Its 39 years since I was asked that question, and it was at OASC RAF Biggin Hill on selection for General Duties Pilot. The officer role was a bit different being a regular and, as we now can unfortunately say, a “real” officer (9 months at RAFC Cranwell on IOTC). My answer to that question was that my Sqn Cdr when I was a cadet had flown Short Stirling Bombers in WW2 and had been a great inspiration to me to go forward, get my CWO and go for RAF pilot. That is what I have done since in the ATC, with 631 VGS, 10 AEF and ATC Sqns.
So look at your Sqn Officers and take all of the various good attributes that they have and make one perfect and inspirational leader - that’s what you want to be!
Remember that the idea of a good instructor is to make that person or persons better than you - whilst I have never made it past Flt Lt I am glad to say that one of the cadets I taught to fly many years ago went on to Wg Cdr and was Red 1 - it gave me great happiness to salute him!
I chose to stay as a CI. I have run courses, trips, camps, and pretty much the Sqn when we have had a couple of useless COs…stay a proper volunteer. Once you are in uniform you are claiming pay…you are no longer a volunteer.
They don’t call it pay anymore … but it is as it’s taxable.
Be a proper volunteer. Let the greasy pole climbers run the Sqn…and have a wing supernumerary role…and burn themselves out in 4 years.
DontCallMeSir
? What kind of question is that! 
Well generally forums are about conversation. Little difficult to have a conversation when one side of it is silent!
What reasons do you have at the moment for wanting to be an officer?
Cause this isn’t insulting at all. 
My idea of a forum is to exchange view and ideas on a question that has been asked not a conversation on said question! Not to discuss the whys about the question, it’s to get ideas and views from other people to get ideas!
How can you do that without conversation? 
You’ve got @GrandMaster_Flush asking where your feedback has come from so far, and what your understanding of the role and the organisation is.
We’re not all like that mate!
- The whys about the question matter, they put it in context.
- Do you know what exchange means?
What were your answers and again, why do YOU want to become an officer. What are your reasons? Are there certain things a CI can’t do that you want to be able to do as an Officer? Do you just want to be an Officer because you want to go into uniform and salute/be saluted? Without a basic idea of your thinking we can’t really give you any decent answers 
A little forum joke…but a message that would entice you back to the post you started and didn’t return to.
Not looking for answers, looking for others views and ideas on why they became an officer.
I find this insulting.
I am a volunteer. I am not paid for the hours on a parade night. I am not paid for the hours I sit at home doing admin. I am not paid for the stuff I sometimes do on my lunch breaks at work. I was not paid for the paperwork I dropped off at wing today during my lunch break.
I am a Cadet Force Adult VOLUNTEER. Just because I wear a uniform, it does not mean I am an employee. I am not some greasy pole climber, as you broadly refer to us as.
my reason?
I know I can do a better job than the incumbent buffoon and know I have the support of the Squadron behind me if I was appointed as OC but to do so I need to be Commissioned first
although my WSO accepted my honesty, and although didn’t say it, knew there was truth in what I said, he didn’t feel the answer would get me very far - so I changed it to a more corporate answer (with gritted teeth)
perhaps that was more my motivation for getting a commission rather than reason for being an officer?
Completely agree. Yes I am an Officer, but I am not doing it for any career or pole climbing in the Cadets, never had done, never will do.
I am an Officer simply because I feel I can give more, and achieve more for our Cadets by filling an Officer position rather than a CI or SNCO, although I appreciate that reality has changed somewhat of late, and of course we have CI’s and SNCO’s who do much more than an Officers role typically would.
Girls can we not get our knickers in a twist when someone says a uniformed volunteer isn’t a volunteer because they get some pennies. Remember people, they are just words on a screen! I have in the past said I wouldn’t class you as a volunteer if you receive money back for time spent doing activities and what not to uniformed staff on my Sqn and they don’t get upset. British Heart Foundation volunteers do not get paid and neither do Oxfam volunteers. That’s what I class as a volunteer. If this post offends you then I’m really sorry I hurty your feelings.
Anyway that’s a whole different subject that has been touched on once or twice in the past.
Seconded.
I became an OC because “… Well, if you don’t agree to run it, then we’ll probably have to close it down.”
I have no desire for promotion…
Actually this is really important. As soon as you start calling people less of a volunteer because you can get some volunteer allowance (pay), you start opening a “them and us” situation which helps no one.
I work bloody hard to be an OC, and that often ends up with me drawing the short straw because I don’t ask those “not being paid” to do the rubbish stuff, precisely for that reason. I have used some of the VA claimed to reimburse my CIs when we’ve been on camps or expeditions so they didn’t have to pay for some of the costs. So yes, it does irk me when people spout that utter crap.
My sincere apologies for causing you 'irk. maybe re wording will help or not, knowing how a select few fellow usernames like drama on these forums…we all do the same job, CI’s do not get volunteer allowance but we still do what CI’s do. Uniformed staff get volunteer allowance and still do what they do. But you do see that from my perspective anyone who claims any sort of money in return for doing a volunteers shift…I would not class them under the TERM volunteer. If i was that upset about not getting money from what I do, or the hours I put into our Sqn to see our adults in the making flourish then I would just go into uniform. There is nothing stopping me from going down that route, but I choose to live fluid as a CI with out extra commitments and responsibility. I’m not a certain username or 3 looking for worded drama on a forum, just stating how I see things.
I haven’t claimed VA since going into uniform as all the non parade stuff I do doesn’t attract VA. Does that make me a volunteer still? If I do claim VA when I go to Cranwell how long will I need to stop claiming VA before I’m classed as a volunteer?