Becoming a Cadet Force Adult Volunteer

You do not need a military background

This is the single most common misconception. Most Cadet Force Adult Volunteers (CFAVs) come in with no service experience at all. What units actually need is reliable adults who are good with young people and willing to be trained — the cadet-specific knowledge is taught to you.

What the role involves

Volunteers deliver and supervise training, run parade nights, take cadets on weekends and camps, and provide the consistent adult presence the whole thing depends on. Some volunteers specialise — adventurous training, shooting, first aid, administration — and some are generalists. There is more variety in it than people expect.

Requirements

• Age: adults 18 and over. Exact minimums for particular roles are set by the organisation.
• Vetting: you will go through safeguarding checks, including a criminal records check. This is non-negotiable and rightly so.
• References and an interview as part of joining.
• Training: an induction plus ongoing courses. Much of it is genuinely transferable — first aid, leadership, instructional technique.

Specifics vary between the ACF and a school-based CCF, and between counties. The unit or county headquarters will tell you exactly what applies.

Time commitment

Typically one parade night a week during term, plus some weekends and, if you can, annual camp. Units understand that volunteers have jobs and families, and most would far rather have someone reliable one night a week than someone sporadic. Being honest about your availability up front is better than over-promising.

What you get out of it

Recognised qualifications, genuinely useful leadership and instructional experience, and the specific satisfaction of watching a quiet fourteen-year-old turn into someone who can lead a section. Many volunteers say it is the most rewarding thing they do.

How to apply

• ACF: contact your county headquarters or a local detachment through the official Army Cadets website.
• CCF: contact the school or college that runs the contingent. Some CCF roles are open to non-teaching staff and parents.

Where Cadet AI fits

Volunteers use Cadet AI too, to brush up on syllabus subjects before teaching them. Adult accounts are kept separate from cadet accounts, and leaderboards are separated so adult volunteers and under-18 cadets never appear on the same board.