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My week in Aubagne 2019 candidate

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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.
 
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Did you end up asking to leave, or did one of the tests trip you up?
I suppose the selection staff would still be the same from when I was there, did you see the Russian Caporal-Chef with the big muscles? Candidates like to call him "The Russian Terminator." Usually seen with his infamous aviator shades all while doing his best to scare the shit out of new Rouges.
 
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Colorado guy busted for smoking weed before entering. Civil due to drugs.
How dare? lmao

About the Psychometric thing, what exactly is that, a questionnaire or just a conversation with the Doc.?
Do you or anybody else mind explain the difference between Blue and Red, I have seen in documentaries, some
guys all mixed and one or two with a piece of blue / red cloth.
 

Sohito

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I will add something also:
What about emphasize on French language, and what is level among candidates and how seems expectations? I absolutely don't ask to get chance and be taken off the hook, I am still going to learn French as much as I can.

Which kinds of tests are within psychometric testing? Patterns, folding shapes, numbers, verbal?

And something I was always curious about- how looks medical? On one side I saw that disqualifying are only serious problems, but a lot of people still seem to fail them...

Injured Yourself running to canteen on day 1? That seems lucky...
 
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And something I was always curious about- how looks medical? On one side I saw that disqualifying are only serious problems, but a lot of people still seem to fail them...
I have seem many comments about people being desquilified coz problems with heart, or need to re-do the
exams...I am pretty sure I will do basic exams (bloody and heart) before going there
 

USMCRET

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"Colorado guy busted for smoking weed before entering. Civil due to drugs. "

Typical. 😂

For those not in the know, Colorado is one of the states in the US that legalized marijuana for recreational use.

Ha, Peyton Manning opened a bunch of PaPa John's Pizza Stores around the weed stores, BRILLIANT.
 
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Our CCHs were all depressed as fuck.
We had a Spaniard, a Brazilian, a Pole, and quite a few Russians as CCHs.

The injury didn’t stop me hitting 7 on luc leger and going blue.

I was forced out by a CPL. I don’t know if I’ll return later, move on with life, or try for other militaries.

Most of the people in the FFL currently are on wits end. The skilled and good guys are retiring early or leaving on contract end. Only those with no options seem to be looming around as CCH/CPL beyond their contract.

Everyone in 2REP seems to have fucked up legs. Don’t ask me why. Like nearly all of the repmen were limping a little.

Psychometric tests is your ability to recognise patterns, 3D and 2D, and maps. I’m not going to spoil these because you should be able to figure this out on the day.


Here’s some other interesting things;

Learn to eat fast. You have 10 minutes safe time to eat. Afterwards you watch for the CCH and leave when he does.

The food is alright, but rotated between Indian and Russian cooks. Generally speaking the Russian cooks are better since the Indian ones skimp our on meat and actually giving you any food.

Bring something warm because you’re bumming around outside as a paradise candidate. There’s a shipping container type of hut that you can squat in.

Take toilet paper whenever you can.

The Colorado dude was so woke he woke himself out of legion like a dumbass.

There were some relics (age 30+) that were in blue and red. Oldest was over 35 so don’t give up grandpa.

The California dude was a goddamn pansy and I told him he needed to straighten up and take it seriously.
 
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Our CCHs were all depressed as fuck.
We had a Spaniard, a Brazilian, a Pole, and quite a few Russians as CCHs.

The injury didn’t stop me hitting 7 on luc leger and going blue.

I was forced out by a CPL. I don’t know if I’ll return later, move on with life, or try for other militaries.

Most of the people in the FFL currently are on wits end. The skilled and good guys are retiring early or leaving on contract end. Only those with no options seem to be looming around as CCH/CPL beyond their contract.

Everyone in 2REP seems to have fucked up legs. Don’t ask me why. Like nearly all of the repmen were limping a little.

Psychometric tests is your ability to recognise patterns, 3D and 2D, and maps. I’m not going to spoil these because you should be able to figure this out on the day.


Here’s some other interesting things;

Learn to eat fast. You have 10 minutes safe time to eat. Afterwards you watch for the CCH and leave when he does.

The food is alright, but rotated between Indian and Russian cooks. Generally speaking the Russian cooks are better since the Indian ones skimp our on meat and actually giving you any food.

Bring something warm because you’re bumming around outside as a paradise candidate. There’s a shipping container type of hut that you can squat in.

Take toilet paper whenever you can.
lmao, this seems terrible, but definitely more interesting and chalenging than my currently life...
 
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Honestly?

It’s not that bad. For a boot camp things move in a good pace but it’s just wasting time.

If you can find a place to sit and don’t get smoked and stand in formation for 30-90 minutes then you’ll make it out.

The rarest object in the legion, second to the left hand of Cap Danjou is a mop. In the legion I’ve only seen one mop in the entire week. Everyone uses a rag (sapier) on a stick. It’s primitive here.

You are quite literally slaves in the camp, and they’ll send you off to the Malmosque (hotel resort) or Invalids (retirement home) as slave labour for the Legion whilst you wait to go Rouge.

Getting in is pure luck, whether you have a prick CCH or a good assignment or not. If you have a staff member breathing down your neck or you get assigned some bad task, game over no legion for you.

If you’re ~18 you get different jobs. Some French kid who was around 17.5 years old was literally a cup bearer and gofor (go for this, go for that) for the Legion staff.

I got around €150 euros and not even a lift to the train station when I went civil. Even that took around 8 hours to go from telling me I’m civil to actually stepping out into the gate.

150 euros for 10+ hours a day for 8 days. Keep this in mind.
 
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F-u Beeleader :)
HAha oil up those joints old man and tell them you’ll sign on for a career contract rather than 5.

The best part is when the candidate is older than the Sergent. Now that’s hilarious.

Also, the PH neutral floor bleach detergent the Legion uses is going to forever be ingrained into my nose. It’ll cause PTSD for me if I ever get a whiff of that.
 
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dusaboss

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The best part is when the candidate is older than the Sergent. Now that’s hilarious.
Why? He have more experience than me in FFL so it's logical that he gonna give orders. I don't have any problem with that. I would rather have OK sergeant younger than me than older who is total prick
 
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Paradise = preselection.

Blue = selection. You lose your civvy stuff, get given blue clothes and a camo coat, and your issued backpack of personal stuff.

Rouge/red = selected. Shaved head, beret, full camo and boots, red square. When the whistle sounds, you form up and chant “un, dou, trois, ROUGE” and run to the CCH.

Starting in Aubagne you should make Rouge by 2 weeks maximum, and then Castel a week or so after.

Why? He have more experience than me in FFL so it's logical that he gonna give orders. I don't have any problem with that. I would rather have OK sergeant younger than me than older who is total prick
It makes for some interesting interaction and juxtapositions.
 
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Paradise = preselection.

Blue = selection. You lose your civvy stuff, get given blue clothes and a camo coat, and your issued backpack of personal stuff.

Rouge/red = selected. Shaved head, beret, full camo and boots, red square. When the whistle sounds, you form up and chant “un, dou, trois, ROUGE” and run to the CCH.

Starting in Aubagne you should make Rouge by 2 weeks maximum, and then Castel a week or so after.


It makes for some interesting interaction and juxtapositions.
Why starting in Aubagne, is the farm also in Aubagne or for those who enlisted in other PILE?
 

Le petit caporal

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The farm is when you get to Castelnaudary for training. .
Not to be confused with Puyoublier, (210 hectares)
 
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Why start Aubagne?

Check previous posts for mention of Paris.

To become Blue you must pass the polytechnic, health, and fitness (luc leger) test.

Joining in Paris = blue in 7-10 days in Aubagne.
Joining in Aubagne = blue in 2-3 days, after the tests.
 

Perun

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Thank you for the insight mate.
What ever you decide (trying again or not) good luck!
 
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well you gave it your best shot. If it´s true what you are saying i think it´s a shame that guys give effort & prepare for it & get messed around there. So a Cpl did not like you? mobbed you out? at least you know you passed all the tests. Maybe when (if) you go back you won´t see him.
 
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