Whatever you had before, for the time being - lack of money is obstructing progress and may lead us down a stupid route. I personally don’t see the need for one at all.
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Thanks. I quite like the SNCO one and think we should all just adopt that one
It makes sense to me for everybody in the ATC to adopt a common TRF and the current SNCO badge fits the bill.
But we don’t have stock and don’t have money to buy more it seems.
The appearance of CIs should be within the bounds of what the cadets see walking around not some artificial perception.
The thing about getting hung up on the visual overlooks what they bring. I’ve attended meetings with the lead manager in shorts and t-shirt, but it doesn’t undermine their technical / specialised knowledge. I’ve attended meetings where we’ve all been suited and it was obvious some of the senior people were only taking up a seat.
WRT the branded CI stuff, all well and good if it’s available. I was handed a pack at Wing 3 years ago, opened it up when I got home and found polos and sweatshirts for CIs of the 3 two had left at least 2 years previous. Not one of the 4 CIs currently has any, but have been on order for around 18 months. Personally, attending and delivering is the main thing. I’d sooner have them there rather than running around like a blue-bottomed fly. Start insisting wear this or look like that, could leave parade nights compromised. On non uniform nights I tend try and not look smart, bit like a “dress down Friday”, for any who remember those.
I fully agree, we should not divert precious funds to replace uniforms. I have replaced my No1s at personal cost to remain smart. But not everyone is as financially solvent as me
My point is the contradictions. We keep being told we are not in the RAF and we are not employees. But we have to adhere to a dress standard when we are representing the RAF at personal cost to ourselves, especially SNCOs!
I can hear people say, the Scouts buy their own uniform, but theirs does not cost £900 (and it shows!
)
We are in a disciplined organisation, which has a uniform and it should be smart, but staff should be able to replace basic items, the same as the cadets.
A proper decision needs to be made about people who do not fit their uniform not attending parades where it is required, but good luck getting that around equality laws!!
I also dispair of the standards of dress of most CIs most of the time, but I’m more worried about our staffing levels so I let it go.
I agree with the CI ‘uniform’ looking pretty naff; in an ideal world I’d like to see them in clean/servicable practical gear when cadets are in No 3, chinos/slacks and collared shirt (I could just about stomach a polo shirt) when cadets are in No 2C and formal shirt and trousers with tie when cadets are in No 2/2A. Of course, formality above those levels is also fine.
But I think we have bigger fish to fry at all levels!
Working blues with CI slides and MTP with CI slides. No head dress so no worries about what they need to salute. Job done.
When I was a CI I wore Polo shirt and walking trousers for ruffdy tuffdy stuff and Shirt and tie or suit if Cadets were in Wedgewoods
Surely it depends on the activity…
But those fish are way, way, way above the pay grade of an Air Commodore. If they weren’t then we wouldn’t be where we are now.
I’m a CI for a reason and it’s not to wear a uniform…
I wholeheartedly agree there’s a need for CIs to wear appropriate clothing but we shouldn’t be dictated to and told exactly what to wear. If we wanted that we’d apply to be uniformed staff.
Ultimately I give up my time the same as uniformed staff but unlike them I don’t get paid so I don’t think the organisation has any right to dictate what I wear.
On the CI polo shirts I think I’ve only seen them being worn on two occasions, and not by anyone from my wing.
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I’m a CI for a reason and it’s not to wear a uniform
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Fair enough.
The polo shirts I was talking about were my own, not issued.
TBH that is the same for all CIs. The desire for uniform manifests after much wearing down by Wing Staff, although a number do succumb.
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I didn’t become a CI to be in uniform.
If I wanted to be in uniform I would not have become a CIVILIAN instructor.
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Only time I wear shirt and tie is either Remembrance Day, annual inspection or I think that’s it. Sqn nights are either jeans\tracky bottoms and t-shirt with or without hoody/sweatshirt depending if the night is we get our one day of summer 
You would have become a CIVILIAN officer or a CIVILIAN NCO instead.
Why are people so against beards. It is only an accident of history that they are not allowed. Would it be so bad if people in the RAF were allowed beards like the navy?
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i have a beard, i spent my entire career waging a low-level insurgency against red faced shouty men by the use of sidies, ever lower and evermore Noddy Holder-like, and now i have a new target, the jealousy of those forbidden to wear such facial furniture.
for some time now i’ve been quite deliberately growing my beard as long and as ‘fluffy’ as possible (i even brush it), this is paying off as i can see various bristley-headed people start to twitch when they see me, i then make an effort to play with my beard as well - with enough perseverance, i’m hoping to force my WWO to have some kind of breakdown.
(with reference to why the RAF are forbidden, its obvious - being a bunch of effete girls they can’t, so they made up a regulation to say that they mustn’t.)
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Strictly speaking civilians wear “company livery”, not uniform, as BALPA continually reminded us.
Look at the people who have or had beards and you should realise why they are opposed:
Jeremy Corbyn
Rolf Harris
George Michael
Osama Bin Laden
Most Vegans
The list of enemies of mankind just goes on 
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Where on earth does that figure come from?
A few years ago when I had a little retirement job with the UK’s second biggest airline, we went from having an allowance and buying your own to a supplied set of kit. This consisted of 2 pairs trousers, jacket, six shirts, tie, rank markings and a foul weather coat. With bulk buying they got it down to £70 total.
it was quite good quality and in spite of the label we found everything could be washed in the machine (I never tried the jacket).
Our CIs dress appropriately and I’ve never had occasion to ask them to smarten-up. If we are away as a sqn, they often choose to wear a sqn polo shirt. Unsurprisingly, there is a sense of identity.
CIs shouldn’t be judged on appearance, they should be judged on what they do which, in my experience, is often far more than uniformed CFAVs.
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