Hello !
So last night after 4 years i was finally promoted to the rank of Cpl ( I’m very pleased at this and it is just starting to sink in
On my squadron we have a 3 month probation period for new CPLS and staff will be watching us very carefully
So i was wondering what can i do to ensure i represent myself ( i.e to stand out as a good NCO , apart from the obviously great uniform and drill ) and what i can do to survive the 3 month probation periods
Any tips will be greatly revived
Thanks
Simple - don’t let it go to your head! Remember you are there to serve (including serving your juniors) not for what you can get out of it. Be nice to people - even when you have to adminster a well-deserved b@ll@cking.
Hopefully you have been promoted because you have already demonstrated you understand this - so good luck.
That is very wise advice and I thank you for sharing that … I completely understand that the rank of cpl Is nothing more than a small step on a very big ladder
Thanks again
if you have been good enough for promotion that means something, the Staff have seen your aptitude and approach, and are happy for you to be a role model to the rest of the Squadron.
do what you have been doing so far, it worked by the fact you got promoted, accept the new responsibility without the ego…
Thanks for you reply
It came as a nice surprise to be honest … was’nt expecting it
As said above, don’t let your new found power go to your head, but also put your foot down and don’t let your mates who are still Cadets take liberties. You’re a JNCO now, not a Cadet.
Another tip, find an area of the ATC which you have an interest/talent for and assist in teaching/running it on Squadron. Makes yourself useful and will develop your organisational skills.
Finally, congratulations on being promoted, getting Cpl is always special. Still remember when I got it!
Be yourself and have your own style and approach. Do not copy others or become a clone of the others.
Given you’ve been in for 4 years you shouldn’t need to be a mini-me of the other NCOs to seek their approval. You will have seen enough come and go to allow you to develop in your mind what works and how it will work for you. If the other NCOs and staff are any good they won’t have a problem with this.
If you go on an NCO course, use it to pick up tips, it won’t make you an NCO, only you can make you an NCO.
Above all don’t become one of the NCOs that try so hard to suck up to and be mates with staff and talk like gibbering idiots.
Thanks for your advice .
I was currently in charge of ICT (computer room , setting up laptops , messing around with radios etc ) so im guessing that will be my role unless i’m moved to being in charge of Junior Cadet Training
I like to think myslef as firm but fair … but i guess it takes time to find your own style
Remember - it’s taken you years to get the rank - it can take seconds to loose it!
I wonder what criteria people set to lose someone their promotion.
You would need to do something catastrophically bad (on the bullying spectrum) to get demoted and several months (given the speed the Corps works) of investigation to get a final decision, unless things have changed. When you consider the processes the vast majority of businesses use before someone gets ‘busted’ or sacked, saying something like it can take seconds to lose it is utter nonsense. If you decide to demote a cadet NCO because they ‘aren’t up to scratch’ then the staff have failed not the cadet. It’s our place to ensure they are ready to take up the role and then oversee their development after that. Recalling my time as a cadet NCO I was promoted and effectively left to it. But I learned my ‘trade’ after watching the other NCOs and SWO and being duty cadet (how many have duty cadets and what do they do?) to guide how I went about it, we didn’t have the now seemingly ubiquitous NCO courses (we didn’t need them) and I don’t ever recall NCOs being branded as poor. These courses IMO allow squadrons to abrogate their responsibilities and result in an almost big brotheresque brainwashing of cadets stifling individuality.
Hazzer98,
Do not ask anyone to do something you are not prepared to do yourself. It is all about teamwork. In 26 years of RAF service I NEVER ordered anyone to do something - I asked them. Treat EVERYONE with the same manners you would like shown to yourself. Now you are on the first rung of the leadership ladder, you need to look at doing the Sgt’s job, have you got the right skill set? If not get them. Learn off of the seniors, what works and what does not. Do not reinvent the wheel, if a system works leave it alone. Cadets get very feed up with newbies changing things to find out it does not work and changing back again. Don’t forget a job is only as hard as YOU make it. Good luck.
bullying is instant dismissal. no questions. providing the facts have been collected, its a one way ticket.
i unfortunately have seen it several times, and most often on camps.
Yes the facts and a proper investigation.
It happens at camps most often as it is a microcosm and concentrated (almost Lord of the Flies) existence of different cadets (and staff) for a week or so and some hormonal normally rational teenagers act oddly as they try and sort out their pecking orders.
Golden rules… respect is earned and not a right of rank. Never ask someone to do something you would not do yourself and don’t abuse your position. Have high standards for yourself and coach those around you to get as close as they can to your high standard.
Start how you mean to go on but make sure you do what you say. In other words, its good discipline to expect cadets to stand to attention when speaking to staff and NCO’s, in turn you should do the same so that new cadets will pickup that standard and then it becomes second nature.
Know your cadets! talk to them and get to know what they do outside the Squadron, understand their individual personalities and leverage this over time.
You can’t change the world overnight and you need the other NCO’s as much as they need you.
get on a JNCO course and finally, congratulations on your promotion, talk to your fellow NCO’s and work as a team.
This is something ALL staff should do and not just in terms of what they do, but as much as you can gather about their personal and school life, as this affects how much they might be able to do within the ATC.
This for me includes
are they from a broken home / adopted / fostered
what is home life like
what is their school performance like
how do they get on at school generally
any conditions such as asthma, attention deficit
are they in school sports teams or other school activities such as drama and musical groups
what do they do aside from the ATC in their spare time ie in sports teams, play musical instruments learning and or in ‘groups’, do martial arts/dance/theatre etc etc etc etc
Unfortunately a teenager like a cadet NCO will be unlikely to be able to assimilate this sort of information and make allowances and sensible judgements about their peers. I’ve got staff who can’t do this despite knowing the information, who I regularly put in their place.
Just stay approachable, have a laugh but don’t take it too far and don’t let it go to your head. You must be doing something right to get promoted in the first place. Don’t be afraid to ask the more experienced cadet NCOs on your squadron they’ve all been in your position.