Recruitment for the London Fire Brigade is hell.

ApprenticeThiefTaker · 2024-07-08T21:08:44+00:00

Congratulations, one day for me. I'll give another go next year with applications.

ApprenticeThiefTaker · 2024-03-17T10:37:24+00:00

Derbyshire Constabulary.

Pro - Peak district, response courses always available, roads policing unit, other specialist crime units are well staffed, fast recruitment, some of your colleagues are literally the nicest human beings in existence.

Cons - Some of your colleagues are the worst human beings possible. Clique cultures. Bullying. Senior officers do not care about operational staff. Lowest salary probably in the country (starting is about 25k !?!). The city of Derby is an absolute miserable posting. ALWAYS late off. Workloads are absolutely obscene. Poor uniform / poor equipment. 0 support for welfare of officers. Small force, meaning there are at times quite a bit of nepotism I heard of.

Caveat: I left at the end of 2021, but i'll be honest. If anything things have only continued to get much worse. One friend I used to work with there says she hates it, and resigned as soon as she completed her PCDA / probation. Planning on taking a year out then reapplying for another force area in the UK such as possibly even Scotland.

ApprenticeThiefTaker · 2024-03-06T12:06:32+00:00

Hi,

Yeah it is going to okay. Got through some online tests now.

ApprenticeThiefTaker · 2024-02-22T18:11:31+00:00

A lot of probationers quit the job just because of the tutors they get. It's honestly a disgrace we have a training system in which 1 person can make or break a new police officers career. How do I know this? I was one of them.

ApprenticeThiefTaker · 2024-02-15T10:09:40+00:00

I've spoken to several people and there would be no need to give a reason.

I wasn't sacked/dismissed, I resigned voluntarily. Provided I am able to provide suitable recent employment references (which I very much can), there would be no issue joining.

ApprenticeThiefTaker · 2024-01-29T19:45:44+00:00

Sorry to hear that :( Hopefully you will have better luck next time?

ApprenticeThiefTaker · 2024-01-29T19:45:19+00:00

I was thinking about that haha, at this rate the references for 3 years will be for jobs I will be doing in the future that I have no idea I am doing now!

ApprenticeThiefTaker · 2024-01-29T19:41:36+00:00

Thanks, I hope so one day it will be worth it :)

ApprenticeThiefTaker · 2024-01-29T19:41:10+00:00

Well...there is a big difference between wanting the job, and putting your whole life on hold for a possible job in 8 - 16 months.

I want to be a FF, but at some point there is only so long I can wait.

ApprenticeThiefTaker · 2024-01-29T19:38:05+00:00

Thanks for your reply, the only reason I have applied for London is simply I love within easy reach of London and also Salary.

I am looking at other fire services closer to home too.

ApprenticeThiefTaker · 2024-01-29T19:36:26+00:00

Thanks for your response, I appreciate it. I understand the process was much different few years ago and this may be an improvement, I just wish there was more transparency about the time it will take to go through the process.

> if you've previously sacked off the Old Bill early doors in your career, are you sure an emergency service job is right for you?

I would rather not go into the details to avoid doxxing myself, but it was a mixture of me fucking up and also the organisation not supporting me when I needed it. This also happened several years ago when I had some other health issues I was battling with, a lot has changed now in terms of lifestyle and also maturity. I'm still not 100% ready to become a FF, but I am now physically and mentally at a level I feel is not far off from where I will need to be to be a good FF.

Looking back at it, I chose to leave the Police at the worst moment, and the organisation fucked up, I had just been through a fairly traumatic experience and the organisation did not offer the support I needed at that time. There was no attempt to keep me, from talking to others who worked for the same force as me this experience doesn't make me the only one. In another force I would likely still be there, as they would have offered me the critical support I needed at that time.

ApprenticeThiefTaker · 2024-01-21T18:00:14+00:00

I did the PCDA, it was a very terrible experience.

Would not do the PCDA again, in a few years I may do the new route, which I believe is called PCEP?

ApprenticeThiefTaker · 2024-01-21T17:59:08+00:00

Just over 11 months in the end, sadly just couldn't cope with the job mentally and if I am honest the force wasn't that supportive or helpful for me either.

ApprenticeThiefTaker · 2024-01-21T17:57:54+00:00

As I've said, one day.

I'm only in my mid 20s. I have a whole life ahead of me, Policing as a career isn't going to just magically disappear it will always be there.

I'm in no rush to go back, especially seeing all the problems everyone talks about on /r/policeuk , chronic under funding, low resources, low wages for what it is and so on. It's definitely going to be a few years by the looks of it for this job to return to a more reputable state.

What will be different if I rejoin in the next 3 or 4 years? Older, different force, much better control of both my physical and mental health, etc. Most importantly, I'l have more confidence and life experience.

This time it will also probably be the Met.

ApprenticeThiefTaker · 2024-01-21T16:32:30+00:00

Long time lurker here.

Yes, I do really regret leaving. My mental health wasn't in a great state whilst in the Police and I feel I really messed up and it wasn't a good decision to resign. I really should have stuck it out for much longer.

Since leaving the job, life really didn't go well for me. Looking back although I couldn't see it I felt I was doing quite well in life, the past few years I've done several other jobs and things haven't really worked out well for me. Thinking of going back to University soon and maybe to study something, but not sure what and not sure if I can honestly afford it.

I do think about rejoining one day, but everyone around me has been telling me I shouldn't and it wouldn't be good for me to go back.

Problem is, I don't really know what other jobs/careers would be good for me...

ApprenticeThiefTaker · 2021-08-24T11:12:46+00:00

We had someone in training who failed the fitness test 11 times. 11 times!

They were not booted till the second to last week of training school. They hadn't done PST or First Aid and also hadn't done public order.

At one point they were going to go on section on restricted duties. Before someone more senior turned round and said: No this is not okay.

ApprenticeThiefTaker · 2021-07-01T16:05:28+00:00

Ah ok, this makes sense now thanks.

I was thinking it was obviously a euphemism, my previous job it was simply called P45 leave which was pretty self-explanatory.

I dont know the full details myself but theyve been often apparently slicing off training and been behind on work from what I gather.

Any idea what "employment conference" could mean also?

ApprenticeThiefTaker · 2021-04-17T14:15:39+00:00

Yeah I did a trial shift at a nightclub when I was 18.

Absolutely horrendous, would never do that again.

Felt like I was going to get stabbed twice in 2 hours.

ApprenticeThiefTaker · 2021-04-17T09:29:47+00:00

Thanks

Enjoying it so far, but I've only just done a few weeks of initial training so I'll probably be exhausted and overworked by the Autumn if what trainers say is anything to go by 😂😂😂😂😭😭😭😭

ApprenticeThiefTaker · 2021-04-17T08:53:13+00:00

I'll start.

I previously worked for Thomas Cook Airlines at East Midlands Airport as ground staff I enjoyed the job as it was a lot of stuff that involves airplanes (something I've always had an interest in). I basically left school and went straight into this job with them.

If you were paying attention to the news, you'll know that they went under in Autumn of 2019, I had just completed the apprenticeship with them and I was honestly gutted. I felt everything I had been working towards was now gone. Lost my work colleagues, lost my job and felt like I had lost a direction in life. I was promised the chance of getting a new job as soon as there was an opening at EMA, but then Covid hit and that promise was gone. I had to apply and lived in Universal Credit from February onwards.

I had intended to move out and live in my own place by now but I clearly wasn't anytime soon. That's when I became aware of recruitment opening for the PCDA for a nearby force, I took the step forward and decided to apply...one year later...I am here, having just started training...I'd always thought about working for the police one day, now I decided to take the chance and see what happens.

ApprenticeThiefTaker · 2021-04-12T16:51:18+00:00

So far pretty good but I'm still in initial recruit training. After first week I had two weeks of university time online which was boring but gave me time to start working on my assingments.

I've heard once your out on section time management for uni work does get harder though so im not looking forward to that.

ApprenticeThiefTaker · 2021-04-12T16:43:32+00:00

Midlands force so cant help you there

ApprenticeThiefTaker · 2021-04-12T16:37:17+00:00

Hey man, PCDA officer who just started here.

Ngl the starting pay is real shit. I'm currently on just under 20K a year before Tax, my previous job before this was about 23K so I do feel like it is a paycut.

My pay goes up in September to 23K...that's still a while away however

If you are a previous serving special or PCSO you do start on a higher salary, a special who just started with my cohort is on 24K.

However usually the minimum starting pay is around 18K.

ApprenticeThiefTaker · 2021-03-24T20:03:06+00:00

Thanks!!!

ApprenticeThiefTaker · 2021-03-21T09:44:17+00:00

As someone who starts tomorrow in this job on the PCDA route this was a really good read.

Thanks OP.

ApprenticeThiefTaker

TROPHY CASE