Questions for a Newbie
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I just finished Highschool overseas and registered for my NS through http://www.Ns.Sg . Currently Im in Hong kong and on the 28th of this month (July) I have my Medical check-up in Singapore. Im a bit worried about a few things and It would be great if some of you can offer me comfort =P
1. When I repport back to Singapore, and go for my Medical check-up, when will my entry date in NS most likely be? I've had friends who have had to wait for almost half a year and Im afraid ill be stuck in the same situation.
2. After getting my Medical check-up will I still be able to return to Hong kong? My friends and family are all over here and Im worried that I will get stuck in Singapore for months.
3. Any tips for someone who has never lived in Singapore but is a Singaporean Citizen? I think Im going to have problems adjusting and fitting in, and I dont even know the underground train routes yet. My knowledge of Singapore is limited to Sentosa and Orchard road.
4. While serving NS will I have any free time apart from Weekends?
Thank you all for your help, Im sorry if some of these questions have been answered before =) -
1. yes it abt 6 months or more..Originally posted by p4rad0x:I just finished Highschool overseas and registered for my NS through http://www.Ns.Sg . Currently Im in Hong kong and on the 28th of this month (July) I have my Medical check-up in Singapore. Im a bit worried about a few things and It would be great if some of you can offer me comfort =P
1. When I repport back to Singapore, and go for my Medical check-up, when will my entry date in NS most likely be? I've had friends who have had to wait for almost half a year and Im afraid ill be stuck in the same situation.
2. After getting my Medical check-up will I still be able to return to Hong kong? My friends and family are all over here and Im worried that I will get stuck in Singapore for months.
3. Any tips for someone who has never lived in Singapore but is a Singaporean Citizen? I think Im going to have problems adjusting and fitting in, and I dont even know the underground train routes yet. My knowledge of Singapore is limited to Sentosa and Orchard road.
4. While serving NS will I have any free time apart from Weekends?
Thank you all for your help, Im sorry if some of these questions have been answered before =)
2. yes..
3. u will never get lost in singapore
4. depends.. u r entitled to 14days annual leaves plus your commanders will give u off day.. -
I won't be so sure of that one. Got lots of people lost in Mandai and LCK beforeOriginally posted by mr_sotong:3. u will never get lost in singapore
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1) see enlistment batch schedule and then slot u in.Originally posted by p4rad0x:I just finished Highschool overseas and registered for my NS through http://www.Ns.Sg . Currently Im in Hong kong and on the 28th of this month (July) I have my Medical check-up in Singapore. Im a bit worried about a few things and It would be great if some of you can offer me comfort =P
1. When I repport back to Singapore, and go for my Medical check-up, when will my entry date in NS most likely be? I've had friends who have had to wait for almost half a year and Im afraid ill be stuck in the same situation.
2. After getting my Medical check-up will I still be able to return to Hong kong? My friends and family are all over here and Im worried that I will get stuck in Singapore for months.
3. Any tips for someone who has never lived in Singapore but is a Singaporean Citizen? I think Im going to have problems adjusting and fitting in, and I dont even know the underground train routes yet. My knowledge of Singapore is limited to Sentosa and Orchard road.
4. While serving NS will I have any free time apart from Weekends?
Thank you all for your help, Im sorry if some of these questions have been answered before =)
2) after medical check up, a receptionist will help u some booklets of information. and u can ask the receptionist abt this too.
3) if u noes local lingoes, no prob with languages.
4) yes and no... y? these 2years is literally delicated to the govt of sg. weekends free, if u no make any mistakes that result in confinements and extra duties (+ a couple of compulsory rotating shift of guard duties guarding the army camp).
if u r lucky to get a stay out vocation after bmt, u will get to go to own home or in ur case maybe a rented room daily. if u got a stay in vocation, u stay in camp from sunday night to friday evening. occasionally ur officers may give u twice weekly night offs on two nights to go out from after dinner to 2300hrs. sometimes... none at all for the whole month if someone screw up and made the officer tu lan... -
1. You can request for early enlistment into the Army through the appopriate department in Mindef.Originally posted by p4rad0x:I just finished Highschool overseas and registered for my NS through http://www.Ns.Sg . Currently Im in Hong kong and on the 28th of this month (July) I have my Medical check-up in Singapore. Im a bit worried about a few things and It would be great if some of you can offer me comfort =P
1. When I repport back to Singapore, and go for my Medical check-up, when will my entry date in NS most likely be? I've had friends who have had to wait for almost half a year and Im afraid ill be stuck in the same situation.
2. After getting my Medical check-up will I still be able to return to Hong kong? My friends and family are all over here and Im worried that I will get stuck in Singapore for months.
3. Any tips for someone who has never lived in Singapore but is a Singaporean Citizen? I think Im going to have problems adjusting and fitting in, and I dont even know the underground train routes yet. My knowledge of Singapore is limited to Sentosa and Orchard road.
4. While serving NS will I have any free time apart from Weekends?
Thank you all for your help, Im sorry if some of these questions have been answered before =)
2.Yep...i'm pretty sure you are about to return back to HK as long as u r not enlisting the next day or something.
3.You will just have to try to adapt to a new country. You will need to broaden your knowledge of Singapore,make friends and learn to survive. But Singapore is a pretty interesting place to live in compared to places in Australia where the shops closes at 6pm.
4. Well...that really depends on where you are posted to after BMT. During BMT, as long as u dun get rewarded with extra or regimental guard duties..you will have your weekends secured..however, there will still be the usual range,field camp etc that will eat into your weekends -
Thank you all very much for your help and responses. I have another question to ask thats been bothering me for awhile.
1. I have been accepted into a college overseas already and they have defered my position for two years (Until I finish NS, then I can go attend the college) If I am entered into NS this year, 2007, will my projected date of completion be 2009?
Oh, and also, I have very little knowledge in Singaporean lingo, I don't understand half the stuff people say on these forums =P I think I need to get a book on army lingo and singlish before I return back =)
Im hoping to get into NS ASAP, so I can quickly get it over with and continue in my studies. I dont really mind the fact that we have to attend NS, I guess it will help me in some ways or another.
2. What is the difference between stay-in camp vocations and out? Only that you get to return home everyday, and the latyter you dont? I mean, right now Im guesing that being able to return home everyday would be much better ... or does it mean you get different jobs and duties?
Thank you all once again for your patiance with my questions
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Sorry about this, but another question >.<
3. When I am serving in National service, will I be able to leave the country during weekends or holidays? For example, if every 3 months, will I be able to fly back to HK for a couple of days and then return? Thank you once again. -
1. NS is now 2yrs only, so your ORD (ie completion of NS) date will be 2yrs after your enlistment date.Originally posted by p4rad0x:Thank you all very much for your help and responses. I have another question to ask thats been bothering me for awhile.
1. I have been accepted into a college overseas already and they have defered my position for two years (Until I finish NS, then I can go attend the college) If I am entered into NS this year, 2007, will my projected date of completion be 2009?
Oh, and also, I have very little knowledge in Singaporean lingo, I don't understand half the stuff people say on these forums =P I think I need to get a book on army lingo and singlish before I return back =)
Im hoping to get into NS ASAP, so I can quickly get it over with and continue in my studies. I dont really mind the fact that we have to attend NS, I guess it will help me in some ways or another.
2. What is the difference between stay-in camp vocations and out? Only that you get to return home everyday, and the latyter you dont? I mean, right now Im guesing that being able to return home everyday would be much better ... or does it mean you get different jobs and duties?
Thank you all once again for your patiance with my questions
3. When I am serving in National service, will I be able to leave the country during weekends or holidays? For example, if every 3 months, will I be able to fly back to HK for a couple of days and then return? Thank you once again.
2. Stay-in -> You'll be staying in a bunk with your pals and having your three meals in camp.
Stay-out-> You'll get to book out every night and report back to camp the next morning.
Btw, you dun get to decide which vocation/appt you get.
3. Yes, i think you'll need to apply for exit permit (not very sure on this). At the very least, inform your superiors abt it and indicate on your leave form that you are going overseas. -
Cannot adapt also die die have to adapt. Don't worry, after you chiong sua bit, you and your buddies will be bestest friends. Your Sargent will also clue you in on all the lingo, especially Hokkien ones.
Hard to go back to HongKong every 3months or so, unless you are in a really nice unit. Maybe every 6mths more realistic.
Stay in or Stay out is like a lottery. Stay out usually more slack, stay in usually more tough.
Lastly, why come back Sg? -
Yes..you will be able to leave the country when you are serving your NS. However, this is subjected to the approval of your superiors in whichever unit you are in. Lastly, be sure to apply for a exit permit if you are leaving the country for more than 24hrs.Originally posted by p4rad0x:Sorry about this, but another question >.<
3. When I am serving in National service, will I be able to leave the country during weekends or holidays? For example, if every 3 months, will I be able to fly back to HK for a couple of days and then return? Thank you once again. -
1. Yep..i tink that NS is a unifying experience for all sons of Singapore. Even when you are abroad, you can relate to another Singaporean simply by talking about yr NS experiences. Although NS might be let you see the darker side of human natre, you will be able to learn and carry the experiences with you. In short, have a goal when you start your NS life..make friends so that come 10 to 20yrs time...you will start be able to look back at these 2yrs with fond memories.Originally posted by p4rad0x:Thank you all very much for your help and responses. I have another question to ask thats been bothering me for awhile.
1. I have been accepted into a college overseas already and they have defered my position for two years (Until I finish NS, then I can go attend the college) If I am entered into NS this year, 2007, will my projected date of completion be 2009?
Oh, and also, I have very little knowledge in Singaporean lingo, I don't understand half the stuff people say on these forums =P I think I need to get a book on army lingo and singlish before I return back =)
Im hoping to get into NS ASAP, so I can quickly get it over with and continue in my studies. I dont really mind the fact that we have to attend NS, I guess it will help me in some ways or another.
2. What is the difference between stay-in camp vocations and out? Only that you get to return home everyday, and the latyter you dont? I mean, right now Im guesing that being able to return home everyday would be much better ... or does it mean you get different jobs and duties?
Thank you all once again for your patiance with my questions
2. You will usually be required to stay in if you are in a combat vocation or in a combat unit. Combat vocations such as section commander,guardsman and rifleman. This is due to the natural of their training and role as they are usually in active battalions which requires staying in.
Stay out would usually occur in non-active units,training schools or Higher HQ such as Divisions and Brigades. As most of these places doesn't require any fuction for it's staff after working hours, the NSFs posted there would be able to stay out.
However, it must be noted that even if you are a clerk or a driver (svc voc), it would not grant u immunity from staying in. Clerks and other support staff like storeman in active battatlion are usually required to stay in as the Battalion HQ is considered part of the active unit.
Lastly, i tink it is subjective to say that staying out is much better. If you are posted to camps in LCK and Mandai and you are staying in places like Bedok or Pasir Ris then it would be pretty much a hassle to stay ou everyday. Staying out is a bit like working, where you knock off after 5pm go home and don't see your friends. However, when you are staying in, the experience of being in the army is much more genuine, where you live and breathe with the rest of your other friends. The experience after two years would contrast greatly from staying out. I'm a stay in personnel for my entire two years in the army and i spend my time fruitfully in camp, from training IPPT with my friends in the evening to watching the Tiger Cup together in our bunks and playing football and basketball in camp until the sun set. Thus, even you stay in, life can be much more fufilling than going home and rot and playing with MSN all the time. A person has to leave his comfort zone from time to time to know how fortunate one is -
Hello, p4rad0x. Welcome to the brotherhood ~lol~ Oldtimer here. I've tried to qualify my responses where applicable, having finished my NS & reservist commitments in 1988 & 2001 respectively. But the basic rationale behind NS "composition" remains the same as old, even though we're sorta in a transition phrase right now. (To refresh, 2004 saw the reduction of NS to a standardized 2 yrs, as well as the implementation of a 5-day workwork. 2006 saw the commencement of the transformation to a so-called 3G SAF. The first batches who served under these measures have only just entered the reservist ranks, at best.)
You also left some important details out of your profile, so I'm assuming your overseas education ended in Grade 12 (i.e no diploma) & that your current age is 17 (at least). Note too that you may end up doing your NS in the SPF (Police) or SCDF (Civil Defense) too, something which this SAF forum doesn't cover in topic scope.1. When I report back to Singapore, and go for my Medical check-up, when will my entry date in NS most likely be?
Officially, at the first opportunity once you turn 18. (Yes, you can apply for early enlistment, under the VEES scheme. Look for the applicable form at the NS portal site.) Keep in mind that Tekong traditionally recruits their BMT intakes in quarterly clusters; hence its December/March & the June/September batches are known as "A-Level" & "Polytechnic" batches respectively.
In my time, about 40% of enlistable personnel would head to Tekong first, earmarked as future junior commanders or combat-support troops. The other 60% were posted to either SBMT (future combat-service troops), to the unit itself ("mono-intakers "), or to the SPF or SCDF. Assuming you're enlisting based on your HS qualifications, methinks there's a chance you may do your BMT in either of the latter three routes instead. Be nosy & see what PES medical status you obtain during your medical checkup; it won't confirm anything but can nonetheless logically exclude you from certain deployments.
I suspect today there's a higher percentage of Tekong recruits, since the old SBMT has been remodelled & re-sited to the island itself.2. After getting my Medical check-up will I still be able to return to Hong kong?
Yes, you can. But, at the same time, you'll be subject to stricter exit-control measures, esp. pertaining to passport validity, exit permit & parental bond (bank guarantee). Details here http://www.wwlegal.com/Article450.html3. Any tips for someone who has never lived in Singapore but is a Singaporean Citizen? I think Im going to have problems adjusting and fitting in,
With NS itself, you should be able to get by as long as you can speak English. The de facto "working" language, esp. down in the combat unit itself, tends to be Hokkien, although the lingo has become more & more adulterated with the passing of time (plus better-educated troops). Singlish, in other words.
Still, non-Hokkien speakers like the Malays & Indians were ultimately able to pick basics of the dialect even in my time, so I don't foresee any problem here. Instead, I sense your biggest hurdle with communication will likely be with the drill commands (which are in Malay). Google around for the various such lists posted online by school uniformed groups, so as to familiarize yourself with the pronunciations.4. While serving NS will I have any free time apart from Weekends?
Depends on where you're posted. But, other than BMT, you can get nights off whenever there's no training or duties scheduled. If you "burn" a weekend due to field exercise or something, then you're owed a "off-in-lieu" & can take (mostly ordered to take) the day off once the training timetable permits so.1. If I am entered into NS this year, 2007, will my projected date of completion be 2009?
No need to project. Just mark out 2 calendar years after your date of enlistment, then sing (to the tune of It's a long way to Tipperary): "Only X days to my O-R-D / only X days to go / Only X days to my O-R-D / To the sweetest day I know / Goodbye my Platoon PC / Farewell R-S-M / Only X more days to my O-R-D / Then y'll can kiss my a$$" ~lol~
I believe you can disrupt early for tiertary studies, though. They used to have a minimum-time served (24 months for those serving 2.5 yrs) before one can apply -- no sure what's the policy now, since everyone's serving 2 yrs. The other guideline was that one could disrupt one week (local vasities) or two weeks (overseas vasities) before his new school-term began, over & above the minimum time served.
Whatever it is, it's assessed on an individual basis, after one applies through the unit. (Note that "to disrupt" & "to defer" means different things in NS.)2. What is the difference between stay-in camp vocations and out?
Not so much vocations, but more the unit one's posted to. In operational outfits, even rear-echelon personnel like storemen or clerks must reside in camp (together with the combat troops). Stay-in basically means you can go for nights off during weekdays whenever there's nothing officially on, but must report back again before midnight (2359 hrs). The majority of conscripts will stay-in. Those who stay-out can leave after office hours, usually 6pm after last parade (where the next day's routine orders are read out & any other instructions also passed down). But the commute to & from home can be expensive & a grind, if you live far away.3. When I am serving in National service, will I be able to leave the country during weekends or holidays?
Yes, but unlikely. NS is full-time duty, after all. The first six months or so (3 months BMT, 3 months vocation training) is pretty regimented for almost everyone, longer if posted to do a leadership course too at SISPEC (6 months of NCO/vocational training) or OCS (10 months of officer/vocational training).
Thereafter, those who're in ops-ready units or in training schools tend to have their entitled leave & days off tightly controlled, totally dependent on organizational needs.
To travel to, say, Malaysia for the weekend, a full-time NSF must still tell his unit his whereabouts prior too. (Used to need an exit permit to go overseas for 24-plus hrs, but that was in the old days.) It doesn't mean a blanket ban, however, unless he's doing mob manning & is a key personnel. By all means, take advantage of a long weekend to fly to HK; just keep your immediate commanders informed & then return promptly. If it's any consolation, reservists are subjected to this obligation too.