Hey, first time on here so sorry if I mess up a little. I’ve been a cadet for 16 months now and recently there has been 2 slots for cpl promotions. I’ve written my application and I’ve had it read over by a couple NCOs and their feed back has all been really really positive. Problem is that to be promoted you are supposed to have been in our sqn for 18 months. I’m not massively fixated on the goal of cpl however it would be nice as I am kind of just constantly repeating the things I can do as a cadet. I really enjoy participating in everything, I’m part of everything I can be. I do sports, all camps, flying, band etc etc, and I teach things like band and flight sim too. I already have so many newer cadets approaching me because word got around that I’m really nice and that I Handle things really well. People have started approaching me with problems and I’ve been able to really help them. I’m not asking for advice on how to get promoted because honestly I’m not that fussed if I don’t get it this time, I just don’t want come across rude or cheeky or like I’m trying to bend the rules because I think I’m better - because I’m not, I just want to register my interest and try and push the limits of opportunities for myself. Many of the NCOs in our sqn got promoted due to letters their parents wrote in or letters they wrote in themselves , this has been severely looked down on by cadets who lost respect for them. I don’t want to seem like this however I was thinking of writing a letter explaining my reason for handing in an application. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to go about this without seeming rude ? because that is the last thing I want.
My advice 'grasshopper…in time you will be chosen. Keep doing all you do and if you get overlooked this time for a promotion then request to have a chat with your OC to see what areas you can improve if you can. A couple of months short of 18 months if you are potentially an awesome nco in the making is nothing and you could be chosen, decent nco’s will make the staff’s lives easier as they often have mountains of paperwork to do. Letters from parents wont make a difference on our Sqn if we received any! We go by the cadet in general and how other cadets see them, we don’t like ShoutyMcCorporal, instead Cpl’s who can deal with various problems calmly like an adult. And as for applications from interested cadets, that shows us how interested you are and you can explain all you do for the sqn and that you are ready to take on more responsibility. I’ve seen cadets chosen because they do so much for the sqn but have not stood the test of time as they were not ready…