Is there a minimum age for a service instructor? My point being if an 18 or 19 year old member of the armed forces wanted to become a service instructor, would they be permitted?
Full details available in ACP 20 PI 601
Normal answer is no they can’t, but appears they can if we really want them…
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And don’t forget that UAS etc don’t count and can’t be SI’s.
But they still can be cadets
But I thought they couldn’t be as UAS, UOTC etc. Are part of the reserves?
It used to be the case but was revised/clarified in the past couple of years.
ACP20, PI601, para 4:
Cadet members of a University Officer Training Corps Unit, University Royal Naval Unit and University Air Squadron are specifically excluded from being appointed as SIs. They may, however, continue as staff cadets on their ATC squadron until their 20th birthday when they can apply for Cadet Force Adult Volunteer (CFAV) service.
Cheers for the quotation :)!
Doesn’t that still clash with a JSP just out of curiosity?
I don’t have access to all the current versions of all the JSPs. I see little detail in JSP814 from 2016.
While 814 is clear on service by regular and reserves, I suspect that university units are not properly considered as reserves.
Interesting. We allow UOTC cadets to assist as staff on camps.
I think there is sometimes some non-joined-upness with these things - for example, we’ve told our Welbeck cadet that he is permitted to remain a member of the Corps; however Welbeck have told him that he can’t.
On the basis he’ll be in the CCF at Welbeck? No problem with ATC and CCF membership (send them off to read JSP814)
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Probably makes sense since your staff start at 18, whereas for us it wouldn’t make sense with ours starting at 20.
No. Despite what they tell you, they are not Reserves. They are not deployable. There is no return of service. There is no garunteed employment afterwards. They are nothing but glorified cadets and a drain on the MOD budget.
But this anomaly, because we won’t reduce to ending cadet service at 18, is potentially creating confusion in something like this.
I’d like to revisit this topic with a query for a friend. If an under-20 year old has been appointed as an SI under the quoted rules and subsequently leaves the Service, can they continue their involvement as a CFAV?
It would seem unusual – having deemed someone suitable, vetted them, put them through AVIP, etc. – to then either make them wait until their 20th birthday (potentially 12+ months) or expect an ex-regular to re-join as a cadet.
They definitely wouldn’t be able to rejoin as a cadet, as cadets have to start before their 17th birthday (we had someone join us earlier than planned to get around this rule, as it would have otherwise ruled them out).
I can only imagine a person leaving before their 20th birthday as a consequence of either a medical or administrative discharge, given the 4-year minimum service rule.
In the case of an admin discharge, I’d want to know whether they would continue to be suitable. This would depend on the reasons for the discharge.
For a medical discharge, we would need to assure ourselves of the individual’s wellbeing and physical ability to get involved. Would cadet service help or hinder their recovery?
We’ve had a scenario recently where an 18+ cadet wanted to rejoin after missing the extension deadlines. Our only option has been to pop them onto the CivCom until they turn 20.
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Cadets can, though, transfer in from the CCF over 17. (This is so they can continue service after leaving school although I don’t recall if the wording would in principle allow transfer for any reason - I requested it so that those aging out of CCF before completing ACPS could stay in RAFAC.)
But a transfer is an internal function; moving someone already a cadet to somewhere else where they can still be a cadet.
Rejoining is an external function; changing the status of the individual from non-cadet to cadet. So I don’t think the 2 are comparable.
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I’m sure in ACP 20 rejoining after 17th birthday is explicitly allowed but it requires RC sign off.
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Is re-joining as a cadet really the appropriate route for an ex-regular who’s served on the sqn staff as an SI though?
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