Officer board advice

Adult Staff
1

Hello and welcome to the Group

I’m after some advice. I’m currently a FS RAFAC and going through a mid life crisis. Yes you’ve guessed it - I want to apply to be a Master in the dark side of the force. Apply for a CFC Commission. I want to throw all common sense out of the windows :wink:

I know I’m going to be asked why the move from snco to Officer.

Any hints tips suggestions to say on my filter board will be appreciated

Feel although I’ve been in the ATC since trechard was a sea cadet and want to progress and use the vast knowledge and common sense that sncos are known for

2

Welcome to the forum! I may as well be the first to ask then…why do you want to become an officer?

3

Better wine in the mess obviously

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4

Many moons ago I should’ve gone for a commission however due to circumstances at the time I went down Snco route I’m at that age of life and with experience that I feel I can progress even become a squadron commander

I have been told by numerous people in the past why I have never gone for the commission route as they believe that I have the ability to skill and the knowledge to be an officer

5

Have you got it straight why you think becoming an officer is a better fit for you/the organisation going forward?

How long have you been an NCO? How long at FS (I.e. Have you been held back from progressing as an NCO)? Why wouldn’t you want to become a WO?
Those things may not come up, but you should consider them for your own benefit as much as anything to ensure your motives are right.

What skills and experience do you have that you could/would transfer?

What do you see as the benefits of changing?

6

Moved around with my job and squadrons And wings 11 years as ci. And former CWO

I have been a manager in my civvy employment and it was always my ambition to join as an officer when leaving school but fortunately life played a different hand

7

I’ve not been held back as a snco just didn’t go into uniform service straightaway

8

OK, so “couldn’t commit as much as felt being an officer would require, but have management experience that could be transferred into the ATC”.

That’s fine, I was just checking to make sure there was no reflex involved or frustration over progression/development.

So why not stay an NCO since you’ve been doing that role and presumably are doing ok to hit FS? As a FS, why not promotion to WO?

What difference will it actually make to change?

This isn’t me trying to drag you down - I’ve been in a similar situation and know NCOs of all ranks who have changed or considered it.

Look at it this way:

2-year Sgt changes = easy, “not for me”
4-year WO changes = easy, “been there, done it, next challenge”

FS doesn’t readily fit as an obvious change, so you need to be quite clear about the “why” and what the benefits are.

9

Locally here, and I know that this won’t be helpful to you, but it seems as though the CoC is resisting NCO’s moving to Officer… It might just be that anecdotally the stories you hear are those that have been told no… but it does seem to be the way…

10

Maybe more helpfully - you might want to think if there are any administrative “extra curricular” bits that you might want to be involved in, to help with the transition from leader to manager - you mention becoming OC of a squadron… but is there anything else?

Obviously to become OC you will be a way off anyway, unless you are on good terms with your sector/wing commander… I think as an NCO you will be appointed to Fg Off, so you’d be OiC for a while before you get to Flt Lt…

Then the question is, why not Warrant Officer? You can be OiC of a squadron as a Warrant Officer too, so what’s the difference…?

11

Correct. FS appointed as Fg Off with a 2 year minimum for Flt Lt.

1 Like
12

:joy::rofl::joy::rofl::joy::rofl:

Yeah right…

It maybe dead man’s shoes becoming an OC. But then we have Officers leaving twice as fast as we’re replacing them in my wing at least.

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13

Just in terms of the appointment… as above, 2 years Fg Off as OIC so it isn’t an instant:

Commission, Flt Lt, OC…

14

Shame I can’t PM you good egg

15

Being from the north of the UK what part are you from good egg

16

Just sent a message so hopefully you can reply to that… East Anglia so a different part of the country from you, so things may be very different here…!

17

On my OIC every APO except one was a squadron or section OC already so don’t think command is necessarily that far away if you commission.

18

Firstly good luck!

I don’t know if the filter interview is massively different from NCO but I remember from my filter that a lot of the questions were based around what I did at school (bit pointless if you ask me but apparently the questions are same as RAF filter so there’s the parity there).

If you’re already long in the tooth then I don’t suspect there would be much to be worried about. My way of viewing the filter was that you’re showing that you’re the right stuff to join the interviewer’s “club”. In no way do I mean that in an elitist way but the point is that not everyone is built to be an officer the same way as not everyone is built to be a SNCO. In the filter interview you just need to show that you’re now built to be an officer (i.e. managerial skills and equipped to be a good desk jockey!).

19

What is the guidance on 2FTS SNCO that has completed the 1st phase of the SSIC but been an SNCO for 2 years before hand, do they have complete the remaining modules of the SSIC before they can apply for a commission? Or as they are now an substantive SNCO can they apply?

20

Think SSIC needs completing fully off the top of my head