How would you say the best way to get noticed , I’ve tried things and I seem to have been noticed But I wants to know directly what you would encourage a new cadet to do and what would make them nco material
James. How new is new and what things have you tried to get notice?? We hopefully be in a better position to help, but don’t be frightened to ask your SNCO or an Officer in your Sqn about how you can better yourself and what you need to gain promotion.
When I was a relatively new CI who knew no cadets (still don’t sometimes with all the new recruits we get) the ones that stuck out for me were the ones who came to ask questions, first to put their hand up for the bag pack and various parades that cadets often roll their eyes at when they are mentioned. And I’ll be honest those handful of cadets who did that in the first 6 months or so when I started are pretty much all nco’s now. They would take cadets aside and teach them basic drill, show them how to maintain their uniform etc. With being a newbie in the CI world they helped me so much and made being a newbie not so daunting.
It all depends how old you are, how long you been on Sqn.
Why do you want to become an nco?
Are you confident talking to cadets/adults/general public etc?
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Best but if advice i think I can give…
Stop trying to be an NCO!
why did you joined the cadets? It wasn’t just to be an NCO was it?
Take time put your name in and apply for everything give it your all and enjoy the cadets. Try and go to everything from big fancy camps to terrible bag packs but just get involved and if being an NCO is for you then in time it will come to you.
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Seconded!
Enjoy the Cadet experience and make the most of it - sooner or later you’re interest, enthusiasm and passion will be noticed and in time will become useful experience for a NCO role
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Be reliable, do what is asked to the best of your ability, be smart and get involved in activities. Don’t be in a hurry to be an NCO and it will come. Try and fast track it and you could find your efforts going the wrong way.
As many have said - take advantage of everything the Sqn has to offer (you’ll get more enjoyment out the ACO as much as anything else…), volunteer, turn up and crack on with all the less enjoyable stuff like bag packs and the other cross, pick one thing about ‘being a cadet’ that you think needs work and ask your Sqn staff to help you remedy it.
I would also add - and it’s not a universally held opinion - that you should put as much work as possible into your performance at very practical stuff within the cadet experience: so, if you have a field exercise or adventure training day, and it takes you 45 minutes to prepare, cook, eat and then pack away your lunch, when your staff are getting it done in 15, you aren’t going to get promoted - likewise if you’re the one who forgets their waterproofs, or fails to put them on, and your lack of being switched on causes endless hassle for staff and cadet NCO’s because you’re wet, cold, hungry and late, you’re not going to get promoted.
Practice this stuff, practice cooking and the organisation that surrounds it, practice your map reading, practice packing your daysack and think ‘what is it I need, and where in my sack do I need it?’.
While we pick NCO’s on the basis of a nebulous thing called potential, we also need NCO’s to be able to do the jobs we give them from (to varying degrees) day one. At the very least, that means you have to be able to look after yourself in the field, and be someone the younger cadets look at in the rain after a days walk and ask themselves ‘what is Cpl X doing - I should copy him/her…’.
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As said enjoy being a cadet, get stuck in, do the right things and be low key. Do this and you will be noticed in good way, as opposed to the “look at me Sir” types who do things for effect and are more like a gnat buzzing near your ear.
If you try and be noticed staff will see that as well, this is not always a positive.
A question, have your teachers at school mentioned about or do you expect to be a prefect? Same sort of thing really being an NCO and being a prefect; expectations in personal performance, in terms of dealing with antsi kids, responsibility, representing the school, just like in the ATC if you are a NCO.
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