On the whole, CWOs are worth their weight in gold. But when they aren’t good. They are massive burden. I think they should stay, but we should have a better promotion criteria for them.
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I’ve had experience of a few CWO’s on our squadron; largely they don’t turn up. And when they do they swan about like they own the place, making out nothing would work without them.
I know this isn’t always the case. There is at least 1 local CWO that regularly runs bronze badge courses, and is always prompt and polite on email when arranging.
I hear anecdotally more stories similar to mine than of the helpful, useful example.
Maybe OC’s do need to be much more selective, and wing shouldn’t be afraid to say no.
I think we should stop cadets at 18, only because of the special rules introduced that we never used to have
I think the important question to ask there is why? Is this purely limited to staff cadets or CWOs in general? Bear in mind they often will have uni/college/work. Or perhaps showing up to Sqn bores them for one reason or another. However, I know of a fair few who are just staying in the organisation for the “gucci” stuff.
I think as you say; they want to stay in for kudos of being a CWO, but don’t actually want to get their hands dirty… Factoring in work/other commitments is no different to any member of staff - and a CWO should be treated as such… But it is particularly frustrating when they are meant to be the shining beacon of example, yet are in fact exactly what we don’t want at all!
As I say, maybe locally I have just experienced a few bad examples.
A fantastic example was at our presentation evening; a cadet that joined in September and had gained his first class badge… on the presentation evening that followed some months later;
“Sir, May I ask who that is?”
“That’s CWO ABC”
“I didn’t know we had a CWO on squadron!”
respectfully i think that is an issue of the management rather than CWOs.
i have been on half a dozen units, some with some without a CWO.
when I was a Cadet I only ever saw a CWO when we joined with our neighbouring unit.
when I later became staff on that unit i think we only ever had 4 in ten or so years.
I have experienced one CWO like you describe. that was very much a personality issue. I arrived on the Squadron after their promotion and got the impression they had that mentality since Cpl!
if they don’t perform, ask them to have a chat.
by default they are adults and should act like it - which includes getting a telling off.
in terms of coming and going i get this with those who go to university, i was one such SNCO example, but again i feel takes some management to get it right
my current unit has a brilliant success rate with astounding CWOs, but that may be based on a good grounding as Cpls upward and fantastic CWO role models along the way…
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Communication has always been the hardest thing - not knowing when they are turning up, being told they will run an activity to not turn up that evening etc etc. Nothing to do with management, they were likely just totally inappropriate for the role to start with.
I’m a bit longer in the tooth now, and being in uniform will hopefully mean I’m better prepared in future to feel like I have a say in it all. But coming onto a squadron as a new CI and TrgOff it was particularly frustrating.
I’m yet to be convinced on the issue, although I see a few SNCO’s that I think would make a better job of it in coming years - so maybe they’ll change my mind!
sounds like a management problem if they weren’t fit for the role…
it isn’t the communication team that promotes cadets…
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OK - it wasn’t my management of them that was the problem, as they were already impossible to manage when I arrived…! 
Adult Cpls will likely never be a thing due to issues with RAF Station Accommodation etc etc.
Where do service instructions sleep on camp? Genuine question
Normal staff accommodation as far as I know.
Seems to defeat the argument of RAFAC Cpl accommodation then? Considering service instructors could be junior ranks/rates.
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They are indeed given accommodation appropriate to their rank. Either the Officer’s Mess; Sgt’s Mess; or, if they are a junior rank, then they’ll normally be stuck in some transit block somewhere.
I’ve never seen the need to introduce Cpl in the RAFAC as a probationary staff rank. What purpose does it serve that can’t be served just as well and with less hassle by making them probationary Sgt?
Benefits of that are that they’ll be accommodated along with the other non-commissioned staff on a camp where they can be tutored and guided in the proper way to behave as RAFAC staff. Stick them in some transit block on their own (quite possibly in a multi-person room) and they’re left to fend for themselves.
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CCF(RN) now have cadet WO and CPO ranks (as of 2/3 years ago). This was to allow a CCF(RN) cadet to be ‘head of corps’ or equivalent i.e. senior cadet in a contingent which could easily be 200+ cadets with an appropriate equivalent rank to the other sections.
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The old Coxn thing was in JSP313 RN supplement but is now obsolete. We always appointed the head of RN section Coxn in accordance with the JSP. When I had RN cadets as Head of Corps we made them Midshipman in effect, with the rank of CUO. No need now the RN have cadet WO rank though I’ve not appointed an RN head of corps since the change came in.