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Cadet Ranks

After being a cadet for a while your Commanding Officer may recognize you have the potential to be a role model for other cadets and promote you to a Non-Commissioned Officer (NCO).

Like the Armed Services the Air Cadet Organisation has a rank structure which is outlined below. As you will see the higher up the rank structure you go the more duties you are expected to assist in.

Corporal

To become an NCO you have to show several qualities to the staff and officers.  These include leadership, setting a good example to recruits and younger cadets and also to show that you’re capable of doing the jobs of an NCO.  We look for these qualities because it shows you that you can work under your own initiative and be able to lead a group of cadets to do a job.

If you have shown these qualities then you might be placed in either stores or canteen to further hone your skills to become an NCO.  It also gives you a chance to watch older and more senior NCOs in action and learn from them.  If you also need any pointers then you can always ask the uniformed staff for help. 

A promotion doesn’t come to you easily, you have to work hard and make yourself known to the staff.  And also age isn’t a factor in choosing a corporal.  It’s all based on what you do at cadets and how you work.

Sergeant

What you have to do to become a Sergeant is to take the qualities you use at corporal level and make them better.  You need to be able to show that you can look after a section of the squadron like stores and be able run it without a hitch.  You should also be able to keep it clean and organized. At this level you will be working closely with the Corporals and cadets on Squadron to develop them to become NCO's in time.

Flight Sergeant

To become a Flight Sergeant you need to show that you are good at your job, have good people management skills as you will be helping to develop other NCO’s and that you can take classes to cover staff that aren’t in.  You may also be asked to organize a visit to a museum or bowling or other team building activities. At this stage you will start to work with staff more, helping them to plan bigger activities or assist with the day to day running of the Squadron such as updating the training programme.

Cadet Warrant Officer

To become a Cadet Warrant Officer you need to be at least 18 and pass an Instructor Cadet Course at usually held at your Wing Headquarters involving an interview to ascertain how much knowledge you have of your Squadron and the workings of the upper structure of the Air Training Corps. This is the highest rank you can achieve as a cadet and hopefully something you want to strive for.

At this stage you will be more involved with the staff on Squadron when organising activities or taking classes. You will be expected to organise events and activities for other cadets on Squadron and even fill a post that would normally filled by staff if you are on a small Squadron.

This is a brief idea of how to be promoted but for more information ask your senior NCOs or uniformed staff.

Last Updated: Thursday, 16 October, 2008 10:09 PM
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