Avon Success

[JonesMrJones]

Happy to say that I got this email this afternoon-

Hi

Thank you for attending the recent interviews for our Wholetime Firefighter vacancies.  I am pleased to advise that you scored highly within the interview process.  You have not been selected for the October 2017 training school but we would like to offer you a provisional place on our training school in Spring 2018.  The exact date of the training course has not yet been confirmed.  If any of the 16 candidates selected for the October School fail their medical or any other aspect of our pre-employment checks there is the possibility that we will contact you to take their place.

This scenario actually works out better for me as it gives me more of a chance to sort my life out a bit and get out of the Army within in a reasonable time (you are supposed to give 12 months notice). We are also expecting our second child in October! 

It's that old cliche but this has been one of my dream jobs along with being an Arborist.  

This was my first time applying as AFRS have not recruited for over 8 years and I missed the last recruitment as I was away in Iraq. I didn't want to apply to any other brigades as I have spent a long time away from home and want to live and work in Bristol. 

These are the threads I posted throughout the whole application, hopefully, they will give others an idea of what it was like and what to expect the next time they recruit. 

• Application 
• Written tests
• Fitness Tests
• Contacting staff
• Interview

Can't wait to get started!

[Lewis M]

Congratulations buddy, all that works paid off, have you got to attend a medical or has that already been and gone? 

Well done mate ?

[Jet]

Well done mate, good feeling isn't it?

I know you've said the later course works out better for you, but if you do get offered the earlier one for god's sake take it if it's at all possible if slightly impractical as nothing is certain in the fire service these days, but I gather you've already learnt that.

Congrats again on both the offer and baby!

[Copey25]

Fantastic effort mate. 

Congratulations!

[JonesMrJones]

Thanks, Medical is still to be done @Lewis M

Thanks, @Jamiejet Oh, I will be taking the early one if poss!

[MHaldron]

Well done buddy

[JonesMrJones]

Thanks @MHaldron

Found out today that I scored 11 out of 12 on the interview. They are taking the 8 people who scored 11 to the next training school. The people who scored 12 all start in October. 

[Luminoki]

Well done mate

[Crog]

Pretty good to have got your score. Well done.

[HoldFast]

Well done mate good effort

[Noddy]

Well done mate 

[TandA]

Congratulations.  

[Carl]

Congratulations @JonesMrJones, nice to see another filling this section with their success stories. Well done.

[JonesMrJones]

So I got a phone call earlier offering me first dibs on a drop out for the Oct course! 

Gutted to say I had to turn it down as I can't get out of the Army in such a quick time! 

It's nice to know I was next on the list though! 

[MHaldron]

Mate gutted, Have you put your notice in? have they given you a termination date yet?? 

At least you know you were right up there and you will be on the next course and smash it.

[JonesMrJones]

Yeh  I signed off the other week. I'm just shy of three weeks leave to get out after 12 months by April. My boss is sorting it so I carry over as much leave as possible. I'm on duty over Xmas so that won't count as leave. Including relocation, termination and resentment leave I should be out the Army in April and still be getting paid up till Aug. 

Yeh, the majority of people on the Oct course were Retained guys. 

[ItsNathanHere]

Very well done to you mate! I've seen you giving it 100% the last few months!

[MHaldron]

@JonesMrJones yeah that sounds about right I put mine in, in the December and got my letter the following June saying I was dismissed in the August so only had to do 8 months of the 12!

at least you know you should be ready for the next intake

[JonesMrJones]

Just got this email-

I apologise for the delay in responding, I have been on annual leave.  The training course will commence on 28 May 2018.  However, as there are only a small number of candidates on the waiting list which is insufficient to fill the course, it has been decided by our management board that we will need to recruit again and select the best overall applicants for this course.  Therefore your place is not guaranteed as you will be rated against all other candidates.  We will not require you to complete all elements of the recruitment and selection process again but you will be required to re-take some elements (fitness and physical tests and complete a full interview and medical). 

Looks like I have to go through some of the processes again! Bummer. 

[Luminoki]

Mate that really sucks but you did get offered first dibs on the Oct course so must tell you youre pretty high up on the list. Think its a bit unfair you having to undertake the interview again though

[JonesMrJones]

Sucks big time! Especially as I see the current course on AFRS social media accounts at the mo as well!

Im gonna ring them in the morn to confirm a few things. 

[Jet]

That’s naughty. By the same logic every serving firefighter should have to reapply for their jobs every time they recruit, just in case they can do better (tongue firmly in cheek on that one!)

[Carl]

Playing devils advocate here, I always found it strange that someone could be offered a job which is more that 6 months away from start date. A candidates fitness can change during that 6 months as well as a lot of other things, so is it right that some elements of the job have to be revisited. After all, you could have put on 3 stone, suffered an injury, had a period of mental illness. Hopefully it will just be a formality but my advice is be prepared just to make whatever process easier.

[Jet]

Agree Carl, and if this is the case then there shouldn’t be too much to worry about. I guess any obvious problems would become apparent at start of training and they do say you have an obligation to maintain fitness before your start date.

If they weren’t planning on doing retests in the event that they had enough for the course, I can’t see why they should be changing that just because they need to recruit more candidates. I think it’s grossly unfair to take away an offer of employment from someone just on the basis they could potentially find someone better when said person has likely been planning a lot of their personal and professional life around that offer.

[JonesMrJones]

10 minutes ago, Carl said:

Playing devils advocate here, I always found it strange that someone could be offered a job which is more that 6 months away from start date. A candidates fitness can change during that 6 months as well as a lot of other things, so is it right that some elements of the job have to be revisited. After all, you could have put on 3 stone, suffered an injury, had a period of mental illness. Hopefully it will just be a formality but my advice is be prepared just to make whatever process easier.

I get the fitness aspect 100% and maybe the interview a bit but its the nuisance of the whole thing. My wife is more p*ssed off than me!

To be honest I have done a lot more work between now and the last interview so will have a lot more to talk about with regards to PQA's.

 

3 minutes ago, Jamiejet said:

Agree Carl, and if this is the case then there shouldn’t be too much to worry about. I guess any obvious problems would become apparent at start of training and they do say you have an obligation to maintain fitness before your start date.

If they weren’t planning on doing retests in the event that they had enough for the course, I can’t see why they should be changing that just because they need to recruit more candidates. I think it’s grossly unfair to take away an offer of employment from someone just on the basis they could potentially find someone better when said person has likely been planning a lot of their personal and professional life around that offer.

2

I have already handed in my notice to the army as you have to give a year as well as applying for early release.