As an ex-cadet and ex-officer I’ve been back involved with my local squadron for the past couple of years. After various conversations I’ve put in paperwork to re-commission and have an interview with the Regional Commandant later this week. Has anyone got any advice about the type of questions I’ll be asked? I’m looking at the usual stuff around the RAF’s deployments, international situation etc (pretty similar to first time round) but is there anything else I should be looking at?
Make sure you know the ATC stuff too, be aware of Cadet Portal, ACTO10 and the such as it’s “current” for the organisation. Also make sure you know the who’s who in your chain of command.
I doubt it’ll cover that kind of thing. They’ll just be looking out that you’re not an idiot. You’ve already gone through the hoops once, so it’s not a test as such.
(Reason for me saying this; I had similar with the RC in the recent past, all he wanted to do was “check I’m not a tool”)
They might ask you the 64 million dollar question of course, “why would you want to do this”?
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A lot will depend on which RC does the interview as there is as I am lead to believe no strictly set format for this.
Which RC is it?
i second this.
i have heard, dependent on how long ago it was since leaving as a regular, it is either a tick box exercise, which ends up talking about the “good ole days” as the RC and applicant happened to serve in the same area at the same time, a more formal chat with tea and biscuits to get to know the individual, to a more formal interview where some more expected questions are asked of the occasion!
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LASER
I did the same a few years ago now, so if my experience helps…
I was told it would be a cuppa tea kind of chat, along the lines of ‘are you a tool’, but as it happened it was a full hour of questioning about the RAF, its current deployments, strengths weaknesses etc. Waste of all our time as I had told them by question 4 that I hadn’t boned up on that as had been told it wasn’t going to be needed and had never had to know that level of detail in my previous years as VR(T) and was quite happy as CI, but that had been persuaded to go back into uniform (pre OASC days, just) and would be happy to go home again and forget all about it.
Didn’t matter to RCO, he had his list of questions and wanted to prove he knew more than me and so it was utterly useless, other than identifying him as a tool.
Even more silly was despite my ‘appalling’ RAF knowledge and my frustration with him being evident, with the WingCO and Reg ExO having to play mediator at times, he still let me back in.
Luckily he has gone to real retirement now.
Good luck and don’t let the odd tool grind you down!
I think it’s very much up to the RC in question - mine for example was just a friendly chat.
Mine was just a friendly chat too. It took far, far longer to drive to RHQ than I spent chatting to the RC!
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a friend of mine had the same.
they ticked the “used illegal substances” box as they were being honest having smoked the green leaf back at uni (once).
they duly turned up with their form, presented them self in uniform (they were transitioning from SNCO to VRT) to which the RC apologized for all the fuss and said there really was no such need for uniform and he was being far to honest about such a minor indiscretion.
it is an hour+ each way to reach our RHQ for a ten minutes chat and cup of tea!
Thanks everyone for the advice. It was a friendly chat over the phone - all over and done with in 30 minutes, with a positive result 
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