I’m an ex cadet from Sussex wing who was part of 2 different Sqns in this wing that is in the ‘making enquires’ stage of becoming a CFAV. I need to ascertain if it’s right for me.
I’ll drop a few questions.
How do you enquire IRL?
Can go directly down the A/SGT or commission route?
I have passed my driving test over 10 years ago but am not a vehicle owner. Would this present issues?
can you wear a (modest amount of) make up if taking up a uniformed role, if the answer is no, can you as a CI?
Is it easy to specialise, I wouldn’t mind being involved in radio telephony or shooting as a speciality, while also working in other areas.
if a certain area simply doesn’t interest you, such as D of E expeds, can you choose to not be involved? I recall this was the only aspect of cadet life that truly wasn’t my bag.
what is the basic amount of time, you’d need to give? Example 3 parade nights and an extra activity once a month.
I’m a transgender woman, would this be a problem?
how long does the initial paperwork and DBS take, what happens while you are in the waiting stages?
Please feel free to add any other useful information you have for anyone who is in the “considering it” stage of becoming a CFAV?
Visit a few local units to see which fits. The nearest one mightn’t be the most convenient for travel from work / to home and you might want to find one that aligns to your interests.
Get someone from the unit you join to be your sponsor/mentor. The joining process is better than it was but having a supportive OC or Adj to push things through if there are delays is a huge help. Keep on top of all the paperwork.
Make sure you have at least 1 personal and one work/education referee ready to fill out the forms (it is a simple one sider that only needs a few lines filling out but it’s probably the biggest delay I see).
Most of the questions have been answered fairly; I’ll just add a few points and fix one incorrect answer…
Indeed you can wear a modest amount of makeup in uniform. The key is how much is too much. If it’s “conspicuous” that’s too much. This is easily managed… If someone in the CoC thinks “bloody hell, that’s too much makeup” then they will politely highlight the problem. Then just don’t wear as much next time.
It’s definitely not an all-out ban.
If you want to go direct entry uniformed that is an option. If you are applying for Sgt (as a side note, the title “Adult Sergeant” disappeared a loooong time ago) then I know that your Wg WO is keen on direct entry where the candidate is suitable.
For SNCO or Commission, you will need to pass an interview with OC Wing and two other Wing staff but there is help provided to prepare for that.
If you’ve been out for a while though the simplest route might be to apply to your preferred sqn as a CI. Get a feel for the organisation and find your area of interest. You can apply for uniform at any time.
In any case, the first step is to get in touch. The Sqn finder can help:
is there anything a CI cannot do activity wise, that a uniformed member of staff can? If so what are these?
while I’m not an ‘anti vaxxer’ as I’ve had my childhood jabs, I 100 percent don’t want to get vaccinated for COVID. Would this be an issue? Are they any vaccine mandates for COVID in the RAFAC?
As in “can you take part in” no nothing comes to mind, there are a few courses/qualifications that are only open to uniformed CFAV’s (M Qual being one)
As I’ve not been in the org for over 10 years I don’t entirely know what a M qual is. Yes is there any activities you can’t take part in/instruct as a CI?
M Qual is a Fieldcraft course for running certain types of exercises, there are some other limitations on Fieldcraft for non uniformed staff but they’re not a massive barrier at least at first.
That said if you want to be in uniform might as well state that from the outset. Nothing to lose.
I wouldn’t mind being in uniform, however I do feel all options need to be weighed up. I would not want to just sign up head first into uniform and find it’s not the right option. Same goes for joining up completely.
I’d like to do it as the only way to have any connection with the org is to be part of it, either as a cadet, adult staff or civ com.
However if there’s a genuine reason not to then I wouldn’t join at all. This is unlikely but I’d like to be open minded enough to consider all possibilities before getting too deep into the sign up process.
I am in a process of applying for my role at work, I’m a temp and I’ll be made permanent if I get it.
Once that’s all settled I shall start making contact with some of the units near me to enter in discussions about joining.
