told and do exactly what you are told.
Big things people fell foul on was taking their foot off the gas, lockers not up to inspection standards because they had a busy day and chinned it off. They will spot inspect and it caught people off-guard, myself included!
Work together, help each other out and resist the urge to be lazy and put stuff off. Keep on top of your kit throughout the course and you make your life much easier.
On IFPT they will be harsh at times, you will be tired and they will try to pile the pressure on at times. I found during this phase it was important to just don't let things get in your head grind it out when times get tough.
I would generally say that the staff look to see who is putting effort in and who isn't. If you're giving it 100% you will get an easier time, if they think you're not applying yourself they will seek to correct it. Sometimes that can be through rather unpleasant means and it's not fun!
Finally I would say look to make friends, having a laugh with your mates helps you through the hard times. Welfare are really good if you need to chat too, I wouldn't bottle anything up because they are very helpful and understanding!
It's a challenging course but that is what makes it so satisfying when you march off that parade square!
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Having spent many many years in the training world both as a serving bod and a Civvy that is spot on. The staff do like to see someone giving of their best even if that person is not the most talented. Working at the task even if it appears difficult, showing a bit of personal drive are valuable traits . If the staff can see someone who has the potential but can't be bothered to give the extra effort the "just enough to keep me out if the cr@p" guys/girls then life can become more fractious.
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Not just in military life TB. I ask all of my CS staff to "Be the best they can be".