We weren't married when my now DH was posted, nor were we c/l, but it's my understanding that basically, they don't care about the wives/families. They are posting the member. Sorry if that sounds harsh, but that is how it was explained to me. I can tell you what happened for us: DH's detachment knew that he specifically was coming before DH wrote down his list of preferred places to go. So they do write a list, but it doesn't necessarily mean anything.

Has he had the interview with staffing yet? I can't remember the exact timing (it's been 3.5 years) but I know that DH had a meeting where it was determined which province we'd be sent to, then he wrote the list, then he was told where he was posted. I believe this was all in the last month or so that he was there, but it all blurs together now

As for transfers, we're coming up to our first transfer, and I'm not sure how that goes either. Wow, I'm not a lot of help, am I? I know that they meet with staffing, and it basically depends on if the detachment that they want to go to has any openings. They have a 'wish list' that they should keep updated in case something comes up, especially if there is a specific area (ie drugs, tech crimes) that they are interested in.

It's going to be crazy, but try to have a positive attitude and belief that it will all work out. We moved from Ottawa to a bitty town of 2600 in northern Alberta, and it wasn't nearly as hard as I thought it would be! Keep busy, get out there and make friends, and you'll do fine. Feel free to PM me if you have any more questions

It IS frustrating, and I'm an uber-planner, so I find it that much harder to adapt, but I've found that keeping the mindset "we go where we go and that's life" kind of keeps me sane - admitting that I don't have control helps me, or else I'd make myself crazy.

Can't help you on the daycare thing, as we don't have any kids yet. I don't think of our house as a 'rest stop', it's our home. I do find that I'm much more motivated to get going on the renos and to complete projects so that we can enjoy them, and we aren't replacing any major appliances because the cost isn't worth it to us since we should be leaving this house in a year or so. You won't necessarily be moving a lot, it really depends on what your DH decides to get into and how often he puts his name in for transfers - after your first posting and transfer, it's my understanding that you could basically stay in the second posting forever, unless your DH wants a promotion or something.

We have no idea where we're going or when, they won't seriously be talking to my DH until around this time next year. It's hard to be away from family and old friends, but we're very lucky that we have a great detachment and we've made some life-long friends here.

Also, I just realized that I misread your post. I thought that you said that he was leaving Depot, not leaving FOR depot.

It's definitely after the 1/2 way mark that they find out their postings, I think it's about 4-6 weeks before they're done that it happens. He may or may not get sent back to his home province, depending on which province is 'home'. We're from Ontario, so that was a no-go at the time (although apparently now you can go back, but since the RCMP has federal jurisdiction here instead of provincial, it would be a very different posting and in my DH's opinion, perhaps not the best for a first posting as the member won't get the same experience as a field member would).

Try to visit your DH in Regina if at all possible. Send care packages - they need all the support and reminders of home as possible. It's busy and stressful, so try not to be too hurt if he doesn't have a lot of time to come home on weekends (if you live close enough for that) or to call every night.

If he loves his job, Depot will be totally worth it for all of you. I may not always like DH's job, but I can't imagine him doing anything else!

Please feel free to PM me or ask more questions here, I'd love to help however I can!

FH is currently 3 weeks post-Depot, so my experience might offer some insight although it really seems to differ for everyone.

We knew where FH would be posted 7 weeks prior to graduation. We knew the province a few weeks before that. Cadets do have the opportunity to express their preferences but the RCMP ultimately decides where they go.

FH had the opportunity to choose his top three provinces/territories. We ended up with our third pick. From there we selected five cities/towns. We ended up with a town not even on the list, but we are very happy with how things turned out.

In our case, we ended up moving from Alberta to Ontario. As chickypoo mentioned, it is not common to be posted to Ontario as rookies are not usually assigned to special units. New members are usually assigned to general duty or traffic. In FH's case he had previous experience which led to his posting. Many cadets go to BC as this is where the largest detachments are so there is a good chance of returning to your "home" province if you are from BC. Some of his troopmates returned to their provinces, and others didn't. You have to be prepared to go ANYWHERE.

From what I have seen so far it seems the RCMP really tries to match the new members to postings that are the best fit, which may or may not coincide with their preferences.

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