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My week in Aubagne 2019 candidate

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Wasn’t too g
French might come Quick.. Nö der, die, das.. In high school we learned french then after 2years you could learn german

Wasn’t too good in school never listened 😂 as my grades in school don’t exist 😂😂😂is it possible to ask for a full contract during selection 😂
 
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Wasn’t too g


Wasn’t too good in school never listened 😂 as my grades in school don’t exist 😂😂😂is it possible to ask for a full contract during selection 😂
Most of us did,not either.. 😆 Actually i found i was more concentrated later in life. Your secound chance bro 👍
 
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Most of us did,not either.. 😆 Actually i found i was more concentrated later in life. Your secound chance bro 👍
[/

Think the military attracts the class clowns as the brits describe their new advertising campaign it’s acc embarrassing British army gone from the best army to the gayest army in the world remmber seeing blokes get kicked out cause some lad reported them to chain off command for bullying acc sickness me another reason why I got out after 4 years hopefully the legion is what it says it is a brutal fighting force il miss Brecon tho 😂😂🤣
 
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Think the military attracts the class clowns as the brits describe their new advertising campaign it’s acc embarrassing British army gone from the best army to the gayest army in the world remmber seeing blokes get kicked out cause some lad reported them to chain off command for bullying acc sickness me another reason why I got out after 4 years hopefully the legion is what it says it is a brutal fighting force il miss Brecon tho 😂😂🤣
 
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Think the military attracts the class clowns as the brits describe their new advertising campaign it’s acc embarrassing British army gone from the best army to the gayest army in the world remmber seeing blokes get kicked out cause some lad reported them to chain off command for bullying acc sickness me another reason why I got out after 4 years hopefully the legion is what it says it is a brutal fighting force il miss Brecon tho 😂😂🤣
Doubt if even the Légion is like it was when guys like jonny were in. Guy told me it was changing in the middle 80s. It's like anything you look for IT you'll get it... 😆
 
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Doubt if even the Légion is like it was when guys like jonny were in. Guy told me it was changing in the middle 80s. It's like anything you look for IT you'll get it... 😆
Are the legion still active atm going on tours and that still or has that stopped like the brits don’t really do it anymore haha
 
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Some details are modified for my protection.

With that aside, here’s my week enlisting in Aubagne and my advice to wannabes.

Arrive Monday 2-4 PM no earlier no later. 1 meal, bed, next day starts.

Clip your nails before you entering.

Bring a pack of cigs, remove some cigs and put a pair of earplugs in. Someone WILL sleep you up all night with their snoring and the cig packet will allow you to smuggle that into Blue/Rouge.

Here’s my week;
Day 0: arrived around 12. Had food, went bed, injured self running to canteen.
Day 1:. Psychometric.
Day 2:. Medical physical.
Day 3:. Blue.
Day 4:. Personality and hearing.
Day 5 to 7: sent to Legion base to work.
Day 8: back in Aubagne.

Rouge lasts 1-2 weeks. “Gestapo“, psychological, tent, interview, swimming all happens here.

Legion work could be at Puyloubier (Invalids) or La Malmousque or who knows. Prepare for boredom, expect around 6-12 hours per day wasted waiting around.

Observations as below:
French guy spoke English, went civil because miss family, Legion wasn’t what he expected, going to try for French army.
Latin American guy, good guy. Civil due to weak heart.
Brazilian guy, civil due to scar down arm.
California guy, didn’t take it seriously, complained the petit déjeuner (breakfast) was too petit, wasn’t prepared, dropped on stage 4 Luc-Léger. Civil.
Royal Thai army, infected the camp with a cold, snored like a train, civil due to breathing issues.
Someone snitched on a Mongol for “refusing to shower” (he was about to finish making bed). CCH smokes everyone naked for around 45 minutes running around the building at 9 PM. Russian guy went civil. Zimbabwe guy too.
4 people failed psycho-technical on my wave.
1 guy failed Psychometric on the gate (come on lads).
17 years 6 months kid, failed Luc-Léger, civil.
Ex Georgian special forces commando. Rejected due to the Legion not finding a job for him. Weird. Might be because he had debt issues.
Colorado guy busted for smoking weed before entering. Civil due to drugs.
Latin American Commandos and veterans all trying to join.
A former Latin American black op agent hiding from his government.
Guys from Paris all agreed joining at Fort de Nogent is awful. Takes a week in Paris to achieve what takes 3 days in Aubagne. You’ve been warned.
Russian mafia is real. Expect goodies from blues and reds if you’re Russian.
Cigarettes are now 5 euros for 10. Candidates aren’t happy.

Some CCH are chill, others CCH are pricks. Watch out for the one that smokes everyone for an hour because someone is late.
Go ahead and ask any questions about the modern enlistment process and my time.

Up until today I am still considering where to go first. My heart says Aubagne coz they said they are tougher there. For some reason in my head, if you wanna join the dragon's den club, why go to a place with lesser dragons?

The dude that smoked up, seriously I am not even a soldier I know that's disrespectful.

The earplugs trick thank you and LOL.

Based on your story, it seems there are a lot of weird and non serious enlisters.
 

Le petit caporal

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It has always been like that.
Seems that joining at Aubange is easier than Paris...could be true
 
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It has always been like that.
Seems that joining at Aubange is easier than Paris...could be true

But but after reading here I get mixed information, most say in Aubagne makes u do cleaning and mopping and some other hazing. Some are complaining about it. I was thinking to myself why are they complaining coz you get something to do while you wait and you get to adjust a little bit of army life and also get to know some CO's. If you want to be a part of something strip your pride and just accept the new culture. If not why bother wasting the legion's time.
 

Joseph Cosgrove

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Whether you join in Paris or Aubagne you will be doing cleaning. Why, for one hygiene. Let's be honest the place has to be clean. And then, among other reasons there is the fact that people are coming from all walks of life. People coming from very poor countries will never have used a broom in their life, it's a woman's job. And then there are those who have lived at home all their lives, it's a mum's job.
The reasons are many. To keep people occupied, to see if they are wiling to take orders. To give them a taste of what they will be doing for the next five years.
Actually that last reason was a slight attempt at humour on my part. Here is how it works once you get into your new regiment, company, section. You are the new comer, it's understood that you will be given all the sh$tty jobs to begin with. This is not a legion trade mark, it happens in every army all over the world, even if you join as an officer.
But back to our legionnaire. After a while there will be others affected to you section. Then around the 10 months period you will be promoted to the dizzy heights of legionnaire 1ère classeo_O:love:. Although it's not got the same merit as in the days of Le pertit Cpl, Mark and Pink Floyd, Papillion et j'en passe (which was different to the days of Votigeur and Jonny) it still makes a difference to the liste de corvées on the section's notice board.

And then you go on your corporal's course. When you have finished that you think that you will have have the good life ! You've got it made!!!
No way, you are the newest Cpl in your section. You will then start learning the ropes. Tradition has it that you will will be the next Cpl de Jour, contrary to what the name implies it is for a week. It will be you who makes the list of corvées. This is all good because it helps to distance (if that is the right word) from you old fellow 1st class legionnaires and you as a Cpl.
The next time that your section has to provide a Cpl de Semaine which as the name implies is for a week:ROFLMAO:, you as the new Cpl are the obvious choice.
Basically the Sgt and Cpl de Semaine, run the company after working hours, the Cpl de semaine is in charge of the company's corvée, waking up the company etc. There is a lot more involved than that. The good thing is that you are now accepted by the whole company as a caporal.
So if anyone is still cleaning toilets after 2 years, then he deserves to.
 
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Whether you join in Paris or Aubagne you will be doing cleaning. Why, for one hygiene. Let's be honest the place has to be clean. And then, among other reasons there is the fact that people are coming from all walks of life. People coming from very poor countries will never have used a broom in their life, it's a woman's job. And then there are those who have lived at home all their lives, it's a mum's job.
The reasons are many. To keep people occupied, to see if they are wiling to take orders. To give them a taste of what they will be doing for the next five years.
Actually that last reason was a slight attempt at humour on my part. Here is how it works once you get into your new regiment, company, section. You are the new comer, it's understood that you will be given all the sh$tty jobs to begin with. This is not a legion trade mark, it happens in every army all over the world, even if you join as an officer.
But back to our legionnaire. After a while there will be others affected to you section. Then around the 10 months period you will be promoted to the dizzy heights of legionnaire 1ère classeo_O:love:. Although it's not got the same merit as in the days of Le pertit Cpl, Mark and Pink Floyd, Papillion et j'en passe (which was different to the days of Votigeur and Jonny) it still makes a difference to the liste de corvées on the section's notice board.

And then you go on your corporal's course. When you have finished that you think that you will have have the good life ! You've got it made!!!
No way, you are the newest Cpl in your section. You will then start learning the ropes. Tradition has it that you will will be the next Cpl de Jour, contrary to what the name implies it is for a week. It will be you who makes the list of corvées. This is all good because it helps to distance (if that is the right word) from you old fellow 1st class legionnaires and you as a Cpl.
The next time that your section has to provide a Cpl de Semaine which as the name implies is for a week:ROFLMAO:, you as the new Cpl are the obvious choice.
Basically the Sgt and Cpl de Semaine, run the company after working hours, the Cpl de semaine is in charge of the company's corvée, waking up the company etc. There is a lot more involved than that. The good thing is that you are now accepted by the whole company as a caporal.
So if anyone is still cleaning toilets after 2 years, then he deserves to.

Well said. I love this forum haha.
 
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Think the military attracts the class clowns as the brits describe their new advertising campaign it’s acc embarrassing British army gone from the best army to the gayest army in the world remmber seeing blokes get kicked out cause some lad reported them to chain off command for bullying acc sickness me another reason why I got out after 4 years hopefully the legion is what it says it is a brutal fighting force il miss Brecon tho 😂😂🤣
My son works at an ATR. He has been there some time and training is much softer. As for Brecon I was there in winter 1958 ! I don't think that all standards and competence of the end product has deteriorated. Now recruits have to take on much more than in days of yore and they are more intelligent. We were street wise and had a natural cunning. We still have some superb units who have not let standards drop. I believe that some of the current top brass are too PC conscious with lots of nonsense, Gay Pride Marches etc and instructors being given the red card if they appear too aggressive to recruits. Of course I am biased.;)
 
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My advice to all ...if you have the funds go directly to Aubagne ‘HQ
Would you say there are at least some possible benefits of going to Paris first? Maybe it can help to get acclimated to handle oneself better when it really counts in Aubagne so it's not a complete shock? Just try to weight pros and cons for each route.
 

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Would you say there are at least some possible benefits of going to Paris first? Maybe it can help to get acclimated to handle oneself better when it really counts in Aubagne so it's not a complete shock? Just try to weight pros and cons for each route.
Its usually Cheaper to fly into Paris than into Marseille. Also if you are rejected you will be returned to the centre where you first presented yourself, example, you presented yourself at FDN, make it through and go to Aubagne where you fail selection there. The Legion will then return you to Paris.
 

Joseph Cosgrove

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It is the same thing that I've been repeating over and over, It's a question of budget. FdeN will have a quota of how many people they can send down every week or every two weeks. In my day, you did your medical in Paris and all those who were fit enough took the slow night train down from Paris (after about 10 days) paid for by the French army's budget. I've been told, but am not sure, that it comes out of the legion's budget now.
Either way, the fact that they have you doing your pull ups in Paris is to weed out those that they will send down. The rest of the time is spent giving you jobs to see if you are willing to put up with it. Remember that the legion is under no obligation to explain why you have been rejected,
By turning up directly you will miss out on the two weeks or so in Paris and can start on the real selection process. You will have saved up enough money to pay for your fare back to Paris. If you are rejected in Paris (again this is not confirmed) you will not be paid.
 

Joseph Cosgrove

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Would you say there are at least some possible benefits of going to Paris first? Maybe it can help to get acclimated to handle oneself better when it really counts in Aubagne so it's not a complete shock? Just try to weight pros and cons for each route.
Acclimatized as to the weather conditions? Or perhaps you are talking about the sudden culture difference, food etc? I'd say it really does not matter which place you turn up at if that is the case. The south of France is obviously warmer than Paris, but otherwise there is no difference.
 

Le petit caporal

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They are some times sent from Paris to Aubange by bus (saw that on a T.V. docu (bus is / was a TRACER = 52 Pax / - the driver, the Chef de detatchment and his adjoint. ..= 49 potienal recruits (?)
Summer time the trains going south are always loaded or on strike. .
Re, not paid in Paris. ..I remain doubtful
Once you enter a military base / camp. The State is responsable for you (liability, insurance, accidents and what ever)
Making you do Corvée and not get paid for it. They have severe laws for undeclared working, in France
Accidents do happen
You might slice a finger working in the kitchen. ..slip on a bar of soap cleaning the showers etc
How do you explain that to the hospital. ..a more or less serious accident for un paid work in the Legion ?
Even the Jail birds get privileges for mopping a floor
Also, no one can force a prisonnier to work against his will
We need more feed back
It's a costly trip from Paris to Aubange
 
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