I’ve just walked away from being in uniform. It took a handful of WhatsApp messages.
Not sure walking away as a CI is any easier than that.
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My experience is that while walking away is the same whether in uniform or not, saying ‘no’ while remaining in the org is a great deal easier if you’re a CI than it is if you’re in uniform - and that’s not just, or even particularly, external pressure in you to do stuff you don’t want to, it’s internal pressure on you, by you, to do stuff you think you ought to do, but don’t want to.
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That last sentence is the reason it doesn’t happen I imagine.
Plenty of CIs have absolutely no interest in going into uniform whatsoever. They’re keen to teach the cadets part of the syllabus, run stores, do the sports nights etc, but that’s it.
To me if they want to do that, great. Why does that need to be the exception?
To force everyone into a 6 or 7 tall non-commissioned pyramid seems like you’re potentially sledgehammering a nut.
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Well, the ACF is now bigger than RAFAC and, whilst they do have them, civilian assistants are few and far between.
Yeah, certainly no question in that it works well for them!
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Exactly — and the only difference is that, when sgt is your normal entry point, you take away the pretence that going into uniform in a voluntary organisation is a massive commitment or undertaking (over and above what CIs are already doing).
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It doesn’t - locally they’re struggling for volunteers & their induction process is taking too long to get new volunteers in & active at units. If everyone goes into uniform everyone needs that minimum standard.
CCFs have been working far longer & far more effectively without senior NCOs so you could argue that’s the better system.
You need to make best use of a volunteer in those first few years of them volunteering so you need them to accelerate through the ranks quite quickly. You cannot achieve this with linear progression which just adds bureaucracy & doesn’t deliver what is needed.
But this is an old debate, with many skirmishes fought across the galaxy of threads across this forum & the ATC & not especially pertinent to the OPs original question.
I agree with those saying enjoy your time as a CI and get some more experience. I spent 6 years as a CI. Now I’m an OC I find it very difficult to find time to gain new skills and qualifications as I’m forever running the Sqn, ensure the admin is in order, sorting out safeguarding incidents, making sure the H&S is adhered to and making sure staff & cadets don’t go rogue. The organisation is going through a lot of change atm and it may be better to see how the dust settles to see if NCO or Officer is the right route for you. No matter what route you choose, your contribution to developing those cadets is what matters and is what those cadets will remember, no matter what rank you are.
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If we did away with things like the arbitrary 16 hour commitment and promotion matrixes that serve very little purpose in a voluntary organisation then I’d possibly be on board.
But as it stands the barrier to entry, just in terms of faf, is too high.
You will still alienate those who just don’t feel comfortable putting combats on. Parents of cadets may be more than happy to help for a few years whilst their child is a cadet, and we need that sort of support. To force them to join the military (granted its scouts with berets but to some people having a MOD90 etc does feel like the military) will put some people off.
If a CI just wants to run swimming and the odd sports night, great. SNCO as it stands just doesn’t work for them.
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And yet it works perfectly well in the ACF.
Well if it’s truly faultless and can’t possibly be improved on in any way whatsoever and everyone in the ACF is behind it let’s introduce it tomorrow!
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Citation needed……
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Here is just one of the times the CI debate has been hashed out on the forum.
We don’t need another one; please stick to @Fubar 's request.
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People have been talking to me about how I should join the organisation and they all talk about being in uniform being a much bigger commitment.
Not only is this incorrect and unfair to all the CIs I know who spend hours doing weekend training and delivery etc, but it also puts an unnecessary mental barrier in the way of people taking that step into uniform.
The organisation needs to get a grip of this narrative and fast.
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It’s not a narrative it’s the reality, as someone did above being an OC easily consumes 40+ hours a week.
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It’s more of a narrative / mythology around going into uniform.
The jump from CI to uniform isn’t that much & if you are doing lots as a CI then it make sense to go into uniform if that what suits you.
It’s the jump to CO where hours go stupid.
the bit that the organisation is guilty of & is part pf the origin of the myth round the uniform expectation is dropping those who are new into uniform straight into an OCs post.
It burns them out without any time to learn & understand their uniform role.
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CI, CI, CI…
No specific time commitment. You choose availability, & within reason, your specialisation(s).
You can meander away from the CoC & upset the applecart every now & then. 
(Can anyone beat DCAS? 
)
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Certain staff I’ve dealt with certainly think they are above DCAS…
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I know an RC who think they are the CAS