Auxiliary hiring process....

I thought I would pose a question to the highly knowledgeable members of MassCops. I have become increasingly frustrated, as many others have, with civil circus. It seems as though scores of 99 or 100 don't pass muster any more or there is no $$$ to hire, so I am looking at auxiliary departments to get some experience. I am pretty aware of the basics and premise of the auxiliary Dept's: i.e. "volunteer" to work a few shifts a month, help with special events, supply your own gear/equipment, and maybe be lucky enough to have a detail fall all the way down the ladder to you. What I am curious about is the hiring process. I do not have any academy training (MPTC Reserve / SSPO) so, I know that I already have 1 strike against me. My questions are:

1) WIll the city/town sponsor to attend the Reserve Academy? If so, does this sponsorship constitute an offer of employment or do you complete the academy and then interview and submit to backround checks and orals?

2) If the city or town does sponsor you, do you have to sign anything or commit to serving a certain amount of time?

I am looking to attend the Reserve Academy but do not have a sponsor. I work for a college and recently learned that the SSPI in Foxboro no longer accepts private colleges into their academy. I am willing to commit to a department if they sponsor, I just wasn't sure how to go about it. Any answers or help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks