Trainees are people too!

[Apple]

Originally Posted by Woolley

Back in the days when I was a novice I think I only knew one person who expressed any disatisfaction with the title (and he disappeared from the scene fairly rapidly),.

You maybe have hit on something there
Anyone who has a problem with being called a trainee should not become a marshal

[Greem]

Originally Posted by Apple

You maybe have hit on something there
Anyone who has a problem with being called a trainee should not become a marshal

In the grand tradition of Internet Fora (Forums):

*sigh*

It's not the people labelled as trainees who have the problem, it's the people dealing with the people labelled as trainees. Not all of them, obviously, and possibly only one or two, but going back to the threads that spawned this one (to which I contributed pre-upgrade) it's obvious that there is a problem *somewhere*.

If you go back only a very short time, the moans were that there were too few people to go around. Nowadays, occasionally, and once or twice in the faces of trainees, it's that there are too many.

I've spent many years as a moderator of Internet forums (fora!) and mailing lists, and my mantra has and continues to be: if you wouldn't say it to someone over a pint, don't type it. In the world of marshalling, if you wouldn't say it over a pint, don't say it.

It costs nothing to be nice to people, after all. And that, after all, is what this thread is really about (and all the preceding ones).

[Apple]

Originally Posted by Greem

It's not the people labelled as trainees who have the problem, it's the people dealing with the people labelled as trainees. Not all of them, obviously, and possibly only one or two, but going back to the threads that spawned this one (to which I contributed pre-upgrade) it's obvious that there is a problem *somewhere*.

That's my point
So far I have not met anyone who has a problem with trainees. So I don't see a problem
The thing is what ever label you put on people who start mashalling it has to indicate that they are new.
I think it doesn't matter what name you put on it you're still new and other marshals NEED to know that fact.

[Steve Fox]

As a trainee I have no problem with the moniker, Mostly from the simple fact that I AM a trainee! I think if the title were less, well, accurate like say Marshal 101, primary, white grader, 1st grader, A grade etc that would not encourage marshals with quite a lot of hours on the bank to upgrade, 3 years on the bank and still a trainee should put a bit of a toe to the backside for some. Mind you titles like "learner" or "starter level" would certainly put a bit of a pep in the step of those content to sit on the bank.

[Terrible-Tones]

Interesting thread...

I never had issues with being a trainee, nor do I have issues with it now.

I was out on post a couple of weeks, ago with two guys, both brilliant. The three of us were acting pretty autonomously.

I learnt a good thing or two from both of them, because they both had valid, interesting, and relevant things to say and do. I was pleased to learn from them and hopefully they from me (last bit probably not a good thing LOL).

The thing is I am a "graded" marshal and both of those guys were "trainees". Neither "acted" like it and in the end we were just three guys manning a post to the best of our abilities.

So in many ways I am still a trainee too and always will be - I never stop learning something - whether it be from old wise gits or new young recruits.

As an aside what made my day absolutely perfect was one achieved his assesment for Track - sweet! I was really pleased for him.