sunworshipper

Well done everyone!!!!!!

michelle6266

Just been reading all your messages, its great news for you all,Wish we were at the info day on sunday it seems like were missing out on all the fun,,but we had ours in feb so see you all in sunny adelaide in 2010

sunworshipper

YIPEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Thanks Michelle!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Now you have to cut my hair!!! you have your first client!!!!!

madogs and Irish Men

Well Guys and Girls,

Well done to all of you that have made it through.

I on the other hand, was two situps short of a Six Pack of Fosters (yesterday) and therefore did not make the grade.

Thats the way the Cookie has crumbled along with my familys dreams of moving but what can I say other than good luck to you all.

Cheers

Jason

michelle6266

Hi Jason, Sorry to hear your news,Just wondered didnt you get the chance to re-test the fitness, When we had our tests back in jan ,Quite a few failed their fitness but was given the chance to sit the fitness again,.
Sorry to hear the news though.

michelle6266

LISA AND HUBBY.
Well doneYes we have to meet up the other side, and yes my first clients .
Anyone else need a haircut im the one.
Well done again .

Getmedownunder

We got our phone call at about 3.30pm today. We are in too!! What a relief! We can't help but feel so sorry for all those who have given all that effort to be put on a reserve list, or in other words, put on further hold!

What's all the more surprising is that, in our heads, those that have had less than perfect news were those we had down as dead certs from those applicants we met in London last Friday.

Also, had I known that there were only 40ish places going, I'd have given up and started drafting plan B.

We are stunned and elated....... we can't believe it.

We look forward to meeting everyone in London again on Sunday.

Best wishes everyone

S & L

Getmedownunder

Michelle, you got your second client, book me in for April 2010!!

I read from your posts that you attended the Info Day last Feb. Can you give us the heads up as to what it entails? I'm assuming that there's going to be people from Immigration, Banks, Solicitors etc standing by for our questions. Can you give us a bit more info on what to expect so we can prepare and make the most of the day please. Is it Seminar based or is it a meet and greet sort of thing.... etc...???

Kind Regards

S & L

michelle6266

Hi there,
Yes your right ,Banks immigration,etc, They will also give you a slide show which shows you sa , they'll go through your pension ,pay, and just general info, its a great chance to meet people .
There is a cafe just opposite Australia House which lots of the police gather in just before to catch up,I wish i was there,never mind ill meet you the other side im sure, Another client already im doing well ,ive got 2 now. Booked you in for april 2010.
Well done anyway enjoy sunday.

mr luvpants

Just want to wish you all good luck.

I am a Firefighter of 14 years and fancy a career change. I got offered a job with the MET and should have started at Hendon last month. The plan was to do 2 years here and then migrate to Queensland. However due to a skiing accident I have to have an operation in 2 weeks and I am going to be off work for 6 months.

So now the plan is to apply for a visa (January 2010) when my wife has done a year as a nurse and then hopefully we will be in Australia in December 2010 when I can apply to the Police. I am using the time off sick to do the Diploma I need to apply.

Good luck to you all.

Digressing....what was the fitness test?

JOHN

Getmedownunder

See link;http://http://www.achievemore.com.au/officer/overseas-applicants.html

Getmedownunder

Michelle, thanks for the info, have you heard which station your being posted to yet?

madogs and Irish Men

Hi Michelle,

Unfortunately My timing could not have been worse my interview and fitness test was on the final day and I was not offered an alternative.

One Major Piece of advice to anyone in the future reference the fitness tests.

Practice over and over and over as Nerves play a massive part.

I have passed this physical over twenty to thirty times in training but on the day I was two situps short having taken cramp in my leg which never happended before. Also whatever they Set as the level to be achieved this is only an absolute minimum target and you should aim to get at least 25% and higher than whatever level SAPOL set you.

This should help in your selection process.

Anyway no sour grapes from me I just did not cut the mustard and good luck to all of you that did.

michelle6266

Hi there again, No we havent heard where, they only tell you approx 3 months before we arrive, so jan we should all know something.
We are hoping for city as our prefered location to live is Glenelg, Brighton, by the coast of course, the commute is only 20 mins,the reason for our choise of location is brighton high school is one of the best, And that is really important.
As far as postings i believe we have to give them 3 prefered areas metro and they try and accomadate one of them, no postings we were told are in the outbacks, They explain all this on sunday, a little advise if you intend taking children on sunday think twice they will be so bored.
Speak to you soon.

Getmedownunder

I'd echo Madogs and Irishmen advice on the nerves aspect. I myself had passed all mock fitness tests with relative ease leading up to the day. I am generally a bit fitness mad and do train 2-3 times a week. I am not a nervous person and it all came as a little surprise to me. I have played competetive rugby in the past and I can remember sometimes getting butterflies in the dressing room before the match. It was not uncommon to see some of the biggest hardest men vomitting with the nerves. Then when you got on the pitch the nerves simply disappeared.

So you can imagine, I was feeling these butterflies again whilst sitting at the test centre waiting for the tests to commence. I did not feel good put kept telling myself that this was just all similar to the pre-match nerves I'd experienced before, once I'd got my kit on and stepped into the gymnasium I'd be alright.

But, the nerves never left me! When we did eventually get going, I felt like I was running with a 30Kg rucksack on my back. My legs felt heavy and my muscles felt fatigued almost as soon as it had begun. Somehow I managed to just keep running and dragged myself through it, but it was MUCH harder than I'd anticipated.

Next the sit ups, and again my nerves were jangling. Fortunately I did manage to get through this one. It was the one I considered my weakest, but I pushed out a couple extra before I decided to stop and conserve energy for the final test. I did still find it much harder than normal though.

Then the push ups, and off we went. I'd done my target of 25 in a minute with ease at home and routinely pushed out an extra 10 for luck. I heard the count 9, 10, 11 ..... and my arms were beginnning to feel fatigued. Oh no I thought, I'm not going to make this. Somehow I just maaged to push through it and with one last effort I just got over the line with the minimum 25. Big sigh of relief... it was over and I'd passed, just.

Within 10-15 minutes of the end of the tests, my arms and legs returned to normal and I felt like I could run a marathon. It's no exaggeration to suggest in my opinion, that nerves probably made this test 30-40% harder than it would normally have been.

My partner tells me it was much harder watching... you can imagine I did not agree with my sweetheart on that one!! Ha!

If I were to offer any advice, I can only suggest you familiarise yourself with the test as much as possible, practice, practice, practice. Have someone monitor you whilst you practice. Eat sensibly and drink sensibly on the day. Bring a bottle of water and a towel. Another side effect with the nerves was a dry mouth. I had to stop briefly during the shuttle run to grab a mouthful of water before running the next leg quickly to catch up. So have that bottle somewhere handy!!

This was without doubt the most nerve-wracking experience of my life. I am so glad I got through it and later got accepted into SAPOL. I can sympathise totally with Madogs and Irishmen because it could so easily have been different for me on another day.

Best of luck anyone hoping to give it a go when SAPOL start recruiting again. Dont forget to practice and prep for the interview.

S