Royal Canadian Air Cadets

I have worked at Trenton Cadet Training Centre for 3 summers now, and each year is a new experience. The command team can be a little (or very) disorganized, but the staff always manage to pull through and perform their duties as necessary. 

It's hard to describe exactly what working at a CTC is like. It's not like a normal summer camp. A typical job position would require you to take on the role of a teacher, a caregiver, a manager, sometimes a counsellor and confidant, and most of all, a leader. Your job is to make sure that the cadets under your command are learning what they need to learn in order to be successful in their course, their cadet careers, and later on in their lives. It doesn't end there. It is also your responsibility to ensure that the staff cadets under your direct command (if there are any) are taken care of, and to develop them into better leaders and instructors so that one day, they'll be able to take over your position and do the same thing with future staff cadets under their command. 

Most people here are quite open and friendly during their off-time, and professional when cadets are present. We often help each other out as best as we can without overstepping our boundaries, and I can always rely on my direct supervisor to help me out if there's a problem I can't deal with myself. Everything follows the "chain of command" structure, where any problems or ideas are brought to your direct superior officer, who then brings it up the chain if necessary. Any orders from the Commanding Officer or members of their command team are passed down the chain in the same manner. 

I've learned a lot of valuable lessons while I was here, and made a lot of friends and connections. The lessons learned aren't always hard skills, such as sports or drill. It's the leadership, communication, and management skills that I found most valuable in my daily life. In such a closely knit group and fast-paced work environment, these soft skills are vital to the functioning and delivery of a successful CTC. I learned how to prioritize, compromise with others, and deal with stressful issues such as last-min schedule changes and bullying. I also learned how to be flexible, yet deliver a successful programme, and how to work efficiently under a good deal of pressure. 

The long hours and summer heat are worth it, and if you have the chance to apply for a job position at a CTC, I highly recommend you do it and chances are, you won't regret it. What I described here is just the "tip of the iceberg".

A typical day at cadets involves drill, attending  and/or teaching classes, hanging out with friends, and ensuring your uniform is in a good state.
 During my time in cadets I've learned so much about so many things, not just about aircraft and drill, but also things like, stress management, meteorology, photography, sports and fitness, and so much more. 
The officers and instructors are all very helpful, and good at what they do, they manage to be real, fun people, while still commanding great respect and professionality. 
While cadets is fun, it can also be stressful at times, i would not recommend joining if you do not think you would be able to act professional and follow rules, other than that there is plenty  of time to talk with your peers, and many fun non-mandatory activities.

A typical parade night (6:00 pm-9:30 pm) consists of a half an hour parade, followed by three periods where students attend classes and seniors or non-commissioned officers teach. Additional days are reserved during the week for other team activities such as coaching sports teams. The officers are very supportive and often help the cadets. My peers and I get along very well and gladly accept new personnel to work within our team. The hardest part of my job is trying to teach a cadet that does not want to be taught. However the most enjoyable part of my time there is the look and happiness on my students faces when they find out that I am their instructor for the night.

establish top-notch experiences for consumers. 
My experiences and background include providing prompt and courteous customer support. This includes welcoming customers, explaining the use of products in detail, scheduling future bookings, providing service for past products sold, responding effectively and professionally to inquiries and complaints. I excel at collaborating with peers, prioritizing tasks, and encouraging effective communication procedures with clients. Overall, I am very passionate for this job as it provides me with the opportunity to work in my favourite place (the gym) as well as gain strong experience in customer service. I am confident my strengths and passion will provide your team with a strong

Typically, I would take attendance, perform a brief drill exercise, then tell the cadets the evening's plan. Classes would then take place for the next 3 hours, following which a dismissal of the cadets. Dress codes and regulations were followed strictly. The higher management was slightly irrational in their expectations of the squadron, this being the reason that I decided to leave, but that's not to say I didn't benefit from the program. Looking back on the 4 years I spent as a cadet in the program, my character and personality were molded to become the best they could, and the skills I had learned--leadership, punctuality, reliability-- will stay with me for life.

What is the best part of working at the company?
I was an Air Cadet there and I thought it was the best time of my life from all the time I was there.

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Nothing, I thought it was a very welcoming place.

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
All kinds of cultures and environments there, it was a very welcoming space.

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Walk in Class time, Have fun, and meet other people there. I thought it was a fairly well-maintained and enjoyable space for everyone. I would always have a great time going.

As working my way up the ladder of ranks, I begin to take responsibilities of teaching classes and leading young cadets as I once was. It was important to be on top of various tasks I have been assigned. Teaching classes at their specified lessons were difficult to manage because of time constraints. However I became more efficient and productive is making and teaching those lessons. I learned through experience and even though it was challenging I focused on the task at hand. I enjoyed all the activities that the squadron was able to fund such as swimming, basketball, drill and music. Most of which I took part in and supervised.

- Very good environment to learn a variety of different social skills as well as survival skills.
- Most enjoyable part would be the FTX Survival Excersizes. My personal favourite time was an excersize to build shelter from the rain and animals, but there was always something fun planned like Capture The Flag in the pitch black of the forest after the rain fog has just settled.
- Management was always very responsible and kind and I respected very much the people who trained me.

I developed the attributes of good citizenship and leadership by facilitating bottle drives and collecting food for the veterans and delivering community newsletters to every house. Learned teaching skills and conducted 15-minute class related to the Air Cadets curriculum and gained more knowledge about the Canadian Forces. As well as fundraised for many activities and also part of the Survival team of the Squadron and developed qualities such as working efficiently, time management, leadership and working with others

A typical day would be learning skills and traits in the classrooms, applying them in the field, drills, and much more. For me, my favorite thing about the Air Cadet program was the Range team, summer training, survival training and flying in both gliders and power planes. Including the massive C-130 Hercules. The worst thing about the program was that they started changing and removing various activities to put less stress on the younger cadets.

Working at Royal Canadian Air Cadets: company overview and reviews

Royal Canadian Air Cadets

Royal Canadian Air Cadets ratings

Salary satisfaction

Job seeker tools

Employer Tools

Browse

Stay Connected