FAQs for NS Enlist Pre-Enlistees for the SAF Army
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Common Adjustment Problems
1. Regimentation
As soldiers, you are expected to follow the rules & regulations set by the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) and obey the instructions & orders given by your superiors. Thus some of your may feel a sudden lack of freedom to do what you want and you may find yourself having difficulties submitting to authority. Some of you may be disappointed with the way you are being treated as it may not be what you expect or experienced in your civilian life.
2. Physical Demands
It may be a little more taxing for those of you who are less-fit as you are required to go through physical training and attain an acceptable level of fitness during National Service. Some of you may feel anxious as a result of the fast pace and physical demands during training.
3. Communal Living
You will have the opportunities to train, work and live with people of different cultural, ethnic, educational and family backgrounds. This new environment may overwhelm some of you who will experience a lack of privacy. In your interactions with others, you may find some people difficult to get along with.
4. Home Sickness
Living away from home and being separated from your loved ones may create a sense of loss and loneliness in some of you. You may miss the time spent with your family, the home-cooked food and the comfort of your home. Some of you may feel miserable as you constantly make comparison between civilian and military life.
5. Financial Needs
Those of you who worked before enlistment will experience a sudden drop in income as you are no longer drawing salary but allowance. You may no longer be able to support your family financially, instead you may need some financial assistance during National Service.
6. Work Responsibilities
You will be given responsibilities that correspond with your respective vocations. It may be stressful to meet the job requirements as well as your superior's expectations. This may be more so for those of you who have no working experience prior to National Service. -
What Can You Do To Help Yourself?
1. Adopt a positive perception
Perceive the organisational rules and regulations as means to train you to become a disciplined and effective soldier. Understand that some degree of restriction is inevitable and necessary.
2. Set realistic expectations
Expect yourself not to enjoy the same amount of freedom and personal time as before while you go through the training. Expect your superiors to treat you firmly but fairly. Some of you may need to humble yourself in order to be under authority.
3. Deal with imaginary fear
Stop yourself from worrying that something bad will happen to you or that you will charged by your superiors as these thoughts will make you lose confidence in yourself and affect your ability to cope.
4. Build up physical stamina
Engage in sports and outdoor activities so as to better equip yourself to cope with the physical demands in training. Beware not to push yourself beyond your own limits. This can be achieved by becoming aware of your own strengths and weaknesses.
5. Overcome psychological stress
Remember that it is normal to feel anxious and stressed upon enlistment into the army. You are encouraged to share your feelings with others and you will realise that your are not alone in having such feelings.
6. Adopt a non-judgemental attitude
In view of the diversity of each soldier's background, a non-judgemental and receptive attitude will be helpful to you in your interactions with others.
7. Adopt a team spirit
Do not isolate yourself from others but try to work as a team. Team work is essential as it will enable you to get things done more effectively and efficiently. Being willing and able to take on the role of a leader and/or a follower at the appropriate times are crucial in team work.
8. Learn to be independent
Avoid being too pampered and sheltered at home. Learn to take care of yourself instead of depending on your loved ones while you are at home.
9. Budget your expenditure
Budget your monthly expenditure so that you will not overspend. You may have to change your lifestyle and spending habits so as to spend within your means. If your family needs financial assistance or if you have financial difficulties, you may consider applying for the SAF financial grant or permission to work after office hours through your unit. Only requests with valid reasons will be granted.
10. Develop good working habits and attitude
Do not procrastinate but try to finish your work before the deadline. Clarify with your superior if the instructions given are unclear to you. Do not hesitate to find out your superior's expectations of you as this will enhance your working relationship. Prioritise the tasks given so that you can attend to the more important ones first.
Who Can You Turn To For Help In The SAF?
Unit superiors such as Platoon Commander, Officer Commanding, Orientation Officer, Manpower Officer and Commanding Officer.
Medial professional such as Unit Medical Officer and the SAF Psychiatrist.
The SAF Counselling Hotline: 1800-278 0022
http://www.mindef.gov.sg/dmg/scc/pubs-preNSenlistees.html -
ask you all ah
how to become officer for Guards ah?
go OCS first then kenna posted to Guards or don belak?
hey peeps, anyone in the 2004 Jan intake?
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nsf or reg?Originally posted by kaoya:ask you all ah
how to become officer for Guards ah?
go OCS first then kenna posted to Guards or don belak?
hey peeps, anyone in the 2004 Jan intake?
anyway its ocs den gcc. unless u gds spec convert to officer.
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hey, asking hor, i am DAMN interested in small arms. so what would be a good vocation i can persue as a career? i am really really interested in it....and dun mind signing on for it lah.......if there is such a job which let you touch more then one type of guns everyday?
BTW, what is a weapon spec ah? -
how come this sounds so familiar..Originally posted by snk86:hey, asking hor, i am DAMN interested in small arms. so what would be a good vocation i can persue as a career? i am really really interested in it....and dun mind signing on for it lah.......if there is such a job which let you touch more then one type of guns everyday?
BTW, what is a weapon spec ah?
anyway if i can recall correctly there r technical vocations in the army side - some specialist vocation tt handles arms.
either that or join the cdo and u wil cover very much most of the small arms. -
i heard if you want to go sispec, your buddies evaluation of you will count? this scares me a lot. I am by nature rather solitary, don't like to talk much. recently i tried to get my brother to buy new paper every day after school, so I could read up on epl soccer, but I don't have the endurance to keep the "interest" alive. so how? people like me no hope for SISpec or ocs?
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for some tips ... mindset is very important .... treat it as a holiday for you and a place for you to learn something ...
a place where train boys to man ...
believe me ... 1 yr to ORd man .. -
because i ask this in military nuts before what............okok, so what is CDO?Originally posted by wuming78:how come this sounds so familiar..
anyway if i can recall correctly there r technical vocations in the army side - some specialist vocation tt handles arms.
either that or join the cdo and u wil cover very much most of the small arms. -
peer evaluation is a part of one's overall results.Originally posted by lurska:i heard if you want to go sispec, your buddies evaluation of you will count? this scares me a lot. I am by nature rather solitary, don't like to talk much. recently i tried to get my brother to buy new paper every day after school, so I could read up on epl soccer, but I don't have the endurance to keep the "interest" alive. so how? people like me no hope for SISpec or ocs?
not liking to talk much will not necessarily put you down. in the end, if you are cooperative and helpful, even if you don't talk much ppl shud be ok with you. and o cos dun make them have the impression tt u dun talk much cos u look down on them or something.
and also, please crack ur head trying to think of how to blend in cos tt is not likely to be sustainable esp if u do something tt is not natural of u in order to achieve tt purpose. ppl will see thru such farce too and u wil end up being branded as a hypocrite, or someone without a spine or ur own principles. be urself! i dun think u wan ppl to like u cos u "like" to talk abt soccer. rather, u would wan ppl to like u for who u r rite? -
commandoOriginally posted by snk86:because i ask this in military nuts before what............okok, so what is CDO? -
camp duty officer...? if its vocation, commando...Originally posted by snk86:because i ask this in military nuts before what............okok, so what is CDO? -
Holy shit..........i was overseas with my friends when my parents got a call requesting me to come for enlistment on jan13........... shit man. I was at first in the april intake. And i made quite alot of plans.......damn suai sia....and i m pissed. Had to get a flight back coz i was going to be overseas for abt 2 months. Just came back today. Army can anyhow call u issit. Somore it is like in 2 weeksthat i have to report. How the hell am i suppose to get prepared. I never even exercise like 3 months. Confirm cant run or do pull ups already. Can someone help me man!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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enlistment? u noe which batch(PTP or BMT)? if ptp no need train, cos they will train u...Originally posted by phyre:Holy shit..........i was overseas with my friends when my parents got a call requesting me to come for enlistment on jan13........... shit man. I was at first in the april intake. And i made quite alot of plans.......damn suai sia....and i m pissed. Had to get a flight back coz i was going to be overseas for abt 2 months. Just came back today. Army can anyhow call u issit. Somore it is like in 2 weeksthat i have to report. How the hell am i suppose to get prepared. I never even exercise like 3 months. Confirm cant run or do pull ups already. Can someone help me man!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! -
Errr....it is normal BMT..no ptp.i got silver for napha.........but now i don tink i can even get a pass ...........haha.........i might also be either in pegasus or whisky company. I enlisting on jan 13...i tink mentally i m ok..but physically i m not up to it yet.........Originally posted by BrUtUs:enlistment? u noe which batch(PTP or BMT)? if ptp no need train, cos they will train u... -
every morning there will will be 5BX or run...
some will be in the evening run...
the distant can be fm 5 click to 10 click... -
a bit curious ah
for bmt, how the runs go ah?
like when first enlisted, not quite possible to start at 5click rite?
at this time, people do 2.4 already die die liao
then how they slowly up to 5 click or 10 click
and hoa.. how the whole section do 10 click together one?
sure got some wuss halfway drop out one wat?
for 10 click, then pace would be damn slow rite?
if not most ppl buay tahan liao
and 10 click won't like take a lot of time mah?
i think last time i do 5 click in about 30 min -
the army believes in progressive training. they will prob start runs at 1.2 km, den slowly increase. anyway there r diff types of runs. for 5bx runs, distance is not the emphasis. theres also endurance run where distance is the factor. the dist will be increased slowly, perhaps 1 km every 2 wks. and o cos always haf ppl fall out. got med coverage so no prob.Originally posted by kaoya:a bit curious ah
for bmt, how the runs go ah?
like when first enlisted, not quite possible to start at 5click rite?
at this time, people do 2.4 already die die liao
then how they slowly up to 5 click or 10 click
and hoa.. how the whole section do 10 click together one?
sure got some wuss halfway drop out one wat?
for 10 click, then pace would be damn slow rite?
if not most ppl buay tahan liao
and 10 click won't like take a lot of time mah?
i think last time i do 5 click in about 30 min -
BMT = CDO is Company Duty OfficerOriginally posted by snk86:because i ask this in military nuts before what............okok, so what is CDO?
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CDO = company duty officer most of the time, for all units.Originally posted by Doctor_Love:BMT = CDO is Company Duty Officer
CDO = commando when refering to vocations. -
*faintsOriginally posted by wuming78:commando
wah lao, only commado then can ah? NO!!!!!!!!! arh! okok, then can anyone tell me how to be armourer at hendon? -
huh y wanna b armourer at hendon? the beret?Originally posted by snk86:*faints
wah lao, only commado then can ah? NO!!!!!!!!! arh! okok, then can anyone tell me how to be armourer at hendon? -
they start slowly then progressive... last time if cannot run they will shout till u finish...Originally posted by kaoya:a bit curious ah
for bmt, how the runs go ah?
like when first enlisted, not quite possible to start at 5click rite?
at this time, people do 2.4 already die die liao
then how they slowly up to 5 click or 10 click
and hoa.. how the whole section do 10 click together one?
sure got some wuss halfway drop out one wat?
for 10 click, then pace would be damn slow rite?
if not most ppl buay tahan liao
and 10 click won't like take a lot of time mah?
i think last time i do 5 click in about 30 min -
no. i mean u can either be an armourer (if im not mistaken), or be a commando.Originally posted by snk86:*faints
wah lao, only commado then can ah? NO!!!!!!!!! arh! okok, then can anyone tell me how to be armourer at hendon? -
no........there got the A-Z of small arms.........and an armourer job there would be heaven man...........Originally posted by BrUtUs:huh y wanna b armourer at hendon? the beret?