I’m after some advice… so I’ve been a Sqn Cdr now for two years & i completed SCC almost 18 months ago yet I’ve still not been promoted to Flt Lt. Every other candidate on my course has, even newer Sqn Cdrs in the wing have been promoted ahead of me.
I was eligible under the old VRT rules and was eligible under the new CFC regs when they came in Dec. I’ve sent in this new “matrix” three times now but I don’t feel like I’m not getting anywhere. I’ve enquired/moaned to my Wg Cdr several times now but keep getting fobbed off… the latest excuse was that it was HQAC not processing the paperwork quick enough. (Yet, they have been processing other papers; pay, transfers, etc quite quickly recently).
I’ve been commissioned for 5 Years & I’m starting to feel let down by the organisation. The only reason I’m still here is because I love seeing the cadets get things from my squadron & I had an ace staff team. Just feel like I’m being taken for a mug.
Not sure what to do about it. Any advice, guidance would be warmly welcomed!
Fully understand where you’re coming from - had the same thing happen to me!
Apart from waiting, ain’t much you can do. It’s not fun having all the responsibility but not the rank so at the very least you have a few sympathetic ears here!
Just sums up the RAFAC at the moment lions and donkeys, Deck chairs and Titanic, Party and Brewery. Can anybody think of any more metaphors for the way the management treat the volunteers.
Not sure I would call a Wing Commander ‘Management’ they are a volunteer the same as most and apart from one weekend a year when they go for their conference and the occasional snippet of info from the RCs they are often just in the dark as everyone else.
Remember that the OP is one person in a 10’000 strong staff in HQAC who all have their priorities.
Likewise the OP is one CO out of potentially 32 and one of potentially hundreds of staff within a Wing who wants their piece of the Wing Commander who may be struggling to commit his time to RAF AC activities as well as hold down a day job. Wing Commanders are chosen from those who apply. Some are good, some aren’t worth the braid on their shoulders.
Check your regions policy…
I know many staff who were in the same situation
In our region our RC will not approve any promotion to Flt Lt until the officer has completed 4 years uniform service, then the paperwork can be completed for promotion.
Which is totally unacceptable if it’s good enough for one it’s good enough for all the staff in the organisation. I have seen someone arrive at cranwell at a Plt Off after only a few months in uniform do their IOT and SCC back to back and walk out a Flt Lt
There is a handy flow chart in ACP 20 PI 201 Annex A
The logic is that our people should not be occupying Flt Lt roles with less than 4 years experience… which would prevent me as an APO being an OC Sqn…
I still have to do 2 years & meet the matrix requirements before Fg Off and then a further 2 years & matrix before Flt Lt despite being an OC Sqn… Unless an exception is made by ACOS
if we had enough experienced officers to keep the posts filled then there would be no issues with the policy but you have all manner of ranks commaning squadrons whilst not necessarily getting the same recognition (in rank at least)
So wrt the matrix how is it we have SNCOs, POs and FOs running squadrons and I’m sure there are CIs out there, not to mention officers who may not have ticked all the boxes.
Is this matrix lifted from some RAF document and fiddled around with for the ATC? It might well work in the forces, as you will have a supply of people who can be moved around like pawns (ooops posting) to achieve the aim. Not so easy to work with volunteers where you rely on people coming to be staff in the first place, and for them to decide what they want to do, before you even get close to the uniformed side of things for said persons.
I think the officer matrix was based off the SNCO, which only came in to remove the “4 years time served” promotions for Sgt>FS>WO.
I personally like the matrix, however the stupidity is having people in place as OC and not allowing them to become Flt Lts.
The other issue is that the matrix only looks at what you have done in that specific time frame.
For example, only the things @ExVRT has done in the last two years/since being promoted to Fg Off would count in the matrix for Flt Lt…
So if he was a SNCO beforehand of 5+ years experience that ticks off all criteria for Flt Lt; none of that counts…
I believe they are meant to do something similar for Sqn Ldr/Wg Cdr…
