Tips for 1st Camp as an nco- where I'm the most senior

My first camp was pre-covid and now i’m going as a Sgt :skull: -looking at the attendee list I’ll be the eldest Sgt and therefore most senior on camp. So my staff think I’ll be ‘camp leader’ if ygm.
Absolutely terrified and am worried I won’t know what to do/ freeze/ mess up when commanding the cadets and in front of staff.
Any tips? Anything would be appreciated. Please :pray:

The only bad decision is no decision. As long as you do something, you’re generally ok.

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Make sure everyones in the right place 5 mins before theyre meant to be there with the right kit and all will be fine, also remember its your time at Camp also, enjoy it!!

Whats the worst that can happen?!

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This isnt quite how it works…

Couple of points.

  1. Dont be surprised if by camp someone is promoted to FS.
  2. Promotion (technically) works on date of promotion, NOT age. So if there is a younger Sgt but they have been a sgt longer than you. They are senior.

As to the worry part. Try not to.
You dont have to run the camp! Just support where you can with helping cadets and getting peoppe to where they should be on time.

It will be fine.

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Not necessarily - if there’s any other sergeants work with them as a team and make an effort to gel with them. You’ll have a much better experience working with them as opposed to trying to 1-up them claiming you’re senior to them

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Dont worry, unless you’re the only NCO (unlikely) there will be plenty of help. No one will expect you to know or do everything…
Let them know how you feel…there’s no shame in admitting nerves. NCOs are, in my opinion, the unsung heroes at camp; they make the Staff’s requests a reality.
Whatever role you are given try to do it to the best of your ability, and remember to enjoy yourself…

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If the camp com has a senior NCO going from their sqn, so someone they know, highly likely they will get the gig.
TBH go to camp and enjoy it and learn.

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Noted, thank you!! :slight_smile:

Got it, thank you!! :slight_smile:

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Sorry to clarify- from what I’ve been told I am the eldest and longest serving sgt hence I was worried about the high chances of being picked.
But thank you!! All noted :slight_smile:

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I gotchu fam.

Almost no one knows what’s happening on camp - they might know when something will happen, but 90% of the time everyone is reacting to relatively fresh instructions.

All you can do is react quickly and effectively to the instructions, and ask questions to ensure you understand the tasks required.

Then go do, supervise, motivate.

Use the NCOs around you worry about the nitty gritty and get in amongst everyone while you keep track of the overall progress and proximity to required finish time.

You will get the information you need, if you want more, just ask.

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You the real mvp :pray: :pray: :pray: thank you!!

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Sure you’ll be fine! Get as much info as you can in advance about what’s where (if it’s a new location for you) - road and walking routes may be very different. Ask staff for info on schedule etc, and if there’s anything critical confidential you may need to know from tg21s. Help staff keep stuff safe with hydration, temperature, loose tiles, fuses for power cuts etc - help the team gel together, support other NCOs, don’t feel obliged to be up front the whole time - let others have a go! Pastoral stuff that’s been bottled up may surface when people are tired eg 3rd day when adrenalin runs out… Get cadets fed first but look after yourself too! Help “bring up the rear” and check no-one and nothings got left behind. Thank camp staff for everything! Delegate - use your jncos, don’t try to do everything… Seize opportunities to relax and save energy eg for any nights when people are kicking off… and enjoy it - you may go home tired but adapting to the responsibility teaches you a lot - especially watching staff “winging it”! Thank you so much for doing this, and bless you all in it :slight_smile:

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