Military Careers Experience

Earlier in the year on the 28th-29th of March, we had the opportunity to travel to Tekapo to partake in the Defence Force Careers Experience. The purpose of this was to increase our understanding of a variety of careers and to meet 18 other students from across the Canterbury region.

We traveled in two vans down south on a Tuesday morning (plus a wee pie stop at Fairlie Bakehouse for some lunch) to arrive at a snowy Tekapo Base Camp. During our stay, we learnt about important trades in the army and took part in activities to help us gain a better understanding of what was involved in these careers. This included watching the infantry training shoot live rounds, late-night quizzes after dinner and going for a walk-up Mount John to a stunning view of the lake. We enjoyed talking face-to-face with soldiers who shared their interesting experiences during their time in the army and built life-long connections with students from different schools. Something that stuck with us was how close and supportive everyone is with one another. We can see how welcoming and home-like the Defense Force environment is.

This experience has given us both better insight into potential career opportunities that lie outside of school and has offered us more options to explore. If you would be interested in attending one of these experience days, the recruiters are planning to take a group of students up to Waiouru Military Camp in early Term 3 with all costs covered including flights. We would highly recommend giving these opportunities a go to broaden your career pathway options.