I'm currently waiting on my vetting to come through, I've finished college and would like to start training asap. I've seen a lot of horror stories on here about vetting taking years, is this a vocal minority? I'm from Dublin and have lived here my entire life, so is getting it done generally just a couple of months? I don't want to avoid applying for jobs just to sit around for a year or two doing nothing.

Sorry if it's repetitive but I've gone searching on the sub and can't find anything that answers this for me.

Anyone know what size a main pack rucksack is? Or what brand they are?

has anyone got experience doing cbrn with glasses? just wondering as i have pretty poor eyesight without glasses and seems like it could be a snag.

I’m 19 and hopefully starting Marine Engineering in Cork this year. I’m thinking of joining the Reserve once I get settled into college, probably either the Engineer Corps or Medical Corps. The Engineers appeal to me because I’m into practical and engineering stuff, but the Medical Corps also interests me because learning proper first aid and medical skills would be really useful.
I’m mainly wondering what the training is actually like when you first join, how manageable it is alongside college and a part-time job, and whether you get much field training, shooting, navigation and exercises. I’d also like to know what Engineer and Medical Corps reservists actually do week to week, how the summer training works, and what sort of fitness level you’re expected to have going in.
Would be interested to hear from anyone currently in the Reserve, especially anyone who joined while in college.

Well lads,

Thinking of putting in an app for the reserve army here in Dublin (eyeing up either 7 Inf or 2 Cav in Cathal Brugha / McKee)

Work schedule is pretty tight mid-week so I need to make sure I can actually make the training before I apply. Anyone serving know what exact night of the week they usually parade, and what time it runs?
Cheers!

Hi everyone,

The mod team has been discussing a few changes we'd like to make to the subreddit, based both on feedback we've received and on how the community has grown over the last while.

Before we make any major changes, we'd like to hear your thoughts.

Recruitment Posts

First off, we genuinely appreciate the level of interest people have in joining the Defence Forces. It's great to see so many people interested in serving.

However, recruitment has gradually become the dominant topic on the subreddit. Recruitment was always intended to be an important part of this community, rather than its main purpose.

We're also seeing the same questions being asked repeatedly:

• How long will vetting take?
• Has anyone heard back yet?
• When will I get a medical?
• What happens at the fitness test?
• Has anyone from X competition heard anything?
• When is the next recruit class starting?

We completely understand why people ask these questions. The recruitment process can be extremely long and frustrating. Some applicants are waiting a year or more to progress through the system.

The Defence Forces now recruit year-round, interest is extremely high, and the volume of applicants appears to have created a significant bottleneck.

However, it's important to remember that this is an unofficial, community-run subreddit.

The moderators and almost definitely the members have no involvement with Defence Forces Recruitment, J1, HR, Garda vetting or any other official DF department. We cannot check an application, find out why someone's vetting is taking so long, or tell someone when they will receive their next appointment.

Recruitment Megathread & Weekly Recruitment Posts

To try to improve this, we're considering introducing a Recruitment Megathread.

This would become the main place for general recruitment questions, allowing information and previous answers to be much easier to find instead of having dozens of separate posts asking similar questions.

We would also have a weekly recruitment questions thread, giving applicants somewhere fresh to ask questions that weren't answered in the main megathread or FAQ.

This doesn't mean recruitment discussion is being banned. Far from it. We're simply trying to organise it better and make room for other parts of the Defence Forces discussion as well.

New FAQ & Recruitment Guide

We're also planning to completely overhaul the subreddit FAQ and put together a proper Recruitment Guide.

This is something where we'd really appreciate the community's help.

It doesn't matter whether you're:

• currently serving in the PDF or RDF;
• previously served;
• currently going through recruitment;
• recently completed recruitment; or
• simply knowledgeable about a particular area.

If there's something you think should be included, please contribute.

We'll initially post the FAQ/guide as a Mod Post where everyone can suggest questions, answers, corrections, and additional information. Once we've gathered enough feedback, we'll turn it into a permanent resource for the subreddit.

The more knowledge we can pool together, the more useful it will be for future applicants.

Recruitment Dates & Sensitive Information

One area we are intending to become stricter on is the posting of specific recruit course/intake start dates and similar non-public information.

Please do not post specific dates you've been given for upcoming recruit courses or intakes unless that information has been officially released publicly by the Defence Forces.

As anyone who eventually joins will quickly learn, OPSEC and information security matter.

Something might seem completely harmless in isolation, but that doesn't necessarily mean it should be published on a public subreddit where anyone can view it.

We know that most people posting this information are simply excited about joining and trying to find others who may be starting alongside them. There's absolutely nothing wrong with that enthusiasm.

We're simply asking people to think carefully about what information they're putting into the public domain.

Posts or comments containing information we believe should not be publicly shared may therefore be removed.

Reporting Posts & Comments

We also need your help with moderation.

We're a small volunteer mod team. We simply cannot read every single post and every comment made on the subreddit in depth.

If you see something that you think:

• contains sensitive information;
• breaks one of the subreddit rules;
• contains personal information;
• is abusive or inappropriate;
• looks suspicious;
• or simply deserves a moderator's attention;

please report it.

Even if you're unsure, report it and let us have a look.

To report something on Reddit, click/tap the three dots (...) beside the post or comment, select Report, and choose the reason that best fits.

Reports are incredibly useful because they bring things directly to our attention. The more the community helps us identify problems, the quicker we're able to deal with them.

Should Posts Require Mod Approval?

One option we're considering, although we have not decided to introduce this, is requiring new posts to be approved by a moderator before appearing on the subreddit.

Our preference is to keep r/IrishDefenceForces as an open community where people can post and discuss things freely without waiting for moderator approval.

However, as the subreddit continues to grow, we may eventually have to consider some level of post approval if spam, repetitive posts or sensitive information become difficult to manage.

If we were to do that, we would need more active moderators.

So if you're a regular member of the subreddit and would be interested in helping moderate the community, please let us know.

You don't need to spend your life on Reddit. Even having a few additional people who can occasionally review reports and posts would make a massive difference.

We're looking to run our first verified AMA this weekend and we want the community to decide the topic.

We don't want to make the AMAs too broad. Rather than simply doing an "Army AMA", we'd like to focus on specific roles, courses and experiences.

Please vote for what you'd most like to see this weekend:

The poll winner will be the topic of our first AMA.

Anyone hosting an AMA will be privately verified by the Mod Team beforehand.

If you're currently serving or previously served and have experience in a particular role, course, Corps, trade or deployment that you'd be willing to do an AMA about in the future, please get in touch with the Mod Team. We'd love to hear from you.

View Poll

I really want to work in the department of defence in either a military or civilian role in the research and procurement of vehicles , weapons etc for the defence forces.

What job/section of the department of defence is this and what’s the best route?

Hey guys, I’m writing here today because I’m a little worried about the interview. My main worry is a lack of job experience. Im not really worried about the physical side of things as i’m quite prepared, my main concern is them thinking I’m under-qualified as I never worked a physical job and also dropped out of secondary pre JC to persue a career in freelancing not having in mind that it might effect me later on. I’ve been doing freelance work for the past few years, from 14-18 Ive been working with game developers creating assets for their games which in turn made me more money than a casual job. I’m starting to regret not finishing school and getting a proper job, to prepare for the physical side of things I’ve been running 5k 3x a week for the last 3-4 months, getting my time down to 17 minutes and my 1.4 mile time to 6.30 minutes. Im quite confident that I can pass the physical exam but quite unsure about the interview.. should I try to get some work experience before-hand? Or should I go for it?

Just received notification of my interview there, and the thought entered my mind about my hair. I've got a pretty good mullet going currently and I was wondering if (given the regulations easing up in the last few years) I'd have to give it the chop. Not the worst thing in the world and I'd probably find out soon enough, but still curious. How much did they actually ease up on mens' hairstyles besides beards and the likes? Would a fella get away with a shorter mullet not touching the collar?

So last year in autumn i applied to join the defence forces ,my application is slightly odd due to being British citizen and living abroad in another eu country but long story short I went for my sports tests and my medical tests passed everything and have all the emails etc
Now I’m waiting for the standard issue of vetting, garda has come through but not international ie home country and where im currently living.
I already know this is a totally normal problem that it can take over a year etc ive made my peace with that but 2 months ago i was emailed and asked if i was still interested and i still am but since then I haven’t been able to get into contact with them at all. No replies through emails, rezoomo and wont answer calls
Could someone in the know message me a different number than the one on the website for the dtfc requirement cell or has anyone had a similar experience?

Starting Recruit training Soon. What is the PT like in Gormanston during the start of it? How many PT sessions do you do per week?

Why is the DF currently obsessed with the Equitation School? Everywhere i look i see DF mentioning it. Wither its social media, connect app and now the latest An Cosantóir everywhere, is it an attempt to try get more women to join or am I missing something?

Has anyone heard anything about medicals? I did fitness test and interview in June and they said they’d be in contact about the next steps but I haven’t heard anything since

Hey folks, I've never used Reddit before, but I was told this is the best place to ask.

First of all, I'd like to ask you to be kind and avoid the "how can you possibly be considering this..." types of comments, my family already has those covered. 😅

To give a bit of context, I've admired the military and first responders since I was a small kid, but never considered a career because, well, my parents wouldn't even let me train in martial arts ("you're a girl, you're going to get hurt").

I'm also autistic (late-diagnosed at 29). My diagnosis helped me understand myself a lot better, and thanks to that, I managed to seek proper help, come up with strong coping strategies, and nowadays I'm able to do a lot of things I couldn't picture myself doing a few years ago (I'm in my mid 30s now).

Still, my family and friends think I'm being a bit too ambitious with this one. I've worked in tech for most of my life, and I'm quite petite (160cm).

I haven't fully decided yet, but I'm currently looking into either Comms/CIS or the Air Corps.

I would really like to hear from other women or autistic folks about their experience applying to or working in either area. (If you prefer to DM me rather than reply publicly, that's ok too)

My biggest concerns are:

1. Gender discrimination: I've been in tech for more than a decade so I'm used to a male-dominated field, but I imagine defence might be 10x tougher on that front. Did you face a lot of this?
2. Navigating the process: Is there anything you think could particularly "trip up" an autistic person during the application process or training? I know it is impossible to plan for every possible scenario, but I'm trying my best to prepare for as many as I can.
3. Being naturalised: How are foreigners viewed in the Defence Forces? I'm Irish by naturalisation, not by birth. So I worry a bit about how that would be viewed.

Thanks in advance for any insight you can share. 🙏

For background, I am currently serving as a military photographer in the US. As I plan on moving to Ireland next year, I am interested in seeing how I could translate this over to working with the Irish DF. I have heard people talk about how niche it is there, but was wondering what the possibility is of working as a civilian with the DF doing public affairs/photography. I would greatly appreciate if anybody could shed some light on how the DF conducts its public affairs.

Hi all,
I'm seriously considering applying for the Communications Operator (Recruit Training Pathway) and would really appreciate some honest opinions from current or former CIS/Communications Operators.
I'm 28 and probably at a point where I need a bit more direction and consistency in my life. I've bounced around different jobs over the years and, although I have goals and things I want to build, I've struggled with the discipline and consistency needed to actually stick with them.
I've always been very interested in computers and technology though. I've built PCs for myself and friends, worked in the PC department in Harvey Norman, and have been messing around with computers since I was young. So the CIS side of the Defence Forces really caught my attention because I'd like to develop proper networking/IT skills while also getting the structure, discipline, fitness and general life experience that I feel I'm missing.
My longer-term goal would ideally be to come out of the Defence Forces with skills/qualifications that are actually useful in civilian IT — particularly networking, infrastructure or potentially cybersecurity. At the same time, I'm not completely opposed to staying in the Defence Forces longer-term if I end up enjoying the lifestyle and career.
Where I'm getting stuck is which service to go for — Army, Air Corps or Naval Service.
At the moment I'm leaning towards the Naval Service. I've heard they're relatively short on personnel and that there can potentially be good opportunities for progression, and obviously there are sea days/allowances as well. But I'm not sure how much of that is actually true versus something I've just heard, so I'd be interested to hear from people currently serving.
I'm also trying to balance this with some personal goals outside the military. I'd like to continue building a small marketing services business and eventually develop a personal brand/business around that. Part of the reason I'm considering the Defence Forces in the first place is because I desperately need to develop the discipline and consistency to actually follow through on things.
So I'd particularly love to hear from people who have actually done CIS/Communications work:
What is the day-to-day job really like?
How much actual IT/networking do you get to do versus general military duties?
Did the job live up to what you expected when you joined?
Were you disappointed by anything?
Do you feel like you came out with genuinely useful IT/networking skills?
Did you get qualifications/certifications that helped you afterwards?
For anyone who left after their contract, what sort of civilian IT jobs were you able to get?
Did your Defence Forces experience actually help you get those jobs?
If you could go back and choose Army vs Air Corps vs Naval Service again, would you choose the same one?
And for anyone in the Naval Service specifically, is the stuff about progression/sea pay/opportunities actually as good as people make it sound?
I'd genuinely like to hear the good, the bad and the disappointing parts.
If you joined as a CIS/Communications Operator and later left for civilian IT, I'd be especially interested in hearing what your experience was like and where you ended up.
Thanks!