Officer Courses All Officer courses are tri-corps. What is an officer? The difference between an officer and an NCO (Non-Commissioning Officer) is that NCOs are not commissioned. Another difference is the age barrier. An officer is too old to be an NCO and an NCO is too young to be an officer. Officers in the NZCF hold the Cadet Force Commission, making them Commissioned Officers of the New Zealand Defence Force. However, all the Cadet Force officers are volunteers, and the Commission is given with that condition. But, when attending Officer courses, whether as student or staff, the officer is paid for the time they give up. Commissioning Course The first course that any budding officer will attend, where they will learn how to take on the role of officer in a normal cadet unit. With a shortage of adults who are committed enough to become an officer, very few officers are turned away or failed from this course. Instead, the best Training Team that Cadet Forces has will mould the officers. On the course they are taught Instructional Technique, Administration, Risk Management and Drill to name a few. The syllabus of the course is similar to the Advanced Leaders Course, but with more involved. At the completion of the course, the students are promoted to Second Lieutenant/Pilot Officer/Ensign (see Ranks) and issued with their rank slides and commission. Instructional Technique and Management Course This course, called the IT and M, teaches the students everything they will need to know to become an effective instructor back at the Unit. With the completion of this course, the officers will have all the theory and textbook information about how to teach, with the practicality of instructing cadets back at the unit to shape them into a truly effective instructor. Command Course This course is that which officers take before they can become a Unit Commander. On the course, the strains and rigours of the position are stressed, and the student taught how to manage a unit which can be as large as 150 cadets. Once completed the course, the officer is set to take command of any cadet unit in the country, and sometimes officers who have completed this course are in such short supply that the NZCF requests that officers take command of units they live nowhere nearby. This can outline the commitment of Unit Commanders, as many have accepted the request and moved to the unit. Bushcraft Course On this course, the officers are taught how to manage a team, and themselves, in the outdoors. Focus is especially given to the safety of the team and managing the risks of the bush. Since back at the unit, the team will be young cadets, the officers are taught this carefully on the course.