Yes. They started yesterday. There are two interest checks, this one, and the one in Advanced. You may have noticed that there are dates on each reservation. A reservation can last between 3 and 5 days depending on if the individual updates me on their progress or not as well as any other people who end up wanting similar positions.

Keep in mind, that even if you don't start with a lieutenant or captain, there is A LOT of room for expansion later on, as well as being "promoted," to those positions. More specifically getting to an equal power level, since everyone is [i]former[/i] Gotei at the moment.