Dividing up CIs responsibilities

In our sqd, the TO is a CI

I am wondering how other sqds divvy out responsibilities specifically related to teaching

For example, do your CI have an area of interest or two that they take responsibility for? Ie field craft, first aid, DoE etc

Does your TO do a little more coordination (back office stuff) than teaching, and the CIs do more teaching than back office planning?

Do you also have someone responsible for each classification? Almost like a school head of year? Is that needed above first class or should it only be needed with probationers?

Any advice welcomed

Not going to be helpful but it really does depend on your Sqn set up and staff you have.

For me we pair them and they run projects (6 months at a time), although we have two who opted not to run them for various reasons - which is absolutely fine.

For me I wouldnā€™t have them in the key positions - not because they arenā€™t capable but because itā€™s traditionally a uniform role and helps me get people looking at potentially going to uniform.

Also at staff meetings we have other roles up for grabs if any one wants them to free up the uniform staff but I wonā€™t force any CI to take them. Things such Tuck, Flight Competition, Sports Evening.

Teaching wise again not something we demand they do but most traditionally they do. For example we have one who is an ex Navy Engineer comes in and teach the engineering type of subjects. And we have ones incharge similiar by the sounds of what your doing with incharge of a classification (we just have more than one group at that level)

At awards evening we make sure all the staff no matter what they do on the Sqn reads a citation out so that the parents can put faces to names.

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Stupid question then?..who does the delivery to cadets?/runs the nights?

For point of referenceā€¦when I was a cadet many moons ago, we would generally run the nights. Our OCs would generally be in the office all evening doing busy work. Other uniformed staff (which might have been one or two) would occasionally watch.

CIs would often be the ones around, but the SNCOs would probably run the night

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Surely the answer is ā€˜is depends what youā€™ve gotā€¦ā€™?

Iā€™m a CI, and former SI - Iā€™ve been training officer, Adj, effectively OC, Iā€™ve run the AT & FC syllabuses, Iā€™ve run induction and First Classā€¦

Iā€™ve been on a dozen sqnā€™s over 30 years involvement: most Sqnā€™s are two-men-and-a-dog set-ups where the dog gets a job.

Iā€™ve never been on a Sqn with more than four uniformed staff, and most of them itā€™s been one or two, and on two occasions, none.

Iā€™ve met CIā€™s Iā€™d barely trust with a bag of crisps, and Iā€™ve met CIā€™s who were infinitely more capable in the Adj, TO, and indeed OC roles than any of the uniforms who were around at the time.

Only a drooling idiot would put a uniform in the Adj role when theyā€™ve got a CI whoā€™d do it betterā€¦

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One bit of advice I was given as a NCo going Officer was never spend more than 1/2 an evening in the office so Iā€™m out on the floor a lot.

Our set up at the moment is 3 (Well 4 one of our Cis has just passed their Sgt board!) Uniform, and 5 CIs.

MOI Cadets run the intake with a supervising staff member. They essentially have their own program with the exception of whole Sqn nights.

Flight nights we rotate around - either someone volunteers or weā€™ll allocate to a staff member, occasionally an NCO will request to run a night which we do where possible. And we limit our projects to 4 on any one night.

Iā€™d be one of those then - Iā€™d be looking at if they are putting that much time on what can I do to persuade them into uniform.

From top end down there isnā€™t really any difference anymore - so for me itā€™s up to me to manage how I get those uniformed staff member in. And if a uniformed staff member is failing in a role - then whatā€™s the reason for it? Do they need more support / training / stuffs going on at home so they need to take a step back.

But Iā€™ve yet to appoint a CI in the Trg, Adj role. Elements, and odd jobs from it to help but never soley responsible.

I can promise you, if a CI is considering going into uniform, theyā€™ll let you know.

Itā€™s nice - flattering - to be asked, but it becomes very tedious to be badgered about something youā€™ve already said no to.

Ask once, let them know itā€™s always there, and then leave it.

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But you know that it is always a repeated ā€˜When are you going to commision/go SNCO?ā€™ā€¦ It is never a single askā€¦

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Oh 100% agree, I wonā€™t badger - someone has to make the decision on their own, and they also have to decide what route they want to take - not what the OC or Wing necessarily want.

You can tell if someone is starting to lean that way, and theyā€™ll come to their own conclusions.

You push theyā€™ll walk straight out the other way. Biggest complaint Iā€™ve had from my CIs is going on the AVIp and they wing talk about ā€œwhenā€ your in uniform and not if. Some of my Cis wonā€™t ever be uniform and that suits them, and it suita the squadron. Got to have a good mix

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