How hard is it to become a rescue swimmer in the United States Coast Guard?

Question

Ok so i leave for boot in like a month, and im curious about the AST rate. From what the recruiter has told me i dont even fully select my rate for months after boot. I like that it gives you paramedic training because that is a career i will pursue after military life. It sounds like it would be a great job since i eventually want a career in rescue work and it seems like it would be extremely rewarding, but from what i understand every aspect of it is extremely difficult. Ive found some sources online about it. For example the A school has like a 50% drop out rate. And ive read some pt requirements to get in and i can do most of them. Im just curious how hard it is to get into that particular A school and maybe more info about getting the rate in general. Recruiter said with my asvab score i can have any job i want in the coast guard, and i was thinking about the ME rate but from what she said there is a long waiting list for that A school in particular. And what happens to you if you fail your A school? I dont want to go for it unless im sure ill pass you know what i mean. Just curious is all, any info is appreciated.

Answer 1

It is extraordinarily hard - the hardest training we offer in the Coast Guard. The wash-out rate is over 40%, and some classes end up canceled because ALL the students flunk out.



If you want to be an AST, you had also better have a back-up plan, just in case.



If you fail the A School, you can have your name placed at the BOTTOM of any other A School for which you are qualified - so you'll have to wait all over again. Right now AST is only a 6-8 month wait for qualified candidates for school - ME is over 24 months.



Your Recruiter should have all this information as to how long the waits are.



I usually don't do this, but the movie "The Guardian" does a pretty good job of showing what they do in A School - just ignore the part where they get to go downtown and get drunk - and the part where you can elbow your instructor in the face to pass the swim test.

Answer 2

Actually getting into the AST "A" school is not hard. If you're qualified, you put your name on the list, you wait your turn, you go. There is no process up front where one person gets picked instead of another. Anyone who is qualified can give it a shot on an equal basis.



Actually completing the AST "A" school is an entirely different story. As you've learned, drop out rates are high. Also keep in mind, the "cost" for dropping out is high. People waited a long time to get into that school in the first place, they really wanted to do it, and they know they'll have to start all over again on something else if they wash out, getting back in line (at the very end). Attendees are extremely motivated to suceed - yet most don't. It's hard.



That said - follow your dream. Don't worry about how hard something is, don't worry about how long you have to wait. If you want it, go for it. Most all people who are unhappy with Coast Guard are that way because they picked a rate they didn't really like because it was easier, quicker to make rate, offered a bonus when other rates didn't (there's a reason for that.....), whatever. Don't sacrifice. The choice of rate will define what you do in the Coast Guard every day. Pick what you want and go for it.



Good luck!