It was earlier this year, but he has transferred to another region/wing so still very valid
@Letsthink430 - “contracts” is an interesting term and thanks for introducing it to the discussion. I did mention Terms and Conditions of Service (TACOS) in my original post. If you know of any RAF Reservists who think they have a “contract” with either the Royal Auxilliary Air Force or the RAF Reserve, I’d also be really interested to hear from them too - whether SIs or not.
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Contracts is just the term on JPA, that’s a whole different piece with contracts as contracts
But in the JPA world anyone who has more than one open contract would flag on the monthly error list. If you have a JPA account - including all Part Time Reservists, full time reservists, CFaVs (us and the Army cadets) they all have a “contract”
Sir, I read with interest that Service Helpers are a tri-service concept:
An Army Reserve friend of mine, who’d been a RAFAC SI, approached the ACF after a relocation to another part of the country and was turned away on the grounds that a private soldier / JNCO couldn’t be accommodated in their SNCO- and officer- only adult rank structure.
@JustCallMeFlight - I maintain that the Joint Service Policy, as quoted, is unambiguous in defining the Service Helper or CFAV option. However, I would also note that it contains the discretionary verb “may” and, as already noted, I am only positioned to offer opinion on RAF Reserves involvements under that policy. If your Army Reserve friend still feels strongly, I would suggest that the first step is to obtain a written version of the reason he was “turned away” if that has not already been done. If the Army Reservist is then willing to share that with me - via a mod.gov.uk e-mail - I may be able to advise what to do next. Yes, I used “may” in that last sentence…
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@Letsthink430 - First time I’ve ever come across the phrase “contract” in JPA context but I’m not an HR Professional, so more homework required on my part.
On the Terms and Conditions of Service (TACOS) piece, I have been recruited against RAF Reserves jobs for Full Time Reserve Service (FTRS) (Limited Commitment), Additional Duties Commitment (ADC), Part Time Volunteer Reserve, Volunteer Ex-Regular Reserve and Cyber Reserves. So, I have a half-reasonable understanding of that lot.
I’m also aware that there is - or was - at least one Tri-Service difference in the same lexicon where the Reserve Service Day limit for an Army Reservist on ADC TACOS is twice that of an RAF Reservist.
Add-in the various pension schemes and limitations - even before McCloud is fully applied - and you can see how complicated it becomes.
So, I think what would be really helpful is for you to pass-on any advice you were given in written form. If you are willing to do that, let me know via a private message on here and I will reply with my MOD e-mail details. If you don’t have anything in writing, just the details of the person that told you would help me - although via private message please!
There are also plenty of FTRS flying on AEFs and I am pretty sure VGS as well…
If you are Regular or FTRS you are commissioned / paid / subject to Service Law 24/7/365 - hence anything you do must be in that guise hence service instructor route.
If you are PTVR, ADC, VeRR etc then you only assume duty status for the primary engagement - you cannot be on duty as an SI unless the primary role is funding/governing it, you would need to be a CI or have a shadow CFAV engagement.
So for example, we have a Wg Cdr VeRR who puts on Fg Off RAFVR(T) when he is on duty on the AEF. He holds both commissions together but only exercises the appropriate one.
The only edge case I know is that there are some VR(T) that also do SI roles on RAFAC units as both roles were until recently RAFAC governed…
@Nickel637 - what about Leap Years? 
Sorry, can never resist when I see “24/7/365”. No offence intended.
Without wading through the APs again I don’t think that I would dispute that FTRS TACOS involve a guarantee of remuneration in exchange for a commitment to do as you are told.
As for the others, the TACOS vary quite dramatically. ADC don’t seem to get Home to Duty Travel, PTVR seem to do so. Also RAF Reserve VeRRs can get Bounty but not Army - no idea about RN Reserves.
However, as stated, I maintain that the JSP gives Reserves the option to be Service Helpers or CFAVs subject to the commissioned/enlisted restriction.
Still looking to hear from RAF Reserves Service Instructors, regardless of TACOS.
Later edit:
Sorry, also missed your funding point. Reserves have a number of Duty categories - some paid, some attributable for Bounty, some not. Those claiming Attendance Based Pay (ABP) need to indicate the category they have used for the duty they are claiming. Note that ABP is normally retrospective. Don’t think FTRS use ABP, but willing to be corrected.
Wanted to add another policy reference to the list. AP1919A paras 107 and 128 covers-off Reservists who also want to be commissioned as CFAVs. There is a mine of other useful information in this document - not all, necessarily, relating to commissioning.
I’m a long-time lurker who uses this forum as a valuable resource, but thought I’d make an account so I could engage.
I’m a reservist officer who is double-hatted as a CFAV sqn cdr. It panned out this way only because the unit needed an OC and I was told I’d have to become a CFAV if I wanted to take it on.
As my reserve unit is based at RAF Woodvale, I have technically visited our co-located namesake ATC unit while on duty as a PTVR, although I’m not formally engaged as a SI (at this time — I once was very active under that title a decade ago).
Not strictly the demographic you’ve asked for, but I’m very happy to support your work, if desirable.
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But service instructors are CFAVs!
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Quite right! What I meant to articulate was:
“…commissioned into the RAFAC, rather than being attached to the organisation as a service instructor.”
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Are we? Sometimes I see calling orders, etc, for ‘CFAVs, staff cadets, and service instructors’, we aren’t eligible for the CFM, etc.
Interesting point. A quick read of ACP 20 and JSP 814 would actually suggest Service Instrctors are not CFAV. ACP 20 lists CFAV as “Officers, WOs/SNCOs, CIs/CGIs and honorary chaplains”.
JSP 814 says:
4.1.8. Regular Forces. Regular Armed Forces personnel may not be enrolled as CFAV, although they may help at cadet units as ‘Service Helpers’ or similar.
4.1.9. Reserve Forces. Reserve Forces personnel may be enrolled as CFAV in addition to their Reserve commitment. However, WOs, NCOs and other ranks serving in the Reserve Forces are not permitted to hold a commissioned appointment in the CF. The implications of this are that an individual may not serve as a commissioned officer in one organisation and hold a non-commissioned appointment in another. Instead of enrolling as CFAV, members of the Reserve Forces may choose to help Cadet Forces as Service Helpers in their reservist rank.
This certainly implies that being a SI/SH does not equal being a CFAV.
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Apologies for the hiatus!
Definitively, as a Reservist you can be a Service Helper or a CFAV but not both. You also cannot, concurrently, hold enlisted and commissioned rank. I am working to make sure, but my view right now is that RAFAC CI is neither an enlisted or commissioned rank.
As a Service Helper I was CO - not OC - of 9(F) Islington Sqn ATC. All I did was complete all of the mandatory training required of a CFAV without becoming one.
Now working to create a Defence Connect Community of Interest to help RAF Reserves become - and stay-on as - Service Instructors.
…and, yes, I recognise I used both Service Helper and Service Instructor in this post. This is to maintain alignment with the differences between Joint and RAFAC policies. What’s in a name eh? Quite a lot as it turns out!
The one bit of advice I would give all RAFAC Service Instructors is to make absolutely certain you do not accept being referred to as a CFAV. If this happens, write back and make it clear that you are participating in RAFAC as a Service Instructor. This is, fundamentally, because Service Instructors are subject to Military Law and CFAVs are not. There are also some other peripheral details.
More to follow once I’ve finished my work with MOD People Reserve Forces and Cadets / HQ RAFAC.
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Why did you emphasise that you were a CO (and not an OC) of an ATC unit?
It’s common that these are confused.
Squadron commanders in the ATC are officers commanding, unless there’s been a change?
it isn’t a rank. it is an appointment.
CIs are address as Sir/Ma’am and should be written as Mr/Mrs/Mx
This is not true. ACP20 and the relevant JSP both allow it. Source: I am both
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