Vim has a good point – I went though the sausage factory that was Swinderby in 1983, and can still remember the interactions with our DI Cpl like they were yesterday.
The intake I was on had an unusually large number of kids (16-17 year olds) – and the DI knew just how far to push, he certainly shouted a lot! – but more importantly, he also knew when to encourage.
In the block in the evenings – provided he was supplied Tea and Ciggy’s, would impart a lot of wisdom – not just how to get things clean, but how the RAF worked.
I remember his words to the group (where we needed to get better, what he was pleased with etc), and his quiet words with individuals in his office, or round the block (a well timed “ good effort on X” was very motivating)
I remember the PTI’s used to just shout and try to humiliate people for their own amusement. The Rocks were actually some of the finest instructors going – the first aid they drilled in has stayed with me for life – and I could still strip an SLR in seconds if handed one (I remember it clearer than I do the SA80). However, they were certainly not there to be friendly!
The DI’s were the glue that made Swinderby work , it pushed people quite hard and some of the actions from certain instructors would probably lead to accusations of bullying these days (because some things that happened were outright bullying in reality!)– but the experience of the DI’s normally stopped it getting out of hand.
Would an SAC a/Cpl get the same level of respect from the people he is training – and more importantly, from the rest of the instructors!