Cadet force officers

Getting your employer on board

Building positive working relationships with an employer helps you manage your Cadet Force commitments together. As a CFO, you’ll need to talk to your employer about why you may need time off occasionally. It’s important to be open and honest with your employer, so they understand your commitments, appreciate your community service and skills, and can plan to manage them with you.

Job interviews

Volunteering in the community is valuable, as is the ongoing training and leadership qualities you develop with the NZCF, so your service should add merit to your job application. Make sure your potential employer understands the benefits you bring to a role due to your unique training as a CFO, and have an honest conversation about when you might need some flexibility and support to have time off work.

Benefits:

Officers are required to attend training courses in:

• Health and safety
• First aid
• Equity and diversity
• Adolescent behaviour
• Acceptable behaviour
• Mandatory reporting
• Duty of care
• Managerial decision making
• Youth development philosophies
• Legal and societal practices and procedures
• Military etiquette
• Instructional techniques
• Code of Conduct Training to enable them to be effective leaders for the cadets

Find out more about the types of training offered to NZCF Officers:

Cadet Force Officer Courses(external link)

Service Obligations: 

• Unit routine evening training
• Programmed weekend activities
• Multi-day promotional or professional development courses
• Planning and supervising multi-day activities

Be upfront with your boss

Your employer needs time to plan and to manage when you need to be away from work. So don’t spring your leave requirements on them. Instead, have an upfront and positive conversation with your employer and direct them to our Employers of Cadet Force Officers page to find out more information.