RAF or Army Cadets?

My school facilitates CCF and I'm looking to join, as I want to pursue a career in aviation.

They have two divisions; army and RAF.

I know it'd seem obvious to choose RAF, however majority of the students I have spoken to have told me how boring the RAF section is (power points etc.) whereas the Army cadets frequently parade and go shooting.

My question is whether joining the Army cadets would still be suitable for aviation companies to look at, or whether they would prefer RAF Cadets?

Thanks!

Hey OP! Current member of the Air Training Corps here.

It depends on the sqn you're joining, and whether or not they're close to facilities for flying, etc. Most wings (the sectors that sqns are divided into) have places that you can do all sorts of activities at, known as Regional Activity Centres (RACs).

Being in the Air Cadets isn't just about being subjected to death by powerpoint!! As the youth representative for the Royal Air Force, we do still do drill and parades, as well as shooting, first aid and fieldcraft - activities that the Army Cadets also do. A key difference between Air Cadets and Army Cadets, however, is obviously the experience you'll get. There are summer camps that are offered up that take you to various RAF Stations, allowing you to get a feel for what life in the RAF is like, and if you can, giving you the chance to get some more air experience flying under your belt which definitely looks good for an aviation company.

Of course it is up to you, but both youth corps do give you valuable skills that are looked on favourably by companies. Hope that helps, and feel free to message me if you have any other questions about the corps!

I'm considering joining the ATC.. it does seem much more relevant to my career path (I guess the only thing that would make me want to stay with the Army cadets is the uniform haha)

Join the ATC mate. I left a few years ago and my squadron did more fieldcraft than any ACF in the whole area! As well as all the Aviation stuff.

My question is whether joining the Army cadets would still be suitable for aviation companies to look at, or whether they would prefer RAF Cadets?

That is incredibly unlikely. Fieldcraft is a core part of the ACF syllabus. I have been involved in all levels of fieldcraft training up to and including 4 Star and I can assure you that a LOT of time is spent on it. For an ATC unit to spend more time on fieldcraft you would really need to abandon the stuff that makes you "air" cadets.

Not true - many squadrons have officers on them who specialise in different elements of the ATC. For example, one squadron close to my own has a regional shooting officer in their staff, so they spend most parade nights doing shooting training, and have a range on their squadron as well for this purpose. It depends on the staff on the sqn and how sqns structure their parade nights - nothing to do with abandoning the stuff that makes us "air" cadets at all!

You miss the point - if you spend most parade nights doing shooting training, you have to spend less time on other things. Also, I said "spend more time on fieldcraft" - for the ATC to spend more time on fieldcraft than the ACF would require a huge amount of time devoted to it. I never said the ATC would never do fieldcraft. I should also mention that I have seen the ATC fieldcraft pam.

The core focus of the ATC is air stuff, and the core focus of the ACF is outdoor army stuff. Yes there is a lot of overlap between the two, but you still need to join the one that is right for you. If you like the air stuff you will be disappointed if you join the ACF, and if you like the army stuff you will be disappointed if you join the ATC.

the air cadets do what the army cadets do but with addition of air related corps

No, they really don't. They cover a lot of the same subject areas, but not in the same detail.

im an air cadet i know mate my brother was an army cadet x

im an air cadet i know mate my brother was an army cadet x

Put in this way - All ACF cadets do fieldcraft. It is not optional and is part of the core syllabus and spend several years practicing it on your way to Master Cadet. It is not part of the ATC core syllabus. You might get to do a bit of low level fieldcraft but it is optional and you won't devote much time to it, and rightly so.

Fieldcraft is actually part of the core syllabus for Air Cadets too. No disrespect to you as an instructor, but having actually been a member of the ATC for many years I will say that it is a core part of the syllabus in the Air Cadets, even if not completely a main focus. Many camps you go on in the Air Cadets require you to have at least completed initial fieldcraft training which takes you through movements, camouflage, hand signals, etc. so it is still a key part of the syllabus in that respect.

I have been an ACF instructor for several years and have done joint work with the ATC and CCF(RAF). Sorry to burst your bubble, but it simply isn't true. Unless both you and your brother completed every course available in the ATC and ACF, you would still not be in a position to compare. Maybe not even then. You do not have access to all of the appropriate syllabuses and they change quite frequently.

I'm not saying that the ACF is inherently better than the ATC (although I do find our uniform more comfortable!) I am saying we do different things and have different focuses. If you want to fly planes/gliders and learn about flight you should join the ATC. If you want to do platoon attacks and blank firing CQB exercises you should join the ACF. There is nothing stopping either activity happening with the other organisation, but your chance of doing them is much much lower. You also don't have the radios we have, so it is actually impossible for you to "do everything" that we do.

Put in this way - All ACF cadets do fieldcraft. It is not optional and is part of the core syllabus and spend several years practicing it on your way to Master Cadet. It is not part of the ATC core syllabus. You might get to do a bit of low level fieldcraft but it is optional and you won't devote much time to it, and rightly so.

Fieldcraft is actually part of the core syllabus for Air Cadets too. No disrespect to you as an instructor, but having actually been a member of the ATC for many years I will say that it is a core part of the syllabus in the Air Cadets, even if not completely a main focus. Many camps you go on in the Air Cadets require you to have at least completed initial fieldcraft training which takes you through movements, camouflage, hand signals, etc. so it is still a key part of the syllabus in that respect.