Candidates attend these centralised public academies after passing the police force's entry examination, this way recruits are already enlisted and will automatically become police officers if they don't fail the course or drop out. Recruits' training is tuition free and the candidates are paid a police cadet's wage as members of the force. Basic training ranges from 5 months for an entry-level "policía Nacional" or "Guardia civil" to 9 months for a "mosso", but realistically takes 18 months to two years including practicums and additional training. Local police forces including Madrid's or Barcelona's are often trained at these large public academies too. High-rank or highly specialised courses are longer and eventually lead to a college-like degree.