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timaloy

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When leaving the RAF at end of engagement you get a testimonial and a certificate of service, when you PVR or get admin discharged do you still get these bits of paper? or are they only for people who get to the end of their engagement?
 
You get a Testimonial from your Unit when you are discharged, whether it is by PVR or expiry of service. If you have done >22 yrs, you also get a Valedictory Letter from the AOC thanking you for your service. The JPAC send out your discharge certificate.

If you are booted out, I dont think you get anything apart from your discharge certificate.
 
...but, however you leave, don't expect anyone on the outside to want to see them!
 
Is it a a reference or just a litle bit about your service? i got my line manager down as my referee on any job applications so not sure what to make of theses bits of paper
 
You really need to be asking the RRA or whoever is administering your discharge these things, as they are definately covered when you do your termination interviews.
 
will do just thought i'd put it to the goat to see if anyone knew what you get, what they are for, and if they are any use
 
Testimonial - written by your Line Manger. Corrected by your Flt Cdr. Re-translated by your Sqn Cdr. Minor corrections made by your OC Wg and then signed. It is an A4 document detailing your service history, outlining your particular strengths. It actually originates from you, as your Line Manager will get all the info from asking you about what you have done in your career. Looks nice, but thats about it. I suppose it could be attached to a CV.

Valedictory Letter. A letter signed by the AOC thanking you for your loyal 22yrs + service. Very impersonal and fcuk all use outside, but someone thinks its a nice touch. It also gives a Sqn Ldr a job at Air Command preparing all these letters. In fact with a huge round of redundancies coming up, they will probably increase the number of Sqn Ldrs to 3, and then have a Wg Cdr to oversee them. After a 6 month long study involving 4 Gp Capts.

Certificate of Discharge. Sent by the JPAC to your discharge address. Having not been discharged yet, I have no idea what they look like or how useful they are.

Reference. Written by a colleague of your choice. Probably the most important as whatever is said on this will determine whether or not you get the job.

If you are out soon and your Line Manager hasnt engaged with you about preparing your Testimonial then you really need to be asking. I prepare the Testimonials for Line Managers at the 6 month point, so they are signed, sealed and delivered by the time the guy clears at the 2-3 month point.
 
MWD,

Are the forms used still 856 along with 856B and C?

Is the testamonial written on the back page of the 856B?

And slightly off topic, does it still get sent in a nice RAF blue folder with sleeves for certificates? If it does, can I just warn people that the plastic sleeves remove the print from the certificates you put in them. It ruined some of my most important ones and they cannot be replaced.

TW
 
None of them will be any use for getting your next job.

They are irrelevant and often inaccurate opinions of your character by people that generally don't know you.

They contain a history of your service career which most civil employers won't want to know, written in a language they don't understand and giving references in military slang and jargon about how good you were with a gun or wearing a gas mask and how many medals you won.

They are so finely tuned to your persona that they may incorrectly state what your rank and trade was (as did my original, twice returned).

If you're stuck, they may arrive in a handy folder, if you can rub the badges and lettering off.

On the up-side!

They may be good for teaching youths what a highly paid and tremendously qualified corporate business unit in today's UK military is capable of.

I still have them....somewhere.
 
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Talk Wrench said:
MWD,

Are the forms used still 856 along with 856B and C?

Is the testamonial written on the back page of the 856B?

And slightly off topic, does it still get sent in a nice RAF blue folder with sleeves for certificates? If it does, can I just warn people that the plastic sleeves remove the print from the certificates you put in them. It ruined some of my most important ones and they cannot be replaced.

TW
Click to expand...

Reminds me of previous times in the Gen Office typing these up; a pain when redundancies came around as they took forever to type. I think the form numbers may exist, but the layout and content has changed beyond recognition. I'm also fairly sure that the the folders were binned as an unnecessary expense when JPA came in. However, not having had the pleasure of receiving a set of discharge papers, I retain the right to be wrong!
 
muttywhitedog said:
Testimonial - written by your Line Manger. Corrected by your Flt Cdr. Re-translated by your Sqn Cdr. Minor corrections made by your OC Wg and then signed. It is an A4 document detailing your service history, outlining your particular strengths. It actually originates from you, as your Line Manager will get all the info from asking you about what you have done in your career. Looks nice, but thats about it. I suppose it could be attached to a CV.

Valedictory Letter. A letter signed by the AOC thanking you for your loyal 22yrs + service. Very impersonal and fcuk all use outside, but someone thinks its a nice touch. It also gives a Sqn Ldr a job at Air Command preparing all these letters. In fact with a huge round of redundancies coming up, they will probably increase the number of Sqn Ldrs to 3, and then have a Wg Cdr to oversee them. After a 6 month long study involving 4 Gp Capts.

Certificate of Discharge. Sent by the JPAC to your discharge address. Having not been discharged yet, I have no idea what they look like or how useful they are.

Reference. Written by a colleague of your choice. Probably the most important as whatever is said on this will determine whether or not you get the job.

If you are out soon and your Line Manager hasnt engaged with you about preparing your Testimonial then you really need to be asking. I prepare the Testimonials for Line Managers at the 6 month point, so they are signed, sealed and delivered by the time the guy clears at the 2-3 month point.
Click to expand...

I was never asked anything for mine hence when it arrived the other day it had several omissions, trip back to PSF beckons.
 
PSF didnt write it. You really need to be asking your Line Manager as to how they managed to cover your entire service history, detailing all your high points, without your input.

Unless of course your LM has served with you continuously since attestation!
 
Left Mar 09 and never received a testimonial. Cetificate of Service and veterans badge turned up though.

However has never been needed or asked for
 
muttywhitedog;479744[B said:
]PSF didnt write it.[/B] You really need to be asking your Line Manager as to how they managed to cover your entire service history, detailing all your high points, without your input.

Unless of course your LM has served with you continuously since attestation!
Click to expand...

I know that! However, it's signed off by a Sqn Ldr in PSF so that will be my 1st call.
 
In my experience, no one has ever asked for my 'testimonial' written by my old Chief but signed by some faceless to$$er in PSF who never even met me.

However, I have been asked for my Certificate of Service 3 times since leaving!
 
These sort of things can be used in some fashion, some potential employers could be swayed by a testimonial, and if its one of these lengthy job applications, where you have to fill in 20 pages just to express interest, attach a photograph etc, a certificate of service I know could be thrown in there to some avail.

Some people will never need them, some people might.
 
muttywhitedog said:
Testimonial - written by your Line Manger. Corrected by your Flt Cdr. Re-translated by your Sqn Cdr. Minor corrections made by your OC Wg and then signed. It is an A4 document detailing your service history, outlining your particular strengths. It actually originates from you, as your Line Manager will get all the info from asking you about what you have done in your career. Looks nice, but thats about it. I suppose it could be attached to a CV.
Click to expand...

muttywhitedog said:
All the Testimonials that I prepare are always signed off by the OC Wg and latterly OC Sqn - a Wg Cdr that does actually know the individual.
Click to expand...

Testimonials should all be signed by OC PMS on behalf of the Stn Cdr. The job of OC PMS is to check the document for completeness, tone and quality of narrative and most importantly, that testimonials are being completed to a consistently high standard across the unit. [Edit: That doesn't mean OC PMS's always understand that fully and it's your testimonial, make sure it covers all the points you think it should. Think of it as your last ever SJAR.]

I remember one testimonial passed across my desk a while back which covered in detail the support given by the individual to the RAF Volleyball team over the previous 22 years and not much else. Without an admin input that would have been signed, sealed and delivered unchanged.
 
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