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We're now going to move into the second part of the
webinar, where we'll be answering
some of your questions.
OK.
So Claire has asked what is the army lifestyle like and is
it very restrictive?
OK, so I guess some people probably think that when you
join the Army, you head off into the middle of nowhere and
you don't get any leave, you don't get to sort of continue
on with things that you enjoy doing outside of work.
Well, that's not true.
We go to work basically Monday to Friday.
Once we finish for the day, our time's our own.
We can go and play sports or hang out with
friends, see family--
whatever it is that you're interested in.
Obviously there are times where we'll be required to go
out into a field environment and maybe spent weeks,
sometimes months, doing field exercises, or you may have to
away to do courses.
Sometimes you'll have overnight duties.
So there are extra things alongside the normal Monday to
Friday, but that's what keeps it exciting.
And the varied sort of work that we get is
why we enjoy it.
OK.
So a question from Rhiannon.
I'm a 19-year-old female about to be enlisted and go to
Kapuka for basic training.
Do you have any advice?
OK.
So as we've just said--
fitness.
I would advise you to be as fit as possible.
When you get there, you don't want to have to worry about
injuries and worry about pulling up sore every day from
the training.
So the fitter you can be, the better.
I guess to mentally prepare yourself, you just need to
have a bit of self-confidence, and just start telling
yourself now that you can do it and you
will get through it.
Once you get to Kapuka, everything is explained to you
from waking up in the morning until when you
go to bed at night.
The whole day's planned out, and all the lessons are very
structured.
So I guess just having the confidence in yourself and
knowing that you are going to get through it, and, yeah,
you'll be fine.
Yeah.
So don't slack off once you've passed that PFA.
We get a lot of people who pass that PFA and then do
nothing for the next three weeks.
Keep you fitness up, because you don't want to be
struggling when you get to Kapuka.
Are there many older women joining the Army?
I'm older and looking forward to it.
Definitely.
We meet people every day.
So as part of our job at Defence Force Recruiting, we
talk to the females who come through for the youth
session every day.
And I can tell you we have ages right from 17
up to 50 years old.
So there are definitely loads of ladies joining up.
So the next question is from Tia.
How did you find going from civilian life
into the defence force?
Yeah.
I guess once you arrive at your training establishment,
they pretty much shocking you into it straight away.
So you have a choice but to just follow along with the
training programme, and you'd be surprised at how quick you
can get used to things.
I didn't think that I'd be able to get up at 6 o'clock in
the morning and just go all day and all night.
I didn't think that that was possible, but
you surprise yourself.
Yeah, whereas I grew up in the country, so getting up at 6
o'clock was really no change than normal.
OK.
Next question is from Jade.
Do you find the males in the Army treat you any different
to their fellow men?
Obviously, we are different.
And in the Army, the percentage of females is quite
lower than males.
But in saying that, I think if you just get out there and you
do your job you'll be well-respected.
So long as you're putting in your 100% and doing the best
you can in whatever that is, then you'll be respected and
you'll be treated fairly.
So it's about being able to do your job properly.
And I've found exactly the same thing in my experience,
that the jobs I've had--
I've had quite a few jobs where I've been the only
female officer there, and yeah, I'm not treated any
different to the male officers--
which, I'm not saying I'm treated badly.
It's very professional.
And I've always found the people I've worked with have
been incredibly professional.
Jade asks what would be the positives and negatives of
being a female in the Army?
From my perspective, the positives of being a female is
being able to just get out and play sport and interact a lot
with a lot of different people.
One of the positives for me having two kids--
I had both my kids while I was a serving member.
And the support I received from one bosses was just
phenomenal--
so much support and so much goodwill.
And that's just not from my bosses, but that's from the
people I worked with, as well.
Yeah.
For me, that was definitely a positive, and having that
opportunity to work your life around and your work around
what you're doing with your life.
And we also get equal pay rate, so that's--
That's a positive.
Yeah.
That's something that's not in all organisations yet, so
that's great.
And I guess the opportunity to go on courses and to do things
that, in any other job, you just wouldn't have the
opportunity to do.
So, negatives.
I guess it is a very male-dominated workplace, so
that can be a negative if that's something that
intimidates you.
But you very quickly get used to the environment.
So if you're currently working in a job where it's mainly
females and that's what you're used to, then it's just that
little transition period that you'll have to
sort of adapt to.
But it's not a negative, it's just--
A bit lonely, sometimes, I think is one of the
negatives--
being that lone female in the unit or in the headquarters,
it can be quite lonely.
But the guys are pretty good, really.
Yeah.
They're a good laugh.
OK.
Amanda is asking any tips as to how to best prepare for the
fitness assessment?
What we tend tell the girls at our centre is not to train to
the basic level.
So don't just train to the 7.5 and the eight and the 45.
Try and train above that, because you want to have that
confidence that you're going to be able to pass it.
So if you're only just passing it in your training sessions,
you don't necessarily have that confidence that
you can pass it.
You want to be able to walk into the assessment going,
yeah, I know I can do this no problems because I know I can
get higher than what's required of me.
So I think that my best advice, because you don't want
to psyche yourself out.
And I think that's the biggest problem.
A lot of people psych themselves out.
I also would probably advise that you, when working on a
training programme, try and mix it up.
So do weights, a bit of swimming, cardio.
Go for walks up hills with maybe a little day pack on
with a bit of weight in a pack.
So you get a real variety of training, because when you do
get to Kapuka, you will be doing
different types of training.
It's not just like you're in the gym lifting weights or
running on a treadmill.
It's all done outside.
So, yeah, get outside and just mix it up.
Laura is asking do you find it hard to balance a family life
with a military one?
Is there any support provided by the Army?
It is hard.
I think that goes with any job, though--
working out that work-life balance, how much you're going
to commit to your job, and how much you're commuting to your
family, and getting that balancing act right.
I don't think you ever quite get it perfect.
Is there support provided by the Army?
Yes.
Flexible working arrangements, lots of
discussion with the boss.
So I sit down and talk with my boss.
We have careers advisers.
So my husband and I sit down and talk with our career
advisers about what our future aspirations are.
And we try and work that out so that that balances with our
family life as well as balancing our careers, and
both of us getting a good bite at the cherry in that respect.
OK.
So the next question is from Ellis.
What have you achieved throughout your career?
I guess for me it's more of a sort of personal achievement
in that my confidence has grown a lot.
I've done things that I certainly would not have done
off my own back.
I think joining the Army's been great to be around some
really amazing people, and I've met sense some great
mentors who have encouraged me to do things whether it be
physical or just going on the promotion course and taking
that next step.
I was quite timid before I joined the
Army, and I think now--
yeah, I'm starting to feel a lot more confident.
I have an events training leader
qualification in sea kayaking.
So I can take out small groups and do sea kayaking
activities.
Yeah, same as Bree.
Build a lot more confidence.
There's a lot of things like managing, problem-solving, all
that sort of stuff that I've developed my skills through
the various jobs I have to do, like thinking
quick on your feet.
Public speaking's another big one for me.
I would rather have jumped off a bridge than have to get out
in front of a crowd and talk.
It really was my worst nightmare.
And since being in this position, I've sort of slowly
eased myself into it, and I now feel not 100%, but I'm
getting there, and I'm feeling a lot more
confident in doing that.
And who knows what you might end up doing in the future.
Like my next job might require me to get up in front of a
group of people, and this is giving me that the
skills to do that.
Despite what she says, she does an awesome job, so.
Thanks.
Have you ever cried at work?
Yes.
It's Micaela asking this question.
Yes, yes I have.
Lots of times.
Usually I've removed myself from a situation.
But taking yourself away to have that cry, regaining your
composure, and then coming out and being awesome once you've
gotten rid of that stress.
It's a natural reaction for females, too,
as far as I'm concerned.
When you get stressed, it's an emotional release for us.
Guys get angry, chicks cry.
Yeah.
So being in the Army, it doesn't mean that you have to
be this emotionally cold sort of a person.
You can be emotional, you just have to learn how to be
professional and balance it.
OK.
So from Natalie.
Do you feel your career is different to a job in the
civilian world, and how?
Absolutely.
In my case, career is definitely different.
In my case, every two to three years, I'm doing something
completely different.
So while I'm in the electromechanical core and I'm
trained as a logistician, I've had numerous different jobs.
I ran a workshop in a previous job.
Also I did logistics for the tank regiment.
I've rewritten training programmes for the reserve
officer course.
Managing the reserve courses at Melbourne University
regiment, so organising so that those courses could
actually take place.
Yeah.
Every couple of years, you're doing
something completely different.
And I can't imagine that if I'd chosen something like an
accountant or a lawyer in the civilian world, while you
might have different cases or different people that you're
doing accounts for, it's still the same office
every year, every day.
Whereas with the Army, it's different all the time.
Yeah, definitely.
So get the opportunity to not only move to different states
every few years when your posting's up, but also within
your unit, you might have the opportunity to sort of work in
different positions and get some different skills up.
So I think it's a big advantage that
we have in the Army--
we get qualified in lots of different areas.
You don't get bored.
Yeah, you never get bored.
OK.
Micaela asks what has surprised you the
most about the Army?
What didn't you expect?
I guess when I joined, I honestly have no idea
what the Army was.
I've been thinking back to before I joined to try and
remember what it was I was thinking, and I just remember
my image of the Army as being in the middle of nowhere, in
the bush somewhere.
You go off and you sort of don't come back.
I don't know.
That was sort of my image.
So I guess I've been pleasantly
surprised to learn--
over my time in the Army--
is that you do get to have a normal life.
You do get to have hobbies outside of the Army, and yeah.
You meet people from all walks of life, which is great.
OK.
From Erin.
If you disagree with you commanding officer, are you
allowed to speak up or do you have to follow orders?
OK.
There is military law the deals with this.
So if it's an illegal order, then, no, you don't actually
have to follow orders.
But if just disagree with your commanding officer, if you
have concerns, you're not going to speak
up in front of everyone.
You can voice depending on what your rank is.
So if you're a lieutenant, you might speak to a captain,
who's 2IC, and talk to them about what's going on.
It may be simply that you don't understand the
high-level details that are involved.
The commanding officer has obviously got more information
than you've got, and that might be the case.
Maybe.
That's why we do encourage you to say something to someone.
If you're a private soldier, speaking to your corporal, or
if a corporal, speaking to a sergeant or
an officer, et cetera.
So you can say something, but you wouldn't go straight to
your commanding officer and say, sir, you're wrong.
There's ways to go about it, and it's about being
professional, as well.
Because they've got a job to do.
You don't want to undermine their authority.
If it's something that's a safety issue or if you think
it's something that's outside of what we're meant to be
doing, then definitely speak up through
your chain of command.
And that's what they're there for, and they will listen.
OK.
Erin asks how does the Army cater for
women with young children?
So can you answer this one?
Yeah.
I'm probably the better one to answer that.
My daughter's four.
And my son is two.
So [INAUDIBLE]
flexible working arrangements before.
It's a discussion between myself and my husband.
In our case, I actually drop the children off in the
morning, because I start work a little bit later than he
does, and he actually starts work earlier so he can finish
earlier, and he picks the kids up from daycare.
So depending on where you are, there may be daycare positions
available for you in the area where you're serving.
Sometimes, though, it is just a matter of applying to five,
six, seven, daycare centres until you get a position and
you just get what you get.
And that's not Defense's fault.
There's not much Defence can do about that.
That's the nature of the industry.
It is so hard to get positions in daycare centres.
They can't guarantee a position to every single
serving member with kids.
The good thing is you know that you're posting six months
in advance, normally.
So as soon as you get your posting order and you know
which city you'll be posted to, you can start putting
applications in and get yourself organised.
OK.
Laura asks, are you ever put in a position where you might
be in danger?
I can't emphasise enough how much safety is
the number one priority.
So whenever we're training with weapons or with vehicles,
safety is drilled into us from day one.
That's your everyday job.
But if we are sent overseas, the potential is there.
So you're not being deliberately--
yes, you've been deliberately posted or deployed overseas--
but you're not going to be deliberately put into danger.
It's just the nature of that role, that job, that danger
exists all around you.
We can't stop people from sending rockets into an
accommodation area.
We do what we can.
We do have defence protection mechanisms in place.
But, yeah, if you're deployed into a warzone, there is that
potential that you might be in danger during that deployment.
OK.
The last question is from Nicole.
What did your friends and family think about you going
into the Army?
For myself, because I joined the Reserves to start with, it
wasn't so much of a big scary move that I had to sign on the
dotted line and then I was going to be hitting off.
So for me, I joined the Reserves and I stayed in my
home location.
When I first decided to make that phone call to Defence
Force Recruiting, I was working at a pharmacy.
And I was teaching dancing at the time.
So none of my friends or family would have ever
expected me to want to join the Army.
I hadn't shown any signs of ever doing anything like that.
So I think a lot of them were quite shocked.
And then when I went through with it and I said, yeah, I'm
heading off to training.
It's happening.
It's really happening.
I think quite a few of them just proud of me and I guess I
showed them what I was able to do and what I could achieve.