I’ve just been invited for my fitness test and I got 3 dates to pick in the near future but I won’t be in country for these dates, there’s nothing on the email about rescheduling or anything so is there anything I can do?

Hi guys and girls,

If I want to become a firefighter in the Army, what unit would be best to go to in order to work towards that goal?

Cheers!

Well lads, I have a question.
I completed the Navy recruitment process back in November 2025, and I’m currently waiting for my security clearance.
I’ve now decided to apply to the Army as well. I was wondering if I have to start the recruitment process all over again, or if it’s possible that I could receive an offer from both branches?

Been on lines nearly 2 months now, absolutely hating it. I'm constantly stuck on duties, but day to day I hate the inconsistency and complete randomness of it all.

Like I love doing actual soldiering, and I loved training. But I hate the day to day if it all.

Courses just seem like a never ending cycle of trying to get off lines and delay going back on lines. Then doing another course for the sake of staying off them. Rinse and repeat.

Only other option is to get employment or a transfer but I really don't know how to go about it or what to even look for.

I'm really stuck for what to do.

I’m seriously considering joining the Irish Defence Forces. It’s not an impulsive decision, but honestly, I’m terrified of such a huge change. It would mean leaving my job, moving to another country on my own, and starting over from scratch.

If you had to make the decision again today, would you still join? Why or why not?

I’d really appreciate hearing both the positives and the negatives, especially from people who have actually been through it. I think hearing real experiences would help me get a better perspective.

Hello
I’ve seen that as a recruit you can’t leave your car on barracks premises, has anyone any experience with this as I’m not sure if I’ll be able to get lifts. Most likely gormanston
Thanks

Would it be foolish of me to consider joining at my age? I recently turned 36. At the moment, I'm working in hospitality as it's the biggest employment sector where I live. There aren't many other opportunities, except maybe care work, but I definitely don't have the right personality for that.

I decided to consider joining after seeing a recruitment advert while accompanying my girlfriend to her appointment at Merlin Park Hospital.

The pay doesn't seem that bad, especially compared to the two industries I mentioned above. Thankfully, neither my girlfriend nor I want kids, but I'm wondering how the job would fit in with maintaining a relationship after training. Would you get any weekends off, or any other time off for family?

Well lads, does anyone know anything about the tailor course , length, location or how often it pops up ? I keep hearing that they can never get people to do it and that the DF is so short on tailors. I'd be very interested in doing it but know nothing about it.

Hello,

I'm going into my second year of a politics degree. I moved to Dublin from the countryside last summer to study. I fell out with my family so I had to couchsurf for a while, then I got a decent job and started to rent. But to be honest I can't really afford anything and enjoy life, I spent most of my year working as a opposed to studying. I'm about 6k in debt, I needed to take it out to pay off rent when I got laid-off from my job; and I have a bit of a gambling addiction.

I don't really like college life, I want to be working and studying; and to get paid for it. I want to get all the driving license categories, a level 8 degree of some sort (which I think you can get from the NCO's course)? I also heard the Air Corps accommodation is good.

Thanks

Hello, I was just looking for peoples opinions on what I should do. I’m thinking of joining the DF but I’m half scared of not passing in the medical. I had a slight hip dislocation when I was 11 and they put a pin in. It has had no effect on me I’m very active and play loads of sports but it’s still in the back of my mind. Do you think it could be a problem? Or will it be grand? I’m young as-well if that’s any help to it 🤣

Does anyone know a good website or shop that sells green t-shirts suitable to be worn underneath the service shirt? I was issued only one but will certainly need more for annual camp. Apologies if this question has been answered already. Thanks.

Hi, just wondering what the acceptance rates are like for the apprenticeship as i’m thinking about applying after my leaving cert.

Well lads I just wanted to come on and ask a question I just applied for the army and I got a message back saying “ you have been selected for the next stage in our interview process. I will be in touch shortly with dates and time of the next stage”
I thought I would get a email for the test you have to do online I was just wondering, has the selection process changed in some way?

Hi I’m a young lad I’m 23 years old. Recently i got a message on rezoomo that the pshycometric exam is paused for a bit. So they said if I apply I would just advance to fitness test and then medical exam. Does someone else have received something similar? I wanna join so bad I feel like I really need it and it’s something I would love to do and learn. I’m a EU citizen just moved here almost two years ago. Been working since, but would the Garda vetting take too long?
Thanks everyone

Kind regards 🫡

Hi everyone,
I’m a 27-year-old woman from Spain and I’m hoping to join the Irish Defence Forces in the future.
I’m not looking for recruitment advice or information about the application process—I’ve already read the previous posts about that.
Instead, I’d love to know this:
What’s the one thing you wish someone had told you before you joined?
It could be about training, daily life, military culture, friendships, expectations… anything that surprised you once you were actually serving.
I’d really enjoy hearing your experiences.
Thanks🥰

Irish DF Recruit Interview Advice

Making another post to include a bit more information on recruit interviews, as a few people have been asking about them lately and the information can be hard enough to find online.

I’ve sat on multiple recruit interview boards, so hopefully this helps someone.

First thing: it’s a competency-based interview. The competencies should be stated in the email you received, so read that carefully and prepare directly off that. Don’t just rely on Reddit or what someone else said their interview was like. Your own email is what matters.

They’ll usually be areas around things like teamwork, motivation, communication, working under pressure, dealing with challenges, resilience, discipline, etc.
The best advice I can give is to have one or two genuine stories ready for each competency. Use real examples from work, sport, college, fitness, volunteering, lifeguarding, scouts, family responsibilities, part-time jobs or whatever you’ve actually done.

Keep your answers simple:
What was the situation?
What was your role?
What did you actually do?
What was the result?
What did you learn?

Don’t waffle for five minutes and don’t overcomplicate it. The board doesn’t need a Hollywood story. They need to see that you’re honest, mature, switched on and able to explain yourself clearly.

Also have one short example where something didn’t go perfectly. For example, a time where teamwork wasn’t good, communication broke down, someone didn’t pull their weight, pressure got to the group, or you made a mistake and had to fix it. Explain how you adapted and what you learned from it. That can come across very well if you’re honest and mature about it.
When I was on interview boards, I was mainly looking for someone confident, genuine, switched on, and someone I thought could add something to the DF and make it through training. You don’t have to sound like a superhero. You just need to come across as someone who can work hard, take direction, work with others, deal with pressure and not fold when things get uncomfortable.

Don’t give silly or weak examples either.
For example, I genuinely had one lad use “motivating himself to get fit for the fitness test” as his motivation example, but he had failed the fitness test that same morning, so it looked fairly bad. Another said he motivated himself to make his bed every morning. That’s not really enough of an example.

Also, try not to use the standard “I was captain of X team and had to motivate the team to do well” answer unless it’s genuinely true and you have a proper story behind it. That type of answer is heard dozens of times during recruit interviews, so it doesn’t really stand out.

There’s nothing wrong with a sports/team example, but make it specific. What actually happened? Was there a problem? Did people not turn up? Was morale low? Was there conflict? Did you personally have to change how you communicated or lead by example? That’s what makes it a good answer.

A bad answer is:
“I was captain and I motivated everyone and we won.”

A better answer is:
“Morale dropped after a few losses, lads stopped showing up to training, so I spoke to a few of the quieter players, helped organise extra sessions, changed how we approached training, and learned that different people need different types of encouragement.”

That tells the board far more about you.

Try to pick examples that show the kind of person they’d want in training:
Fitness
Teamwork
Communication
Working under pressure
Taking responsibility
Dealing with routine
Listening to instructions
Learning from mistakes
Not quitting when something is hard
Being able to live and work with different types of people

You should also know why you want to join. “I want a challenge” is fine, but expand on it. Why the Defence Forces specifically? Why the Army, Naval Service or Air Corps? What do you know about the job? Are you willing to serve overseas? Are you prepared for recruit training, discipline, being away from home, long days, inspections, duties, field exercises and all the less glamorous parts of the job?

Don’t walk in thinking it’s all shooting, fitness and cool courses. There’s routine, cleaning, waiting around, getting corrected, being tired, being cold, being uncomfortable and having to work with people when everyone is in bad form. The board wants to know you have some idea of what you’re signing up for.

Also, know a bit about the Defence Forces before you go in. You don’t need to be an expert, but have a basic understanding of the different Corps, different units, what they generally do, and what kind of roles are available after recruit training. It shows you’ve actually looked into the organisation and aren’t just applying blind.

For example, have a rough idea of the different Corps such as Infantry, Cavalry, Artillery, Engineers, Ordnance, Transport, CIS, Medical, Military Police, etc., and what some of them do. You don’t need to know every detail, but being able to speak generally about areas you might be interested in will help.

One thing I’d be careful with is walking in and saying straight away, “I want to join the ARW and be SOF.” There’s nothing wrong with having that aspiration. It’s a great goal to have and fair play to anyone who wants to aim that high. But don’t make it sound like your main priority on day one.

Everyone on the board knows how hard selection and the course are, and how few people actually make it through and become qualified. If you make that your whole answer, it can sound like you’re running before you can walk.

A better way to put it would be something like:
“I’d be interested in looking at specialist units later down the line, possibly even selection if I was suitable and had built up the experience, but my first priority would be getting through recruit training, learning the basics properly, becoming a good soldier, and proving myself in a unit first.”

That comes across far better. It shows ambition, but also maturity. The first job is to pass recruit training, learn the way of the soldier, get to your unit, and build from there.

A few basic tips:
Dress properly.
Be early.
Bring whatever documents they told you to bring.
Be polite to everyone, not just the interview board.
Speak clearly.
Don’t lie.
Don’t exaggerate massively.
Don’t try to be funny if it doesn’t suit the moment.
Don’t badmouth old bosses, teachers, coaches or teammates.
Don’t say you want to join just for money, fitness, weapons or travel.
Don’t give one-word answers.
Don’t panic if you need a second to think.
It’s perfectly fine to say, “I’ll just take a second to think about that.” That’s much better than blurting out nonsense.

For motivation, don’t just say “I’m motivated.” Prove it with an example. Training for something, sticking at a job, balancing college and work, improving your fitness, coming back from a setback, helping family, committing to a team or finishing something difficult are all better examples than just saying you’re motivated because you want the job.

For teamwork, don’t just say you’re a team player. Give an example where you actually had to work with different people, deal with a problem, support someone, communicate properly or put the team before yourself.

For working under pressure, think of a time where there was a deadline, emergency, busy shift, match, exam, difficult customer, physical challenge, or something going wrong where you had to stay calm and keep going.

For communication, think of a time where you had to explain something clearly, calm someone down, pass information, deal with conflict, brief a group, or make sure people understood what had to be done.

For resilience, think of a time you failed at something, got criticised, had a setback, or wanted to quit but kept going. The important part is what you learned and what you changed afterwards.

Overall, be yourself, speak clearly, don’t waffle, and don’t make up some massive dramatic story. A normal genuine example explained well is far better than an impressive-sounding one that doesn’t actually say much about you.

The board isn’t expecting you to be the finished article. You’re applying to become a recruit. They’re looking for potential, attitude, honesty, confidence and whether you seem like someone who can be trained.

Best of luck.

Hey everyone, looking for a bit of advice.

I'm currently in the cadet interview process, but I know a lot of people don't get through on their first attempt. While waiting to hear back (around a 5-week wait), I've been considering applying for recruits as a backup so that, if I don't pass the cadet interview, I'm already progressing through that process rather than starting from scratch.

Ideally, if I didn't get cadets this year, I'd join through recruits and reapply for next year's cadet intake. I'm just not sure if that's possible or if there's a minimum amount of service required before applying.

On the other hand, if I was successful in getting cadets while partway through the recruit application process, would that be viewed negatively?
My main goal is to join as soon as possible, whether through recruits or cadets, and I'd rather not have to wait a full year to reapply if things don't go my way this time.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.