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Covid-19 and joining -Important update

Le petit caporal

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Translation : as expected, recruitment resumed today. Many of you are showing up. Due to the current particular health context, all candidates present in the country must send the file to be called up. You'll be contacted quickly.
Applicants outside France must only send the forms once they are present in France.

Three things worth noting before getting too “excited” (this applies for candidates not already present in France) :
1. Nothing is said on how to enter France while borders are still closed.
2. They say “you'll be contacted quickly”, but don't say anything more precise about the time frame. Is it only a matter of a couple of days, one week, two weeks, more..? FYI, on the FB page, one guy posted a comment saying he sent the application form on 1st May and 11 days later hadn't yet received a reply.
3. Assuming a foreign candidate manages to enter the country, he'll need to get access to the internet to send out the form (no big deal), and have a place to live in for some time, pending the reply from the Legion. This second point would certainly prove a bit more tricky (and costly).

So, again, my advice to foreign candidates, who are not already in France and don't have any sort of connection in the country (e.g. somebody who could put them up): wait & see... Next phase of the progressive easing of lockdown measures is scheduled to start on 2 June. By that date one should have a clearer view on the evolution of the situation. Borders with EU countries might be reopened around mid-June. Give it till the end of June before embarking on a trip to France that could put you in a difficult situation.
Just my opinion, based on plain common sense.
I got a reply !!
"Veuillez contacter l'un des PILE.

Ils sauront mieux vous informer

LILLE : PILE de Lille caserne Négrier rue princesse 59 000 Lille 03.28.36.08.72

Strasbourg : PILE de Strasbourg 1 rue d’Ostende 67 000 Strasbourg

Bordeaux, 260 rue pelleport 33 800 Bordeaux 05.56.92.99.64

Nice : PILE de Nice Caserne Filley 2 rue sincaire 06300 Nice 06.02.46.18.54

Perpignan : Pile de Perpignan Caserne joffre rue jen vieilledent 66 020 Perpignan "

The first part is please contact one of the PILE they will be better placed to inform you.
It is quite obvious that the person doesn't give a f*ck. He has just clicked on a standard response which more or less says go and bother someone else. I've just written back telling him so and adding that I hope that it is one of his superiors who receives it.

I mean this is a shinny arse in an office who is paid to inform people. I wonder how long he served in a combat section before being 'lured' to his vocation of working the rest of his career in an office?
Yes, it says that the recruiting centers at Fontenay-sous-Bois (i.e. the Fort de Nogent) and Aubagne will resume the selection process. They say also say they plan to recruit 1,750 volunteers this year. However, again, not sure how it'll work in practice. Borders with the EU countries will remain closed till at least 15 June and with the rest of the world, no date has been set yet. If some members have connections in Aubagne, and could provide some insight, that would be useful.

Lettre type
 
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Translation : as expected, recruitment resumed today. Many of you are showing up. Due to the current particular health context, all candidates present in the country must send the file to be called up. You'll be contacted quickly.
Applicants outside France must only send the forms once they are present in France.

Three things worth noting before getting too “excited” (this applies for candidates not already present in France) :
1. Nothing is said on how to enter France while borders are still closed.
2. They say “you'll be contacted quickly”, but don't say anything more precise about the time frame. Is it only a matter of a couple of days, one week, two weeks, more..? FYI, on the FB page, one guy posted a comment saying he sent the application form on 1st May and 11 days later hadn't yet received a reply.
3. Assuming a foreign candidate manages to enter the country, he'll need to get access to the internet to send out the form (no big deal), and have a place to live in for some time, pending the reply from the Legion. This second point would certainly prove a bit more tricky (and costly).

So, again, my advice to foreign candidates, who are not already in France and don't have any sort of connection in the country (e.g. somebody who could put them up): wait & see... Next phase of the progressive easing of lockdown measures is scheduled to start on 2 June. By that date one should have a clearer view on the evolution of the situation. Borders with EU countries might be reopened around mid-June. Give it till the end of June before embarking on a trip to France that could put you in a difficult situation.
Just my opinion, based on plain common sense.
But I got response with 7 hours after sending my form, I live in Greece and I was told I should send another form immediately after the reopening of the EU borders, and I should send the form along with a screenshot of my flight ticket so they can give me an appointment according to the date on my flight ticket. The first commercial flight from Greece to Paris officially starts from 1st of June, but I will rather fly on mid June.
 

Rapace

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But I got response with 7 hours after sending my form, I live in Greece and I was told I should send another form immediately after the reopening of the EU borders, and I should send the form along with a screenshot of my flight ticket so they can give me an appointment according to the date on my flight ticket. The first commercial flight from Greece to Paris officially starts from 1st of June, but I will rather fly on mid June.
That's interesting, but if my understanding is correct you haven't yet sent the application form itself. You've just been told that you could send it once you've got a flight booked into France and you then would receive a firm appointment, right? But, even so, this seems to be a slight relaxation of their initial instructions stating that the form should only be sent once you're on French territory. Maybe be they made an exception for candidates coming from another EU country, anticipating the re-opening of the internal EU borders. Would be interesting to know how they would handle a similar case for a candidate coming from outside the EU. I'm pretty sure the situation will still evolve in the coming weeks.
 

Joseph Cosgrove

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Well all the best of luck. If possible can you keep us informed of how you get on. What interests us most is how long you will have to wait for your appointment once you have shown them your plane ticket (scan). Coming from Greece if they give you the appointment for the next day it won't be so bad. However coming from the US or NZ or OZ, it might be better to have a couple of days to get over the jet lag. On the other hand, it would not be too good to arrive from Greece and have to wait around two or three days.

As Rapace points out, it is still early days yet. What i think will happen is that they will isolate the person for 15 days and then send them through to Aubagne. In Paris FdN it would be reasonably easy. A bit harder in Aubagne (perhaps in La Malmousque) or have fewer people in “paradise” in Aubagne.
 
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That's interesting, but if my understanding is correct you haven't yet sent the application form itself. You've just been told that you could send it once you've got a flight booked into France and you then would receive a firm appointment, right? But, even so, this seems to be a slight relaxation of their initial instructions stating that the form should only be sent once you're on French territory. Maybe be they made an exception for candidates coming from another EU country, anticipating the re-opening of the internal EU borders. Would be interesting to know how they would handle a similar case for a candidate coming from outside the EU. I'm pretty sure the situation will still evolve in the coming weeks.
Actually I sent a form, and no response for about a week, so I called and they picked telling me that if I didn't get response within 24 hours, that my mail got missing so they didn't see it, so I was asked to send another form which I did, then within 24 hours I got a respond telling me my PDF was empty, so they asked me to refill the form again, save it to my computer b4 sending it , so I did and I got a very quick reply, as I was told, even if I was outside Europe I will still get a response within 24 hours. Below the reply I got from the Legion. I will send in my form along with my ticket 5 days before my departure to France, so i don't have to start waiting , I hope I will get reply before my flight date :

Bonjour,
Nous avons bien reçu votre fichier de candidature, cependant au vue de la situation sanitaire actuelle et du fait de la fermeture des frontières nous ne traitons que les dossiers des candidats présents en France ou en mesure de s’y trouver.
Dès la réouverture des frontières nous vous invitons à nous transmettre une capture d’écran de votre billet d’avion ou de train, afin de confirmer votre arrivée en France veuillez nous renvoyer votre formulaire de pré-inscription.
Nous vous donnerons alors un rendez-vous en fonction des disponibilités,
Pour rappel: vous devez rejoindre la France par vos propres moyens, la Légion Étrangère n’intervenant pas dans les démarches administratives d’obtention d’un Visa ni dans l’achat des billets d’avion ou de train.
Cordialement


Dans le cas ou vous rejoindriez la France par la route, vous pouvez-vous présenter à tous moment dans un poste de recrutement de la Légion étrangère situé à proximité des frontières:

Lille : PILE de Lille caserne Négrier, rue princesse, 59000 Lille - tel: 03.28.36.08.72
Strasbourg : PILE de Strasbourg 1 rue d’Ostende, 67000 Strasbourg
Bordeaux: PILE de Bordeaux, 260 rue Pelleport,33800 Bordeaux - tel: 05.56.92.99.64
Nice : PILE de Nice Caserne Filley, 2 rue Sincaire, 06300 Nice - tel: 06.02.46.18.54
Perpignan : Pile de Perpignan Caserne joffre rue Jean Vieilledent 66020 Perpignan
 

Joseph Cosgrove

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.., afin de confirmer votre arrivée en France
...in order to confirm your arrival in France.

Basically what they are saying is once you have arrived in France you must send them proof. If your email permits it, ask for for a 'read', receipt. Keep sending it two times a day to be sure that they haven't overlooked it again. Or if not ask them to confirm that they have received it.

As I've said before, the legionnaires working in the offices in Aubagne are not the sharpest on the place d'armes. Otherwise you will be paying a lot of money to stay in hotels while the bureaux boys get their thumbs out of their...
 
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...in order to confirm your arrival in France.

Basically what they are saying is once you have arrived in France you must send them proof. If your email permits it, ask for for a 'read', receipt. Keep sending it two times a day to be sure that they haven't overlooked it again. Or if not ask them to confirm that they have received it.

As I've said before, the legionnaires working in the offices in Aubagne are not the sharpest on the place d'armes. Otherwise you will be paying a lot of money to stay in hotels while the bureaux boys get their thumbs out of their...
Do you think it's best to buy a one way ticket or a flight back 10 days later?
 

Rapace

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(...) Below the reply I got from the Legion.(...)
Below the English translation of the reply you got :

Hello,
We have received your application file, however, in view of the current health situation and due to the closure of the borders we only process the files of candidates present in France or able to be there. As soon as the borders reopen, we invite you to send us a screenshot of your plane or train ticket, in order to confirm your arrival in France please send us your pre-registration form. We will then give you an appointment based on availability.
As a reminder: you must reach France by your own means, the Foreign Legion does not intervene in the administrative procedures of obtaining a visa or in the purchase of air or train tickets.
Kind regards
In case you reach France by road, you can show up at any time in a recruitment post of the Foreign Legion located near the borders:

It's a bit confusing. They say they can only process the applications from candidates “already present in France” (nothing new per their previous instructions), “or able to be in France”. That last part of the sentence might be the slight relaxation of the rules I was mentioning previously. What does “able to be in France” exactly means? Not sure. If I try to make an educated guess, I would say that (i) the borders between France and the country you're coming from are open and (ii) you have a confirmed rain or plane ticket, hence maybe the reason why they request a copy of such ticket. Once those conditions are met, it'll be interesting to see if you they give you an appointment, even if you haven't yet traveled to France but are just in a position to reach the country.


Do you think it's best to buy a one way ticket or a flight back 10 days later?
Well... Already discussed many times in the past and not really related to the current Covid-19 pandemic situation. However, once again, the best option is clearly to purchase a flexible return ticket:
(a) May not be significantly more expensive than a one-way ticket;
(b) Depending on the country you're coming from, it may be made compulsory by the French consulate to grant you a visa (if you need one).
(c) Having a flexible ticket gives you all the necessary leeway, and avoid you getting stranded in France waiting for the (fixed) date of you inbound flight, if you're rejected early in the selection process.
 

Joseph Cosgrove

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Not directly related to joining, but this is something that really grips my sh$t.

COVID-19 News: European Health Chief Says Second Wave Of SARS-CoV-2 Is Imminent And Going To Be Worse

COVID-19 News: The chief of the European Union health advisory body on infections on Thursday warned of an imminent second wave of SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus infections, as countries across the continent ease tough lockdown measures.

COVID-19-News(4).jpg


The director of the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, Dr Andrea Ammon said that it was not a question of if there will be a renewed surge but "when and how big".

It is the same as the US special advisor to Pr Trump who stated more or less the same thing.

These people are great ! They all come out with these big statements. If it does not happen they will have quickly been forgotten about and someone will say Yes, but...

However, if it does come about they will be shouting out "I told you so. No would listen to me."
 

Rapace

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On the other hand, you have other specialists saying that the virus responsible for the Covid-19 will “disappear”, like the previous coronavirus responsible for the 2003 SARS. I think that all we know is that we don't know. In the interim, stay cool and have a beer... :D 🍻
 

voltigeur

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On the other hand, you have other specialists saying that the virus responsible for the Covid-19 will “disappear”, like the previous coronavirus responsible for the 2003 SARS. I think that all we know is that we don't know. In the interim, stay cool and have a beer... :D 🍻
We have not changed our normal routine at all except in places where it is mandated to wear a mask, like dr's offices etc.
If I do get the virus, I'll deal with it then, in the meantime I am not going to lose sleep over it.
 

dusaboss

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I still don't know a single person with the virus.
Me neither. Does anyone directly know someone who had virus with serious symptoms or death? There was just too much talk about this virus and even I was taken by flow and mass hysteria. Was virus really that serious? I don't know I start to have doubts in official stories, maybe even giving room for some conspiracy theories?

If we gonna listen experts, most likely there would be a second wave at about winter time. Would it be easier or worse than first way? Nobody could say for sure. Any doctor who care about its reputation (or politician) should be restrained about predictions on that subject. No-one can know for sure... It could be worse than the first wave way or it could just stop same as the SARS did (as Rapace said) in 2003 and there wouldn't be a second wave.

My expert (;)) opinion is that second wave hardly can be worse than the first. Countries are now much more prepared, also many people already had virus without even realizing so there is some level of herd immunity. We shouldn't get too relaxed, but also I think not so concerned.
 
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No worries I know there is at least 4 vaccines in phase 2 even 3 so we already "post shitum"- le petit caporal.
There is some new cases in whuan Because the virus is mutating be strong and clean and take care your elders. I believe that the vaccine and more effective treatments will arrive by the end of this year no body wants 2021 look like 2020 so its a world f effort
 
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Surfguy

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Not directly related to joining, but this is something that really grips my sh$t.

COVID-19 News: European Health Chief Says Second Wave Of SARS-CoV-2 Is Imminent And Going To Be Worse

COVID-19 News: The chief of the European Union health advisory body on infections on Thursday warned of an imminent second wave of SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus infections, as countries across the continent ease tough lockdown measures.

COVID-19-News(4).jpg


The director of the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, Dr Andrea Ammon said that it was not a question of if there will be a renewed surge but "when and how big".

It is the same as the US special advisor to Pr Trump who stated more or less the same thing.

These people are great ! They all come out with these big statements. If it does not happen they will have quickly been forgotten about and someone will say Yes, but...

However, if it does come about they will be shouting out "I told you so. No would listen to me."
I think a second wave is inevitable , nothing has changed since Corona got to Europe , the virus is just as virulent/deadly , theres still no cure or vaccine , standby for a shit storm.
 

Rapace

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(...) Does anyone directly know someone who had virus with serious symptoms or death? (...)
I personally knew one person who died of Covid-19 (a former colleague, retired) and another one who got infected, but didn’t suffer a severe form of the disease and healed with minimum medical treatment at home.

Other than thant, phase 2 of the easing of lockdown measures was announced yesterday and will start on 2 June.

  • France is now rated all “green”, except the Île de France region (greater Paris) rated “orange” (see map below).

    1590759946016.png
  • Domestic travels restriction (beyond 100 km from home) is lifted.
  • Bars and restaurants will re-open. In Paris, only the terraces will be reopened.
  • Public parks will be reopened everywhere.
  • Borders are still closed.
  • Next (and probably last) phase will start on 22 June, unless there's a rebound in the pandemic.
 
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