I am a student/RAF reserve forces training officer. Ask me anything

What's the point of drill?

Quite a lot but the main thing we use it for is team work.

Imagine 12x teenagers having to complete a sequence of moves in complete time and with attention to detail. Every foot should be in the right place, arms should be in identical positions and it all should be done at exactly the same time. It's hard work and it encourages them to work together and think together. Having been a cadet myself, when you nail that sequence and everything is perfect, it gives a fantastic sense of achievement.

Apart from that, there's the (self)discipline side of it and it is an effective way of moving troops from a to b in an orderly fashion!

Which job do you prefer?

In regards to what?

My cadet stuff is 99% voluntary. I get 28 days pay a year but that's it. I don't do it for the money.

I don't count being a student as a job and I can not wait for it to be over.

I do have a part time admin job but it's only to keep me going through uni.

How far down the list are you to be called to fight for your country?

About bottom of the list. Although we hold a regular commission, we are unable to be called up for service. However, if WW3 was to start, I highly suspect that this would change. Personally, I wouldn't mind either way but we receive little training and there are no fitness standards imposed on us so we wouldn't be highly effective soldiers. The common joke is that we should be called the 'Very Rarely Trained' branch rather than 'Volunteer Reserve Training' branch!

I meant the job you are training for in comparrison to the RAF job?

if the RAF job was paid full time would you take it? would you ever fully enlist?

I'm not training for a specific job, it's just a general degree as such. The RAF work is all voluntary so I can't really compare.

If the work with the Air Cadets was paid full time, despite the politics and problems, yes I would take it. It would be an incredibly rewarding job.

I did think about fully enlisting before and although I admire the regular service members, I am not sure it's for me. I much prefer working with the teenagers and seeing the difference that we make to their lives. Who knows though, I still have time to join up if I wanted to.