InsaneJournal

On September 10, 1997 Minister Rufus Scrimgeour announced the official opening of war programmes in the Ministry, offering paid education in Ministry occupations for those interested in aiding in the war effort against You-Know-Who.

All those who answered the call were required to be of age (17), and willing to undergo a placement examination. The examinations took approximately 5 hours to complete, usually two examinations are administered a day. (07:00-12:00 or 13:00-18:00).

Potential cadets would have been be required to do a complete physical check-up, necessary paperwork, and background checks. They would then go through extensive written and practical exams and wait for placement. Cadets were given the opportunity to list up to three preferential programmes they'd preferred to participate in, but their placement ultimately depended on their exams results and Ministry needs.

Though, these programmes were most active during the war, they still exist to a lesser extent today. They're just not as heavily advertised on the wireless as they once were.

Training Hours for All Programs
Clock In: 08:00am
Clock Out: 5:00pm -8:00pm

[Be aware that there may also be extra lectures/demonstrations for particular areas of training]

Obs.: With the war now over, cadets who got their certification through the war programmes are somewhat looked down by some of their colleagues, who went through typical training. Though the Ministry denies it, a lot of young, unprepared men were sent to war, many of whom lost their lives. For this reason, some view the programmes as phony and not "real" qualification for the fields in question. On the other hand, some people are thankful for the help these young people offered in the war, even under such pressure of time compressing lessons and need to get out in the field. These reactions should be acknowledged by all of those who have participated in these programmes, as well as the war situations experienced firsthand. They leave a mark.

Obs.1: Check the link "Details" for benefits (pay, medical, etc.) and training facilities.

Aurors | Obliviator | Law Enforcement Squad | Unspeakable | Medical Field | Other | Special | Details





An Auror programme had been established and, though the training process still takes three years to complete, trainees were rushed through theoretical training and, assuming they completed and passed the proper evaluations, began field work as early as their sixth month with in the program.

These evaluations study physical as well as psychological ability and though the process was rushed, the Ministry assured that they were not sending young wizards and witches out into battles ill prepared. The standards of leveling within the program were just as high as those who went through training before the war, if not more. Evaluations took place every thirty days.

Typical Training: 3 years; Field work - begins after your 1st year
Under the Programme: Qualification - 3 years; Field work - begins after 6 months.
Instructors:
Isaac Richardson - Head of Auror Training.
Jethro Bussinger - Stealth & Tracking Instructor.
Gail Attal - Concealment & Disguise Instructor.
Hugh Pratt - Occulumency & Legilimancy Instructor

Field Work: Before entering field work cadets are put under close psychological evaluations. The psychological evaluations determine whether trainees would be able to handle the stresses of Auror work. If all is passed, cadets are placed under the protection of experienced Aurors (i.e. shadowing) and depending on their expertise are taken to investigate the aftermath of Death Eater attacks, giant ambushes, missing person searching, and/or Muggle protection. This is usually the last level of advancement within the training, and after their 31 months in the field, they're given the proper qualifications of an actual Auror.






Those seeking to enter a medical field under the war programmes were put in an extensive medical training program that catered to basic needs and eventually branched off into their individual fields. The first two months of training for both Medi-wizard and Healer trainees are taught together. First aid procedure, as well as spells, potions, and technique are taught, along with legal procedures that must be followed in both fields. All trainees must pass their two-month evaluation before starting in their chosen fields.

The final evaluation occurs after they've completed their two months of basic magical medical-care training. It makes sure that the trainee can apply the book knowledge discussed and practiced at the start of the program to life situations. These situations, magically simulated in the examination, vary from evaluating symptoms of a patient and acknowledging the proper steps to fixing them, to completely enchanted-simulated situations, where administering first aid to an injured somebody while events are occurring around them is vital to the patient. This determines whether a person can handle the stresses that come within the medical field.

Healers

Typical Training: Qualification - 4 years; Patient work - begins after your 2nd year.
Under the Programme: Qualification - 4 years; Patient work - begins after 2 months of training.
Instructors:
Ciaran Emmerich - Head of Healer Training
Edith Horner - Main Healer Instructor

Medi-wizards/witches

Typical Training: Qualification - 2 years; Field work - begins after your 1st year.
Under the Programme: Qualification - 1 year; Field work - begins after 3 months of training.
Instructors:
Marilyn Adjani - Head of Mediwizard Training
Philip Rathbun - Main mediwizarding Instructor

Field Work: Once their third month of training is complete, and their instructor signs them off, these trainess are paired off with another trainee and then, as pairs, are assigned to train under experienced Medi-wizards who are on the field every day (i.e. shadowing). Depending on what part of Britain they're assigned to and what the events of the day are, the sort of "action" these trainees see is determined. Some might tend to basic cuts and bruises, while others might be placed in the middle of a dramatic battle. The elements medi-wizards see are undetermined, and cannot be predicted, which is why a part of their third month in training is a psychological evaluation.

Obs.: Because medi-wizard training is, said by some, to be acquired only by doing, qualifying to be an actual medi-wizard during the war is cut down by an entire year.






Obliviators are expected to alter the memories of muggle witnesses to wizarding events. They're usually called upon during magical investigations, however there is a strict code of procedure they're expected to follow. Because fiddling around in the heads of people can be dangerous, and result in permanent damage if not done properly, there is naturally a great deal of paper work that follows after any memories are altered. Keep in mind that it is illegal to Obliviate wizards & witches' memories unless given permission from the Wizengamot, after a proper trial.

Trainees go through theoretical lessons for the first five months and then are paired off with experienced Obliviators (i.e. shadowing), who take them on the field to further their experience. They observe the procedure and are usually left to do the paper work in the end. Obliviators are not allowed to perform their first Obliviate spell until after their first year of "observation" and their completion of a qualification examination, which usually only occurs once a year in July.

Typical Training: Typical Training: 3 years; Field work: After 1st year
Under the Programme: Typical Training: 3 years; Field work: After 5th month.
Instructor: Stewart Howell

Field Work: Once trainees are partnered up with an Obliviator, they're expected to pretty much do whatever is asked of them. Qualified Obliviators take on the role of mentoring and often times teach their "apprentices" what steps to take when dealing with muggles they've been instructed to Obliviate, as well as the finer points in filling out paperwork, and going on lunch runs. Near the end of their training, when they have six months until their final qualification evaluation, they're given the opportunity to work on their Obliviation spells, on certain enchanted objects, and house pets. They shadow the same Obliviator for the following two and a half years of their programme, unless there are complications due to personal reasons.






Magical Law Enforcement is said to hire Hit-wizards. So, we're assuming Hitwizards are pretty much independent entrepreneurs, however, the Law Enforcement Squad may very well have a purpose all of its own other than hiring other people to do their job for them. We're assuming those of the Law Enforcement Squad are equivalent to your typical street police officer. Magical Law Enforcement officers tend to do a great deal more security, crowd control, and criminal processing than Aurors do. They're the men and women who get the criminals after they've been captured on the street; they make sure they go to the proper holding facilities after their trials. These officers have been known to accompany Ministry raiding parties and head crowd control at crime scenes of various sorts.

Most of the people on the squad have had Auror training, but for whatever reason found their way to this branch of Law Enforcement. Some might not have qualified during Auror training, or had found it appropriate to drop out due to the demands not being exactly what they expected, or maybe even been demoted from Auror status for something inappropriate, whatever the case, these magical officers aren't to be taken lightly. Training to be a part of the squad is in many ways similar to that of Aurors, however differs in various ways. Typical trainees undergo a 4 month training period before beginning field work

Typical Training: 2 years, field work after the 6th month of training
Under the Programme: 2 years, field work after the 4th month of training
Instructors:
Alvin Mortimer - Law Enforcement Squad Leader
Tatton Arbogast - Squad Instructor

Field Work: Trainees that make it through their training are placed under the wing of more experienced Squad officers, much like every other trainee in all the other programs. They're taken along for every event their mentor might be called for and are expected to learn by watching and doing. The qualification of becoming an actual Squad Officer is to do the time, and get the proper signatures from squad leaders, and whomever they've been shadowing before getting a fancy Ministry badge.






Unspeakables are ... well... we don't necessarily know. We're assuming they deal with various things in the Ministry. Everything from studying aspects of magic, as well as dealing with practical issues the Ministry keeps away from the public. Those who are in house Unspeakables work in any of the varying departments seen in the Department of Mysteries, carrying out a variety of detailed roles. We're assuming Unspeakables who work in the rooms seen in OotP are equivalent to Muggle scientists that probably do a lot of TOP SECRET research than anything else.

Other options for Unspeakables are those who deal with internal affairs as well as events/actions that might reflect poorly on the Ministry of Magic. They come in various departments that would otherwise be considered "not existent" to the public. They're usually placed on Auror/hitwizard teams to deal with particular cases that require close observations. During the war they were the individuals involved with covering up a number of situations where unethical/unmoral protocol was used. (Think Muggle equivalent to CIA/FBI. See special)
We're going to leave what exactly Unspeakable character study/do up to players who really think their character has what it takes to pursue or be recruited for the field.

Typical Training: Varies
Under the Programme: Varies
Instructors: Amina and Vera Shaydac

Field Work: Those entering the status of Unspeakables, are usually picked out due to their obvious superb ability in some other field and are recruited into the top secret sector of the Ministry. There are a few in house positions that could have been evaluated through the war programme exams, but trainees in that aspect are usually rare. It's more likely that your character (or your character's superior to whom they were shadowing) was approached by the Department of Mystery heads to take on a particular case or project. Clearance into the department is very difficult to come by and is usually reserved for the best of the best.

Because the Unspeakables department is so vast it's safe to assume that field work started right away. Being an unspeakable is best obtained by actually doing as opposed to studying. Details will vary depending on your characters particular circumstance and field of occupation.






Each individual sector has been known to receive new recruits, however, these areas of "training" aren't exactly as demanding or extensive, or as looked after as those training to be in Law Enforcement or Medical field are. Most divisions have taken their most "experienced" in the field and given them instructor duties. Naturally, given the department one is placed, who their instructor is depends on what exactly they're doing. In most cases, trainees who didn't qualify (or were over qualified) for Law Enforcement or Medical training are sent to these different areas of work, and put under an apprenticeship.

Department of Magical Catastrophes

Invisibility Task Force

Typical Training: Varies
Under the Programme: Varies
Instructor: Oscar Bostick

The Invisible task force is the part of the Ministry that makes sure muggles can't see certain things of the Wizarding World, like buildings, homes, schools, wizarding markets and other such things. They're usually called upon to both make things invisible or make them reappear to the muggle/wizarding world. They've been known to replace missing buildings with momentary enchantments, and other things one might find important to make invisible or visible. The Department at the Ministry is somewhat small consisting of around 25 to 30 employees.

Those that are sent to this Invisibility Task Force after their placement examinations are sent to an Oscar Bostick. Bostick is a very serious fellow and rarely ever seems to find anything funny. He's quite annoyed that he's been given the position of Department Instructor (as though his workload isn't full already! Sheesh!) and usually hands off his trainees to his colleagues who are nice enough to take new recruits under their wing.

Magic Reversal Squad

Typical Training: Varies
Under the Call to Arms: Varies
Instructor: Norman Seltzer

The Magic Reversal Squad is a part of the Magical Catastrophes and Control Department that is usually out and about with the Aurors, cleaning particularly messy magical mistakes up before they call too much attention to the Muggle population. They clean up everything from spells gone wrong in the home to wizarding homicides. We tend to think of them as your wizard versions of CSI's, that evaluate magical catastrophes, and not only clean up the mess, but come to conclusions on how the mess got their in the first place. For you can't cleanup a magical catastrophe without knowing what it is your dealing with. They tend to work closely with Aurors on cases, however do not do a great deal of on-the-field investigating. Reversal Squad Members tend to be great problem solvers when it comes to reversing things they practically know nothing about when it's first presented to them.

Those that are sent to train in the Reversal Squad are sent to Norman Seltzer. Seltzer is a kind, quiet man who is rather intelligent, yet very modest. He's held in high regard amongst his colleagues, and tends to be more than happy to help. He tends to come off as quite the pushover, so he's extremely nice to his trainees, and usually shows them the ropes for the first month or so before they're paired off with other members of the Reversal Squad to tend to actual field work.

Muggle Worthy Excuse Committee

Typical Training: Varies
Under the Call to Arms: Varies
Instructor: Shiloh Morton

This department tends to be the group that the ministry looks to for explanations to feed to the Muggle population and the department that Obliviators rely on when altering minds of Muggle witnesses. The department consists of around 10 employees, all of whom tend to do more work behind a desk, than actually getting out of the office. Usually one representative from the office goes to a scene of whatever magical case there might be, and they use two-way mirrors to communicate with the others back at the office to get confirmation on which Muggle excuse to use for whatever catastrophe might be at hand. They use a great deal of Muggle reference books and articles to confirm certain things... and usually, whenever they are called upon to form an excuse, are required to fill out a great deal of paperwork for record purposes. This paperwork naturally tends to pile up more than it should.

Those sent to this committee after their placement are put under the wing of Shiloh Morton. Morton, on first impression, is possibly one of the nicest men at the Ministry; he can usually answer questions without having to think over his answer, and always seems to try and encourage his trainees & colleagues. He prides himself on the fact that he went and studied Muggle Sciences and Mathematics and tends to be quite helpful when coming up with viable excuses without the reference books. He does, however, tend to turn his trainees into paper pushers... and the first thing he teaches them is how to fill out the proper ME20 Form (Muggle Excuse of the 20th Century). This can be helpful for the trainee, so they realize what exactly is expected of them in regards of Muggle Knowledge, however it does seem like the man is just handing off the boring job to his apprentices.

These are the top secret type of jobs that are usually masked as something else - Usually Aurors or Obliviators depending on their designated training. It's important to keep in mind the fact that there are even more occupations your character can get involved with to aid in the fight against Voldemort. The thing is we need to be approached about your ideas first and then we can come up with some sort of way to get that special sector established into the Programmes using what training resources are available. Just ask a mod for further details

Dangerous Creature Control

Typical Training: Varies - Average is 1 year
Under the Programme: Varies - Average is 7 months
Instructor: Varies

This was an addition to the war training programme since there's been an increase in the Dark Lord using dangerous creatures to do his bidding. However, it's not advertised and usually those who make it into this sector had entrance exam scores that demonstrated an understanding for animal care. Because it's a brand new sector, they've had to pick and choose between trainings offered to better suit the cadet. This occupation is possibly one of the more dangerous and has various branches to it. There are those who specifically train in the control of Dementors, others Infiri, Giants, and a brave few tend to Werewolves.

They tend to train a great deal more in Auror training, than Obliviators and Magical Law Enforcers. Unlike the other occupations where they go through training first and then are assigned professionals to shadow, those placed in this sector are immediately put under the wings of professionals. Their expectations are just as high as Aurors' are, however they don't go through protocol phases. They're constantly reporting back to mentors on their training and virtually whomever they're shadowing decides when they're ready to take the next step into fieldwork on their own. It's not uncommon to see these DCC trainees in the field with their mentors before they're through with their generic Auror training.

Benefits:

Pay: AVRG 200 galleons a month at entrance point. Once field work starts, benefits raise to 300 Galleons/month (Lexicon Converter)

Medical: Free. Any medical assistance you or immediate family members may require will be free of charge. Prescription potions and other treatments will be discounted.

Front of the Line: Any recruit in uniform and/or with proper badge of being a part of the War Programme will have the opportunity to be ushered to the front of any lists that may need reservations.

Housing: There is no free housing, however there are housing officials that will aid in finding flats both Wizarding and Muggle depending on recruits preference. They may also benefit from recruit discounts!

Reporting for Duty

Receiving Orders:
Results are usually sent to a recruit with in one week by owl post. These "orders" indicate what field they've been placed in to train, and where they're to report too on the first of the following month. Law Enforcement type of jobs (Aurors, Obliviators, MLE, etc, are asked to meet at the Ministry office in London for their chosen field and are briefed on how things will work - Portkeys are used at all times. Medical trainees are to report to St. Mungos the first day where they too are briefed on where they'll be trained - Portkeys are used the first day but from then on trainees are to Apparate. (New recruits don't start training until the first of every month) Any person who does not report to their designated post will be charged with going AWOL and promptly arrested, fined, and sent to court for sentencing.

Healers/Medi-wizards:
Consus Cove Hosptial - Located near and resembling much of Pentewan, St Austell (Cornwall). It's a plot of buildings that is dedicated to the research and development of Magical Medecine. Consus Cove Hosptial has been a small establishment important to the Wizarding World since 1689. The research done here has found cures for Scumdinglfus, electric-eel bronchitis, and the charm to fix Splinched victims. The hospital is unplottable, so trainees and employees of the facility portkey/Apparate to a designated point on a grassy trail which they'll follow until they reach the establishment.

Aurors/Obliviators/Law Enforcement:
Mordune's Hedge - Located on the Isle of Lewis, Mordune's Hedge looks a great deal like the Muggle Calanais Stone Circle. Back in 1428, during an eclipse of the sun, Mordune's Hedge was spotted by a large group of Muggles who were relocating after a dragon decided to make nest in their town square. Because of these eye witnesses and the Muggles deciding to return for religious rituals, the Wizarding community of the isle decided to erect a duplicate rock formation on a different hill as to keep the Muggle population busy.

The way Mordune's Hedge works is very simple: a witch or wizard would have to use a port key from the Ministry office in London to get to the hedge, but once there they approach the appropriate stone, tap it with their wand twice and walk through it much like the barrier at Kings Cross. From there, they'll walk into a hall with 6 lifts on each side of the room. Don't worry, they all go to the same places.

Unspeakable/Other:
These professions are usually taught amongst the same people in the Ministry departments. Because of this there are no special places for training. Their training usually starts immediately by shadowing professionals and relying on these "trained" wizards and witches to pass on their knowledge. Depending on what department a character is placed, how they're treated and how well they're trained will be defined.