chaplain

infantryman

technicien contrôle

cook

commis de cuisine

Department of National Defence Canada

When I am asked why I joined the military or what I like about the army, I provide these general observations from close to 20 years of work experience in part-time and full-time capacities. I joined to learn and develop leadership and managerial skills. At the outset, I really did not have a good idea what that meant; only that it sounded very impressive and would hopefully give me a “leg-up” with respect to finding a civilian career. Over time, I found that the military offered aspects that I know I would not have gained elsewhere. I am confident in writing this because I have worked in both worlds and in part-time and full-time capacities. The military gives its people opportunities to learn through trial-and-error as well as through classical teaching environments, under very good guidance of experienced mentors. In effect, it’s like undergoing an apprenticeship. Most leaders, especially at the unit level, take great interest and pride in developing their subordinates and this attitude is prevalent throughout the military. As well, there are opportunities for travel, be it an actual deployment overseas or within the country. That is not to give the impression that by “travel”, I refer to tourism. By “travel”, I mean work-related. Regardless, the ability to experience an environment much different from where you grew up and to be placed in situations outside of your comfort zone, helps to develop your character as well as learn more about yourself and your limitations. There are also opportunities to actually work in another country for up to 3 years and competition for these billets are highly competitive, but still possible.

However, it is not all peaches and cream. Getting a position in the military is not as simple as doing well on a job interview. You must be prepared to undergo one or several interviews, several tests (medical, fitness, and aptitude) and depending on your identified trade, a further selection process. On top of that, once you have been offered a contract, it doesn’t necessarily mean you have the job. Everyone selected for the military must pass the basic training phase followed by the actual trade qualification courses. If you are unsuccessful, the military will attempt to find an alternative trade for you. If that doesn’t pan out, you will need to find another line of work. As with any organization, there are down sides. You could find yourself with a bad boss or involved in personality clashes; but, this sort of thing can happen anywhere. What is not generic is the greater possibility of being involved in extreme violent situations (mainly combat or terrorist-related incidents) as well as witnessing colleagues afflicted with PTSD. Or perhaps you could be the one as well. Some trades demand much physical strength and stamina and I have seen several soldiers who, after years of grinding it out in the field and on operations, receive permanent injuries that require a release from the military. Another downside is administrative bureaucracy. The military is a government institution, after all, and is no stranger to bureaucratic red-tape. Patience and understanding is a key to coping with this, but it can be very frustrating. Another disadvantage, if you are full-time, is loss of control over your work location. Active duty members are normally transferred around the country every 2-3 years. If you are single with no major commitments, it’s fine. But periodic moves are hard on a family, especially if the spouse has a job or career of his / her own and the children are in high school, where they likely have formed lasting friendships. You can refuse to move, but eventually your career advancement will halt. 

The pay is very generous and that does not include various entitlements. Considering what I do, which is essentially administrative work, I must confess to being overpaid. A similar position in the civilian industry would likely offer nearly $40,000 less, so I consider myself fortunate. Still, in the end, you need to ask yourself if money is the main priority in your career search. I’ve followed the greenback throughout my working life and, sadly, I am no better off than when I was in school. I have no real marketable hard skills and no marketable qualifications; at least, ones that are recognized in the civilian world. The experiences are priceless, both good and bad, and they’ve helped me to learn about myself. If you are contemplating the military, I would say “Yes. Serve and be a better person for it”. But, I would caution you to choose a trade wisely with the long-term view of finding something that is easily marketable beyond the military. Alternatively, serve for a short period; you’ll still make a contribution to the greater good.

Typical Day of Work:
 Consisted chronologically of physical training, events and press brief, message returning, morning press concept/delivery, lunch, message returning, evening press concept/delivery, end day forecast.

Skills Learned: The importance of discipline and hierarchy, differentiation of labor and the true meaning of competitive advantage. The careful wording and consideration of any and all things released based on the inherent controversial nature of National Defense in society. Public Relations concept planning and implementation strategies and training and experience in press releases and interviews.

Management: Traditional military hierarchy. Series of officers running the office (including myself) with non-commissioned members aiding in the operation of the office. Management was divided roughly in 3 with the Senior Officers serving as the executive officers, the junior officers (where I was located) to shape and implement overall policies and the non-commissioned members operating under the supervision of the junior officers to complete the literal production of the work.

Coworkers: Varied, some permanent some temporary, fluent transfers made for an office full of variables, all worked together great.

Hardest Part of the Job: Maintaining the cold and definitively necessary emotional austerity that comes with Public Affairs for such realms as Policing and National Defense, given the fatal nature of the news on less than infrequent occasions.

Most Enjoyable Part of the Job: Being a liaison between the public and the military in the pursuit of giving a good image to a proud and loyal service while just doing what I love to do, learn and connect with people.

In my 4 year contract I experienced a lot of good and bad days. The volume of classroom training you receive is insane. While the duration of most of the trade progression courses are way longer than necessary you leave almost clueless to what your job on-board actually is. After months to years of waiting/training you'll be posted to a ship where you understand almost nothing around you. For about the first month I still wasn't quite sure what I was actually supposed to be doing. The leadership is fairly atrocious. Eventually one of your superiors will inform you, you're supposed to be working on an "on the job" training package. This absolutely self guided training package lacks any reference to what it is you're supposed to know and will be evaluated on. When you're tested on your knowledge there is absolutely no standard. Occasionally they'll ask you basic questions about it and if you can name a couple parts its deemed acceptable. Other times they'll require an entire walkthrough showing the entire operation and theory behind how/why things work. So sometimes people who are theoretically qualified to operate machinery are so clueless they become a danger to themselves others and equipment. One of my personal tests was to name a color of a singular valve. Test complete i was qualified to operate our entire fueling system. 
The training is overall a disaster.

Favoritism is very real and if you are not well liked for any reason you will be shunned. It will also make doing any task incredibly more difficult. This includes; scheduling vacation, getting around the base getting posting, training courses, issues of pay etc. As someone who was typically well liked I noticed the difference of how i was treated compared to others. 

Overall I would enlist as any other trade (except infantry) before choosing Marine Technician. This trade has already failed and I would avoid this sinking ship. 


•Assist the Officer Commanding (OC) in his command responsibilities so that the squadron (Sqn) achieves the operational and training objectives as tasked by the Commanding Officer (CO) 41 Combat Engineer Regiment.
•Advise and assist in the design, planning, resource and construction of various trg construction venues. This included defenses, observation posts, targets, accommodation buildings and compounds.
•Supervise the improvement of training area roads and combat road construction to include drainage and culverts.
•Coordinate all disciplinary matters concerning the Non Commissioned Members (NCM) of the Sqn. The SSM will prepare disciplinary files and organize Summary Trials at the Sqn level.
•Monitor daily routine of the Sqn to ensure Sqn NCMs are efficiently trained, lead and administered.
•Assist the Regimental Sergeant Major (RSM) in developing the Warrant Officers (WOs) and Senior NCMs by recommending challenging positions consistent with their developmental needs and Sqn requirements. The SSM will conduct professional development training as tasked or required to either the Sqn or the Regiment (Regt). The SSM will keep the SQN OC apprised of all matters concerning NCM development.
•Mentor Sqn WOs and NCOs with emphasis on the Troop WOs.
•Be the Combat Engineering technical expert in the Sqn and have a sound understanding for the detail of engineer task execution, equipment employment and resource requirements at the Sqn level.
•Command the Sqn Echelon as required.
•Apply and ensure the application of the CF Code of Ethics.
•Have a sound knowledge of the Service Support functions of the Regiment.
•Understudy the SSM and be acting SSM during absences.
•Train Field Engineer Troops for deployments and ensure all battle tasks standards have been accomplished to a high level of competency.
•Safety Advisor for the unit.

Recently a day at work for me consisted of managing up to 40 Troops at any given time, as I have been in a mamagement position for the past few years. I learned a great deal on how to deal with personnel problems with the troops and how to bring them all together as a team to work effeciently. As being in a management position I was responsible for making Command decisions on a daily basics and writing up quartely and yearly assessments on the troops. My co-workers ranged from the age of 21 to 60 years old. For the most part they were all pretty responsible and I gained their respect as I was concerned about their well being. The hardest part of my job is keeping up with all the changes in the daily tasks as some details seemed to changed by the hour. No matter what the changes were I always seemed to be able to keep up with it and get the job done in a safe and effective manner. By far the most enjoyable part of my job was accompolishing all the tasks and deploying overseas on 5 different missions and accepting the new changelles that go with that. It a great feeling coming back from a tour and feeling as if you helped a nation out in anyway at all even if you played a small part in it. Also getting the opportunity to operate all types of heavy equipment including Tractor trailer and highway cruiser is a highlight in my career. Most of all driving tractor trailer accident free on a daily basics in Afghanistan and Haiti over the very heavily congested roads and mountainous terrian. i feel this is a great feat as it is a unique challange operating a tractor trailer in that environment.

I've had a handful of different positions at DND and each one was a unique experience. I have been in my current position for the longest (coming up 4 years this Aug). I am a scheduler of base duty watch/patrol in the Jr ranks barracks. As a civilian, I get to see the military side of things and that makes it very interesting. In a typical day, I am continuously working on the master schedule which gets published/updated every two weeks and they are a regulatory order for all military members. I also make changes regularly to the current schedule which can become tiresome but I do enjoy the challenge. I am often on the phone contacting members and/or their supervisors because they did not confirm their duty watch with me within the allocated time as required. These members are then given extra duty watches or for repeat offenders, charged in a court martial. The hardest part of my job is enforcing the "Base Standing Orders", and ensuring that all of the members on base understand and interpret them correctly. I work directly for the Base Chief and at times there are discrepancies where he/she is needed to get involved, but for the vast majority of the time, I am able to conduct my work independantly and solve any issues which may arise. My job is largely independant but I have one co-worker who works on a different portion of the duty watch. I enjoy the challenges of my work because it has taught me to think outside of the box, as well as remain confident and professional during heated situations. My co-workers and fellow office staff help contribute to a positive, supportive, and relaxed environment.

Although there are hundreds of different careers available with the Department of National Defence, I can only speak to the position I held in the Royal Canadian Navy. I was a Naval Combat Information Operator in the Canadian Armed Forces for 9 years. As a young 20 year old man, it was the best job I could have wished for. Travelling the world, experiencing new things daily, and getting paid very well for the level of formal education I had at the time. However, for those who enjoy an innovative, open-minded, and mentally challenging career, I would not recommend joining the Royal Canadian Navy. I spent an average of 180 days away from home a year, which for a single man was okay, but for those who had relationships and a family, that takes a hard toll. The benefits and pay are well above what most recent graduates can make within their first 2-5 years, and the benefits are the best in the country. It was a part of my life that made me into the person I am today, and for that I will forever be grateful. I left because I wanted to go back to school and complete my post-secondary degree, which was incredibly difficult to attain while serving in the Royal Canadian Navy due to the bureaucracy and the pain-staking amount of paperwork required to achieve anything outside of your normal day-to-day job in the Canadian Armed Forces.

There is no career more challenging or rewarding than to serve in the Forces, where Canadians take part in defending their country and participate in world events that will change their lives and the lives of the people they are helping.

The Forces offers outstanding debt-free education, as well as time-management and teamwork skills.  The Forces is one of the only militaries in the world that ensures women are able to work in whatever job they choose.

What you learn from leadership (management) mainly is teamwork and have each others back, that no matter who the member (co-workers) is  or where you work with or where they are stationed that working as a team is the most important to getting the mission done.  The camaraderie and team spirit are considered by many members to be one of the main benefits of life in the military.

The most enjoyable part of the job is the opportunity to travel the world, experience different cultures, meet new people, and use state-of-the-art equipment wherever they work.

Hardest part of the job is saying good bye to your loved ones and not able to tell them when you will be back, the long extensive times away from family, finding last minute childcare, stress of being away from family when they need you. 

A typical day is rare in the military as one week it could be 7:30-3:30, then the following could be 5:30 until midnight or 3:00am for 5-30 straight with no time off. There is no consistency as emergencies come up.

Generally, working in the CAF provides a decent salary with reasonable benefits (some exceeding what might be found in the private sector). Organization is working through cultural change and is still stumbling along the way but it is clear that a large chunk of newer personnel are working towards positive change. There is, of course, lex flexibility in the work/life balance largely just due to the type of work and there is always the possibility to be moved (posted) to less desirable locations that can be pretty remote. However, it largely is what you make of it - entering the organization with a poor attitude will make it feel worse but giving it a fair shot I'm sure many people will find fulfilment and purpose. As with any workplace, management (referred to as the Chain of Command) can be really good in some locations or really bad in others. It is a great organization to learn how to integrate with many different personalities and approaches but can be frustrating at the same time. A large benefit is being able to change jobs within the organization if you feel you might excel somewhere else and the pension is a great incentive. 

Before the army I was inherently lazy. I found myself unmotivated and floating through life with no ambition. I signed up at 23, and at 25 shipped off to basic training. The training experience taught me my true potential, and how much I can take. There were times when I was down and out, exhausted, ready to give up. But through all of it I found the will to move forward. Having a team around me that was like a family pushed me to achieve things I never would have alone. The leadership was hard to work for at first because I didn't understand why they made things so difficult. After some intense challenges, I had a moment of clarity. Things were hard to protect me. We didn't have to do things hard, we did them the hard way because when a REAL hard challenge came up we were ready to face it. Doing things the hard way increased our adaptability in every situation. One of my instructors said "we sweat now so we dont bleed later. This job was the most intense learning experience of my life, and I would do it again in a heartbeat. Just remember to take care of yourself. Drink water, work out regularly and be ready for the challenge of a lifetime.

Top Job Titles	Average salary
Chaplain 1 salary reported	$9,103 per month
Infantryman 3 salaries reported	$136 per day
Technicien contrôle 2 salaries reported	$33.93 per hour
Cook 2 salaries reported	$19.22 per hour
Commis de cuisine 2 salaries reported	$26.12 per hour

Working at Department of National Defence Canada: company overview and reviews

Department of National Defence Canada

Department of National Defence Canada ratings

Popular jobs at Department of National Defence Canada

Salary satisfaction

Job seeker tools

Employer Tools

Browse

Stay Connected