When you join the Army Cadet Force you are given a uniform which you just take care of throughout your time in the cadets. As you work through the Army Proficiency Certificate (APC) and go up through the star levels you will get promoted to a higher cadet rank. Each star level has a different badge which you wear on your brassard, a kind of armband you wear over your uniform. Normally these are the ranks you could hold at each level:
- Cadet Lance Corporal - Has passed APC 1 star
- Cadet Corporal - Has passed APC 2 star
- Cadet Sergeant - Has passed APC 3 star
- Cadet Staff Sergeant - Has passed APC 3 star
- Cadet Company Sergeant Major - Has passed APC 4 star
- Cadet Regimental Sergeant Major - Has passed APC 4 star. There is only one Cadet RSM in an ACF County at a time.
- Cadet Under Officer - The ACF County Commandant may appoint a 4-star cadet as a Cadet Under Officer if he or she is thought to have officer potential and is in their last year as a cadet.
- Master Cadet - After you have attained your four star, you have the chance of becoming a Master Cadet. You have to attend a Master Cadet course at the Cadet Training Centre Frimley Park. After you have successfully completed that course, your ACF County Commandant will decide whether or not to recommend you for Master Cadet. This is at the Commandant’s discretion.
