The ABC’s of Military Postings
Military postings can be as easy as ABC, but there’s still a lot to think about, a lot of fine details. So let’s explore what to do before you get your posting message, after you receive it, then after your move.
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Special Guest
A former military member, Carole Lajoie is the Director of Education and Collaboration with the Canadian Armed Forces Ombudsman’s office in Ottawa, Ontario.
Highlights
- Updating your budget
- 2:54 Important questions to ask before you get your posting message
- Post Living Differential
- 8:27 After you get your posting message
- Things to consider during a house hunting trip
- What needs to be done after your move
Quotes
“The best way to get through a posting is that you share the load when you consider the conditions now, all you have to consider, it can be overwhelming, but it’s at the same time. There’s so many tools. It’s cool to have that so you can have a look before you actually get the posting instructions.” – Carole Lajoie
Connect
Links
- The ABC’s of Military Postings
- CAF Ombudsman
- House Hunting Trips – Information on Different Community Conditions
Thank you
- Thank you to Organized Sound Productions for their help bringing this podcast to life.
Transcript
Carole
The best way to get through a posting is that you share the load when you consider the conditions now, all you have to consider, it can be overwhelming, but it’s at the same time. There’s so many tools. It’s cool to have that so you can have a look before you actually get the posting instructions.
Intro
The military lifestyle is all encompassing. It’s difficult, but rewarding. Dynamic, very, very dynamic. Unpredictable. You are in the Canadian Armed Forces, or a family member connected to the military. You know, the lifestyle can be a challenge. The military lifestyle is always changing. In this podcast, we explore the world of deployments, postings, and transitions. This is The Military Lifestyle. Here’s your host Jon Chabun.
Jon
Military postings can be as easy as ABC, but there’s still a lot to think about a lot of fine details. So let’s explore what to do before you get your posting message, after you receive it, then after your move. A former military member Carole Lajoie is the Director of Education and Collaboration with the Canadian Armed Forces Ombudsman’s office. I’m talking with Carol from the Canadian Armed Forces ombudsman office. Good day, Carole. How you doing today?
Carole
Hi, Jon. How are you? Yes, I’m good.
Jon
The ombudsman they’ve got a great website ABCs of military postings. Go through the process. What are some things you should do before a posting?
Carole
Relocation and postings can be really overwhelming. So we try to break it down in three pieces. So the first one before you receive your posting message. So generally, you have an idea that your spouse or yourself or military you’re about to be posted. Sometimes you have an idea where and sometimes not. So the first part Part A is really you don’t need to have all the details where you’re going but you can do steps in preparation for that. One good thing to start with would be to update your budget to have a look of what are your finances look like? SISIP offer great financial advice also insurances. So as a starting point, have a look. How is your budget? Consider are you a single income family? Do you currently receive environmental allowances so for example, sea duty allowance, that might not be the case to your new posting location. So consider that and have a look at tax rates too, because your income taxes may differ if you move from province to or territory to another. Consider also having your CF one card so that’s something you and your family can have. And it’s free. It’s a good thing to start. I would say the most important thing is know what are your family’s needs? So what is that driver in your family? Are you someone who has children who needs to consider schooling? Are you a fan of biking you’re looking for bicycle paths? Do you have a need for specialist care? Is commuting something that really really annoys you? So some of the things that is important for you in life, know that ahead of time so before you even know where you’re going, so you know where you’re going to be focusing which neighborhood you want to have a look at, once you receive your posting instruction.
Jon
So yeah, if somebody is, let’s say they’re there, off and they’re thinking there might be anticipating a posting somewhere. It just sounds like you’re saying, you get into good mental headspace before you do that and kind of map stuffs things out in advance.
Carole
Yes, that helps because that also will help you narrow down or to look or get you asking the right questions to the resources you’ll have available. So to prepare your first on part A the before you receive your posting message.
Jon
You have experience in the military yourself 20 years in the Canadian Armed Forces. Do you find that now that you’re working at the Ombudsman office that you? Do you look back and say, did I do that?
Carole
I do, actually, and especially many of my friends who are still in service, I think, although it’s great because we have great information available now on internet and you can actually look at houses virtually which this is awesome. It exists there during these times. I remember my first posting and actually had a couple of boxes to move and that was it. And I was renting at the other end. So I it was a very quick relocation and not complicated at all. It was myself only when we consider the conditions now all you have to consider it can be overwhelming, but it’s at the same time. There’s so many tools it’s cool to have that so you can have a look before you actually get the posting instruction.
Jon
Something like post living differential can you explain that to me?
Carole
Some locations in Canada, actually you can be to receive post living differential, which everyone knows it as PLD.
Jon
Exactly. Everyone loves the acronyms. I know.
Carole
That in certain locations, you don’t have an entitlement for PLD. The aim is to try to offset the differences in living conditions. Although it’s we we know it’s not perfect. There are some locations where there is possibly differential. So that will be something to consider, for example, in your budget, if you are in your location where you are receiving it right now. Don’t count on that for the next posting. So that would be something good to plan.
Jon
Before your posting and how much should you explore in terms like, like places to live or schools, childcare? If you had got a partner? Yeah, getting a family doctor, or you have a spouse that could be potentially looking for work? How much of that work should be done in advance?
Carole
It depends, I would say because of course if you’re fairly certain that its between this location and this location, it’s easier to make those research first. But if you have no idea where the career manager is looking to post you, you can get overexcited and then try to plan many things.
Jon
Not all postings mean a move, obviously.
Carole
Oh, absolutely, yes. So the one day requires a lot of preparation. It would say in order of preparation, it’s a posting outside Canada for sure. Which our ABCs doesn’t cover in super details because you can do an education product just on that, but also moving from province to province because there’s an impact on health education systems, professional credentials, for example, that could be different from province to another. I would say really what you can have a look at neighborhoods, the first thing that it’s good to start with if you don’t know where to start with this call the MFRC at the location where you’re about to go. So you don’t start from scratch, you have an idea looking for schools for example or spousal employment, because MFRC are also for spouses and if you’re a family with no children, or even if your parents have questions, MFRCs are there for them. So this is awesome resource.
Jon
I’m sure it depends I get everything can differ depending where you are in the country. I know, here in Victoria, if I knew somebody was moving here, I’d say, if you’re looking for a family, Doctor, you’ve got to hustle. You just got it. You got to get on the streets. You got to talk to people, you know, you got to figure out something because you have family doctors just really hard here. Childcare also there’s like huge waitlist. I recommend everybody if you’re anticipating a posting message to our area, I would definitely say sign up
Carole
Start right away.
Jon
Yeah, start right away. Yeah, don’t definitely. And yeah, if you got anything like specialists or special needs family member, yeah, you got to start well in advance. So even the thinking about it, but even the kind of reaching out to people.
Carole
Yes, that’s for sure we can work that in advance. And I would always caution that, wait till you have the official posting instructions. So then you can do the actual commitment, both financially and emotionally. I would say we’ve seen this in the CAF in the forces many times that you actually think you’re going to be posted at this place and then all of a sudden, whoops, it’s a we’re changing locations or it’s delayed for a year as some are experiencing right now. So part B when you received your posting instructions, so it’s really this is what actually tells you you are posted to I don’t know, let’s say Victoria, so now it’s time to start registering through the BGRS secure website. Have a look at your MFRC see what you can find as resources at the destination but also housing is a big thing. Are you planning to purchase at the destination? Is military housing something available? Because military housing to some thing that is assigned allocated by priority. Once you have your posting instruction, you should be applying right away to see if there’s a availability for you to have residential housing units. And I would say engage with your realtor and broker really early before you go on house hunting trip because that way you can narrow down which neighborhood you want have a look at. If you’ve been doing your preparation and you consider what are your family needs or your individual needs about specialist care, schooling, commuting, it can be easier for you to engage that conversation with the realtor and easier to kind of get a feel of where it will be a right fit for your housing.
Jon
So yeah, it sounds like once you actually received your posting message there like you, you get your instructions. You I guess you receive your authorization. Your whole experience gets managed. Is that accurate to say?
Carole
The experience gets managed but on the onus is on the families and on the member and actually that’s probably the best way to get through a posting is that you share the load. So pretty much. So if we can have a look of what needs to happen in then you, you, your spouse, if that’s the case, work this out together. If you’re a single parent, I would say the best thing is try to get in connection with someone who’s already on site at the destination to have a look okay any tips you have to give me, the MFRC. So you can try to see what are that day camps, daycare, schooling, a destination.
Jon
And you also were talking about leaving your principal residence. And what do the majority of people you’ve come across in your life, do they sell at every opportunity? Or is it kind of sell and then buy and sell and buy and sell and buy throughout their career? Is that does that happen or are people a little bit more? I’m not really sure what people do nowadays.
Carole
Yes, it depends. There’s some locations where you cannot purchase a destination. For example, if your posted OutCan you can keep your house here in Canada or sell it. In some locations posted outside Canada. It’s funny because you end up renting in a place and you realize in that country when you rent, the kitchen comes without cupboards, that could be an example. So you got to be prepared that things are not the same necessarily then in our country and even between provinces. You can be relocated. If you go to Yellowknife there’s no basements so if you’re thinking of moving the whole basement kit that you have, that might not be you know, feasible. Some sell and then choose to rent at the other end because the market is not good or that’s what works for them. But for sure, you should not be buying something that it’s like your dream house that has so specific features that later on you cannot sell. You might love horses, but then you know if you buy that ranch, think about how you’re going to be able to sell that place before you’re posted next time.
Jon
And I know people have gone throughout their career, have thought to themselves. I’m not going to sell because I might be coming back here. I like it here. I might want to live here. I guess there’s a lot of market forces as well. For us, Victoria, it’s in-demand. So if you do sell here, you might have trouble re-buying in a few years. Who knows. But again, economies go up and down. It’s hard to tell. There are reimbursements like if you do have difficult selling, there are like kind of some mechanisms, is that correct?
Carole
You cannot assume that it’s 100% reimbursement, if you have trouble selling, for example, and then you still move, you have for about six months of possibility for temporary dual residents assistance. There are some provisions so it has to be actively marketed. So for about six months, you have a way to do with the two residences. There’s some home equity assistance if you lose some equity in your house. There’s provision depending of what year you have purchased and sold your residence. So there some good assistance, but that should not be what you rely on from the get go. But obviously like life happens, markets change and that becomes a need in certain circumstances.
Jon
What are the things to consider during your house hunting trip?
Carole
Wow, I can. It’s so much. I would say start with the basics. First thing if you have children, and I love my children, but if you can have someone who you trust that will take care of them while you’re doing your house hunting trip, go by yourself or with your spouse, because there’s so much to think of. Make it an experience to be able to think through the it’s a short time to pick a residence in the neighborhood that makes sense for your family or for yourself, according to you know, employment, commuting, school, recreation, and that has to be all taken in consideration. I remember I came here in Ottawa in 2003. I applied to 40 daycare and before the end my house hunting trip, one of them answered that they might have a spot for my two kids. In the same country there are so many differences you have to be prepared to look at those during your house hunting trip if you have the chance to be physically there, go through the neighborhoods at different times of the day. Have a look like is it really noisy are the streets during like rush hour crazy and then you can have your imagine your kid learning to bike in that street. There’s a few you know, things that you can have a luxury to assess if you’re there in person, but obviously if you can only do virtual scenes of the house, you got to trust your realtor to be able to give you some cues of that.
Jon
Yes, and there’s so many things to consider and even if you do your best to consider them all you might not be able to get everything. If you’re renting, what do you have to consider there when you were younger military member moving from place to place. You said the process was pretty simple. Just pack the box and head on off.
Carole
Yes. If you’re renting, I’d say there’s a few websites that are price comparison of rental loop across Canada to give you an idea. There’s profits and territory specific information for tenants, security deposit, for example, or conditions for breaking a lease. That’s something you have to consider, given that you’re military and you can be going on course, or be called to be posted somewhere else quite frequently, compared to other Canadians. I would say read the fine print and ask questions and confirm those before you actually signed the paper.
Jon
Looking at after you actually do your move, what needs to be done after the move?
Carole
After the move one thing is really reconcile your claim for relocation. From the moment you have your posting instruction, I would say start a binder, one binder, get everything there and keep all your receipts. So then once you’re at home in your new place of duty then you can reconcile your claim you have the original receipts, it makes life easier than trying to search through which box are those receipts. Complete your change of address, of course, the family care plan. So you know, be ready now you’ve changed addresses, you’re another province maybe who will be taking care of your kids or if you’re deployed on course, or something would happen to you. Which leads me to the there’s important documents that as a military, every time you’re posted, you get to review the those paperwork, the supplementary death benefit, for example, the family care plan, but it’s important that families are aware of that too, and they can access that online not the documents themselves, but what those documents are and what they’re for. And those are the conversations that no one likes to have around the table but have them before things go wrong. Then you know, you have a plan and you know where the documents are. I would say that’s one of the points that hasn’t good habit to have. Every time you are being posted to kind of revisit those and update them. Another thing that is super fun for kids is to catch up on any vaccination schedule. So because provinces and territories don’t have the same schedule, I used to have regular meeting to see the doctor with the kids who want to change provinces to make sure that we’re up to date. And then once you’re at the destination is make the most of your experience, you know, try new activities and this is the military life. It can be in Yellowknife midnight’s summer fishing because the sun doesn’t go down. So I will be an example that enjoy while you’re there.
Jon
Do you find that people maybe don’t know about like certain benefits of the move or reimbursements that they might have?
Carole
It’s certainly a lot to know and especially if it’s when your first time that you’re moving or if you have more for like a while ago. It’s good to go back. Have a look and if you have questions to ask questions. So every base and wing has administrative perks and the CFIRP. So relocation program coordinators that can give a hand. And then if there are some conditions for which you need adjudications, which means a special approval, that will take some time. So obviously you had before you do any commitments, if you’re not sure, if you have doubts, ask the questions. The Office of the Ombudsman is there too. So not just for complaints? It’s also as education and referral. So if you don’t know where to start, you can give us a call.
Jon
Is there anything else you would mention about military postings to people?
Carole
They’re exciting. And sometimes they’re you will have postings that are very difficult, very different. But it’s so when you look back, don’t make the experience. Your family and children once they’re big, many of us and of them will be resilient and get that experience and will be awesome.
Jon
Thank you very much for your time.
Carole
Thank you, Jon.
Jon
The Office of the Canadian Armed Forces Ombudsman is here to help, visit ombuds.ca to access their online resource on the ABCs of military postings.
Extro
Thank you for listening to this episode of The Military Lifestyle. To learn more about this episode, and to check out our other resources, like the deployment app, go to Esquimaltmfrc.com. A special thanks to Organized Sound Productions for bringing our idea to life. Please share this podcast with your military family or with someone living the lifestyle. Subscribe to The Military Lifestyle on your favorite podcast app. Your support is greatly appreciated. Thank you for listening.
