Hi All,
I have been thinking about joining up. I'm 43 yo which isn't a problem and i'm fit.
My biggest hurdle would be my self belief or lack of it
that I could get thru all the exams and training.
Its something I have always wanted to do but have be stopped by this lack of confidence.
Any thoughts???
GG
G'day Gordon Gekko,
I can only give you a QLD gov employee perspective but here goes.
I'm sure that you have the knowledge and life experience. Some officers are talented at microsoft excel documents and others are great at talking to violent people. Not many people are good at both. You just need to be competent at each task.
Forget confidence, it will come with experience. Fitness is not required. Those days have changed. Police drive cars and spend their days typing.
The problem with the current recruiting process is that they pursue education rather than physical attributes. This improves the IQ of the service, but not many people with double degrees want to be spat on for 20 something dollars an hour. More and more officers are trying to find a non confrontational role. I don't blame them.
The pay rate is low, but very secure. If you like to learn, then the Policing process is a never ending learning task.
Corruption is nonexistent as a general rule. But humans will be humans. A recent corruption investigation identified that Police receive half price maccas whilst working. How times have changed. That's a pretty good review. A lot of other industries could not withstand this scrutiny.
I am working Christmas Eve, Christmas day, boxing day, new years eve. Are you willing to make this sacrifice?
If you want to see what happens at night when others sleep, I recommend you have a go at the job. However, don't take it personally when people lie to you. It's human nature. If you want to see the full range of human emotion, give the job a go. Some things you can forget. Others you cannot.
As a general rule, coppers get great superannuation, but the trade off is that you have a mandatory retirement age.
There are times that you’ll be frustrated at the lack of resources and funding. There will be other times that you can help someone by just listening.
Give it a go mate, and see what you think.