i’ll be entering national service very soon. i most probally wind up in infantry unit or engineers as what many have told me.
while i have no worries about going through a tough life or getting hollered in the face all the time, i do have this little concern.
it’s the amount of free time you get in the ‘army days’. how often do you guys get to sit down to read a book, write a novel, or draw some pictures while your bunker mates play poker, talk crap and gossip and do blanket parties? and how often do you get to leave the camp and go home? for how long?
just in case if anyone is wondering, i’d want to make the most of this free time to practice my drawing skills and do a portfolio so i may enter an art course in polytechnic or some private collage.
First off, I completed my reservist 7 yrs ago. I believe life as an NSman is much easier now as compared to my time.
I believe you will not get much time off to do your stuffs during BMT and when you are on-course (after the BMT period). If you are posted to a unit, you will likely get more free time when your unit turn active. I believe soldiers get 14 days leave per year but it will be block leaves which all soldiers in that company goes on leave together.
Good luck for your army days, its the most memorable days for us SG men.
Hi,
I just finish my national service not long ago and I tell you ns days is quite easy compared to last time. For your worries, I agree with tigtag that during BMT period, there is hardly free time for you to do your stuff. For me, only during the last few days on my BMT period, my company give me and rest of the company mate have rest time on and off.
After your BMT, there will be trade course, where you will be train to your ns profession. Then, more free time is given is you and your course mates does it well and/or there are break during the course.
After you “graduate” from your trade course, then you have even more free time depending on which unit you post to. But for me, as I suffered from injuries during trade course and been downgraded, therefore I post to a unit where I have more free time unless there is any excercise going on.
For leave matters, there is 14 days leave per year and you can get block leaves and/or obtain offs depending on your unit also, as what tigtack has said. But its really depends on your unit on whether you can get time to pratice for your portfolio and to go for any course you need to. For requiring about off, you need to apply for off-pass to let you entitle to leave the unit/camp by showing to the guard at the camp gate.
Hope the above can answer your question and wish you have a happy NS days for you. Good Luck !
Here’s my little advice to you.
During your BMT you have very little time for yourself. The best thing to do is to spend time with your mates. Firstly, you wont get much work done. Secondly, you do not want to be branded as a loner and no part of the team. You need friends in the army … support both physically and mentally to get you thru the days. Being alone and not joining the guys in their little gossip etc will make life bad for you.
After BMT the same would go for your vocation training. Spend more time with your friends etc.
Then when u get posted to a unit … my advice is to take a part time course … that way you can make full use of your army time. Also if you are alone studying or drawing etc your bunkmates will be more understanding as you are studying.
Have fun in NS … its really not as bad as people make it out to be
There’s not much time in BMT.
after BMT, you will be posted to different camps or units. Depending on your health status and what you are gonna do in your camp, it will decide the amount of time spent in camp or outside.
I am combat fit, but i serve in a office, as a personal assistant to a Brigadier General, so i get to go home everyday, and i book in on Monday morning,
My friends are combat fit in their units, but they stay-in, which means they get to come out of camp only on fri nights and book in on sunday nights.
If you are stay-in personnel in your camp, you will spend at least 60% of your time in camp.
But in your unit camp, after BMT, there is much more time to do the things you want.
After BMT, (starting from next year 2008), you will have annual leave of 21 days plus offs give to you by your superior.
Tell them you are not *** but a bit gayish. They put you in Music and Drama Company.