How old must I be to join? You must be 13 years old before you can join. When can I fly? You are eligible to go flying or gliding once you have completed your Junior Cadet Training. Each cadet should get at least one twenty five minute flight every year. How long is Junior Cadet Training? Junior Cadet training lasts approximately six months What about the discipline? During your time as a member of the Air Training Corps, you wear the uniform of the Royal Air Force, and are therefore bound by its regulations regarding dress and conduct. When you join, both you and your parents sign to acknowledge the rules and discipline framework of the Squadron. Do I have to join the Royal Air Force? No. How much does it cost to be a member? It is surprisingly inexpensive, a joining fee of £25.00 (which covers administration costs, a Squadron polo shirt and T-Shirt and Duke Edinburgh Award Scheme enrolment). Monthly subscription charges are £12.00 a month (payable by monthly Standing Order). There are some very modest additional costs, but none for routine activities such as flying, gliding, shooting and routine training at the Squadron. No cadet will be disadvantaged by the inability to pay. How much does the uniform cost? The blue uniform is supplied by the RAF free of charge (apart from footwear) on a loan basis on the understanding that you will return it when you leave. Camouflage clothing is provided by the RAF when it is surplus to their requirements, you may wish to purchase your own. What if I can not afford it because I am receiving state benefit? We have a welfare fund to provide in times of hardship, no-one is excluded because they cannot afford it. We have a number of financial programmes to assist spreading the cost when necessary. What about school work? Parade starts at 7.15pm, plenty of time to do homework. As far as we are concerned, schoolwork ALWAYS takes priority. We could ask that you notify us if you are going to be away for an extended period during exam or revision time. Do you meet during the school holidays? We meet throughout the year, except Bank Holidays and for a short period over the Christmas and New Year period. What about the security and safety? All staff are vetted by the Criminal Records Bureau and the Ministry of Defence before they are accepted as a member of staff. (Renewable every five years) All activities must be supervised and controlled by someone who has relevant experience and is qualified. For example, small-bore rifle shooting requires an Army range qualification, Hill walking requires a Basic Expedition Leader Award, or similar experience, Mountain trekking requires a Mountain Leader Award. The SAFETY of all members of the squadron is our FIRST PRIORITY. Are parents expected to get involved? Not directly. However, If your son or daughter is selected for an activity away from the squadron for which we, or the ACO do not provide transport, you are expected to provide transport. This is not very often. All we ask is that you take an interest in their chosen activity and support their squadron when we have a parents evening or other activity. If you wish to help as a civilian committee member or civilian instructor, please speak to a member of staff. How much commitment is expected from my son/daughter? They will get out of the Air Cadets what they put in. The Squadron motto is 'Endeavour to Succeed'. To get the best, they really need to parade twice a week, and get involved with weekend activities. Junior Cadet Training requires continuous attendance for the duration of the course as so much is squeezed into a short period of time. Are you a recruiting organisation for the Royal Air Force? We used to be a long time ago. Times have changed , please read our aims. However, 47% of all RAF officers and 51% of all Air-Crew are ex-Air Cadets. Do you provide transport to and from the squadron on a parade night? No. It is your responsibility to get your son or daughter safely to and from the Squadron Headquarters. What do you hope to achieve? At the end of the day when a cadet leaves Colchester squadron, we hope to have helped a young person gain a sense of responsibility, to have developed self confidence, self-reliance, self discipline and be a team player. This is in addition to awards and qualification offered by the Air Training Corps.

 

308 (Colchester) Squadron ATC
Lower Circular Road East
Colchester. CO2 7SZ

01206 369685 (answermachine)
Email: admin@308atc.org