Page 50 - The Wish Stream Year of 2022

A Colour Sergeant’s Perspective
CSgt J P McMurray YORKS
Through my career I have always looked up to soldiers that have been instructors at The Royal Military Academy Sandhurst. Every soldier I have met that has been an instructor at RMAS has been extremely competent, moti- vated and professional always. It may sound biased, but for me there is a clear distinction between a CSgt that comes to RMAS and those that go elsewhere; and it is the professionalism and aura that radiates off those instructors that makes a posting at RMAS so attractive to the upcoming JNCOs and SNCOs.
This is my third posting at a training establish- ment. Having trained soldiers as a Section Commander and Platoon Sergeant, I can say that being a CSgt at RMAS is
through to Senior Term. I think it was a great way to start my posting as it gave me time to really get my bearings and get settled in. CSgts in the DCCW deliver all the training for weap- ons, pyrotechnics, ranges, Range Management Qualification and then deploy on all the exercises with the Platoon they are affiliated to. Whilst in the DCCW you may also be required to deliver training for the Short Courses. These are mainly for Reserve Officers or Professionally Qualified Officers (PQOs). I spent the last three terms as a Platoon CSgt on the Reg CC. I found this to be the highlight of my time at the Academy.
The huge task of making sure the OCdts are at the standard and ready to be released into the field Army is split between the CSgt and the Platoon Commander. As there are only two of you, things can get extremely busy. Having said all that, it is not always the case that you will be fortunate enough to get the same rotation I did. Regardless of what rotation you do, I have no doubt
you would enjoy it just as much.
The work/life balance is something I think is very important that you need to get correct, and I know all instruc-
tors will agree with. Sandhurst is busy! The training programme and everything in between is packed with very little white space. You must take the opportunity to fit in some time for your- self and family. It can be hard at times but with a good training team and the support from each other it is doable. If you don’t find the time, you will quickly burn yourself out and this is no good for anyone especially the OCdts. I do think that the Academy is good at delivering social events for permanent staff and their families. There is
very different indeed. With expe-
rience of training soldiers, I really
wanted to come to Sandhurst to
see what other challenges come
with training OCdts. They are a
completely different breed com-
pared to soldier recruits; the drive,
determination and need to do well
in everything they attempt is very
impressive. If you were to come
away from RMAS having been
an instructor and tell me that you
have learnt nothing from them, I would say you are lying. The way they strive for the best is infec- tious; there is not one day that goes by without an OCdt asking you a question that you genu- inely have to think about. When you are deliver- ing a lesson to OCdts, it is imperative that you make it as engaging and interesting as possible, ensuring that you try to cater for all the differ- ent learning styles. This is because most of them are well educated, smart individuals that require constant stimulation. I found that always blend- ing the lesson content with past experiences and relating to situations they are going to face helped a lot.
I spent most of my time at Sandhurst moulding and developing the future officers on the Regular Commissioning Course (Reg CC). For my first three terms I was employed in the Dismounted Close Combat Wing (DCCW), being affiliated to a Platoon on the Reg CC from Junior Term
If you were to come away from RMAS having been an instructor and tell me that you have learnt nothing from them, I would say you are lying.
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