Free Time on BMQ?
- Thread starter armyrules
- Start date
S
Stomper
Guest
I can't speak for all BMQ courses, but for my reserve BMQ about 5 years ago we did usually (not always) get some free time at the end of the day. Usually this was a couple of hours before lights-out which we had to ourselves. Some people chose to sit in the stand-easy room to talk or watch a movie, some chose to catch up on much welcomed sleep, some chose to work on kit for the next day or study/practice, and some did a combination of these. We were even occasionally allowed to do a quick pizza run to a nearby pizza place to pick up a couple of slices and bring them back... good times. For most people, that time was the best part of the day.
S
Stomper
Guest
Personally, I liked the small ruck marches that we did as work-up training for the 13 or so km (forget the actual distance) ruck march towards the end. All of the classes and drill throughout the day required a lot of concentration, and I felt that these marches were a good break from that.
- Reaction score
- 0
- Points
- 110
I'll give it a shot...
I graduated bmq on the 27th of Jan.. 77 echo.. YAR! heh..you won't know what that means unless you were there. heh...
Anyway, I suppose the right answer to this is yes you get free time, you get what you 'need', basically. After you are confined to base for the first 3 weeks you get your weekend off, if your course doesn't mess up and you earn it. You will get to leave the base or stay, it's up to you...usually from then on you get your weekends off to do whatever you want, usually to go blow your whole paycheck in Montreal at dirty hotels and sleezy strip joints, or you can stay and blow your money some other way...somehow..you never seem to be able to keep money saved... Anyways, besides weekends off, your day during the week (unless in the field) usually ends around 5 or 6, depending on the schedule. You'll go to supper then the night is yours to prepare for the next day. Now it varies so much from day to day, but usually by the last few weeks of the course, you have alot more free time because you have yourself organized and prepared, but in the first 2 3 weeks, you are always busy even after you go upstairs to your cube, preparing for inspections or doing homework or studying. For example in week one I remember being up even past lights out working on my kit, when in say..week 5, I would be done all my stuff for the next day around say 7pm..so I'd have 3 or 4 hours to myself, depending on when I wanted to go to bed...
You aren't constantly working 24/7, you do get breaks between classes during the day, and you get weekends off, so I guess the answer is, you get however much time you 'need' off.
I graduated bmq on the 27th of Jan.. 77 echo.. YAR! heh..you won't know what that means unless you were there. heh...
Anyway, I suppose the right answer to this is yes you get free time, you get what you 'need', basically. After you are confined to base for the first 3 weeks you get your weekend off, if your course doesn't mess up and you earn it. You will get to leave the base or stay, it's up to you...usually from then on you get your weekends off to do whatever you want, usually to go blow your whole paycheck in Montreal at dirty hotels and sleezy strip joints, or you can stay and blow your money some other way...somehow..you never seem to be able to keep money saved... Anyways, besides weekends off, your day during the week (unless in the field) usually ends around 5 or 6, depending on the schedule. You'll go to supper then the night is yours to prepare for the next day. Now it varies so much from day to day, but usually by the last few weeks of the course, you have alot more free time because you have yourself organized and prepared, but in the first 2 3 weeks, you are always busy even after you go upstairs to your cube, preparing for inspections or doing homework or studying. For example in week one I remember being up even past lights out working on my kit, when in say..week 5, I would be done all my stuff for the next day around say 7pm..so I'd have 3 or 4 hours to myself, depending on when I wanted to go to bed...
You aren't constantly working 24/7, you do get breaks between classes during the day, and you get weekends off, so I guess the answer is, you get however much time you 'need' off.
- Reaction score
- 0
- Points
- 110
Hey CL84 or anybody else, what public transportation is available in St. Jean to get you out of there for a weekend? Montreal is definitely a place to go to blow of some steam and to get a change of scenery.
- Reaction score
- 0
- Points
- 210
Best way:
Round up 6 guys and rent a van(make sure one of you is gonna be responsible)
We could usually get one for $70 from the Discount in town for the weekend (Fri night to Sunday) or compacts are $38/day and they pick you up at the base. A cab ride home Sunday will run you $8 and parking downtown Mtl $17 overnight. Cheaper than a cab, and for 5-6 guys it's cheaper and faster than the bus.
Round up 6 guys and rent a van(make sure one of you is gonna be responsible)
We could usually get one for $70 from the Discount in town for the weekend (Fri night to Sunday) or compacts are $38/day and they pick you up at the base. A cab ride home Sunday will run you $8 and parking downtown Mtl $17 overnight. Cheaper than a cab, and for 5-6 guys it's cheaper and faster than the bus.
- Reaction score
- 0
- Points
- 110
Thanks for the tip TheCheez. Now I just have to wait for the call from CFRC to start Basic. 
- Reaction score
- 0
- Points
- 210
The only free time at BMQ you get is the weekends they let you have off, thats if your platoon doesn't fuck up. If you have any free time at the the end of a week day then you're not helping your platoon, or doing your platoon duties. I only get 2 15 min breaks a day after 5pm ish when you head upstairs to your bunks.
Not enought time to shine boots, iron, clean the bathrooms, laundry rooms, hallways, elevator room, label kit, do homework, clean your rifle, practice drill, practice weapons drill etc....
Never enough time...
Not enought time to shine boots, iron, clean the bathrooms, laundry rooms, hallways, elevator room, label kit, do homework, clean your rifle, practice drill, practice weapons drill etc....
Never enough time...
- Reaction score
- 5
- Points
- 430
J-Swift said:
And, perhaps, that 5 or 12 day break after each two-day training period?
- Reaction score
- 0
- Points
- 210
Their isnt much homework in Basic
other then the fact you gotta work on your kit everynight to get ready for inspection for the next morning, the tests are easy as long as you paid attention while in class, the one test you should study for is the first aid test, that seams to be one of the harder tests they have at basic. you get enough free time at the end of the day, but its not really free time untill you are off CB, you basicly go up to your floor work on your kit and station jobs and if your all done, you can relax for a little bit, maybe go down to the break area if your platoon has that privlidge.
Just remember though, just because you think you are done all your kit, their is probably someone in the bunk near by who could use your hand in getting ready,
have fun in basic
other then the fact you gotta work on your kit everynight to get ready for inspection for the next morning, the tests are easy as long as you paid attention while in class, the one test you should study for is the first aid test, that seams to be one of the harder tests they have at basic. you get enough free time at the end of the day, but its not really free time untill you are off CB, you basicly go up to your floor work on your kit and station jobs and if your all done, you can relax for a little bit, maybe go down to the break area if your platoon has that privlidge.
Just remember though, just because you think you are done all your kit, their is probably someone in the bunk near by who could use your hand in getting ready,
have fun in basic
- Reaction score
- 0
- Points
- 210
I'm currently about half-way through a weekend PRes BMQ course and we just had to write a 1000 word essay on the history of our Section commander's regiment's history about the two Victoria Cross winners from his regt...
It wasn't hard, next we have to write a smaller min 2 page double spaced essay on our home units' history... We have the whole two weeks between training to do it though, it's nothing honestly...
I think they do it just to keep us thinking about course while we're gone, and to see if anyone f*ck's up and forgets to do something they were told to do!
Joe
It wasn't hard, next we have to write a smaller min 2 page double spaced essay on our home units' history... We have the whole two weeks between training to do it though, it's nothing honestly...
I think they do it just to keep us thinking about course while we're gone, and to see if anyone f*ck's up and forgets to do something they were told to do!
Joe
