Cadet

A cadet is a person who is junior in some way. The term is often used by Uniformed Services .

ETYMOLOGY

Cadet derives through the identical French from the Late Latin ''capitettum'', a diminutive of ''caput'', head, through the Provenal form ''capdet''. It first meant the head of an inferior branch of a family, a younger son; then particularly a military term for an accepted candidate for a commission in the army or navy, who is undergoing training to become an officer- the latter use of the term arose in France, where it was applied to the younger sons of the noblesse who (another 'fitting' alternative was an ecclesiastical benefice) gained commissioned rank, not by serving in the ranks or by entering the ''écoles militaires'', but by becoming attached to corps without pay but with certain privileges.

MILITARY CONTEXT

''Also see: Officer Cadet ''

In the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth countries, a ''cadet'' is a member of one of the cadet forces.

In the , the Sea Cadets , Army Cadet s and the Air Training Corps .

In the United States , ''cadet'' refers to an officer in training. The United States Navy and United States Marine Corps use the term Midshipman , while the United States Coast Guard , United States Air Force , and United States Army all indeed use the term ''cadet''. See Officer Cadet for this usage, the term used for an officer in training in the UK. Students at the Military Academy at West Point, the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, and the Coast Guard Academy in New London, CT are referred to as "cadets", while students at the Naval Academy in Annapolis are referred to as midshipmen. Members of the ROTC and JROTC programs of the various uniformed services are also titled ''cadet'', as well as members of the Navy League Sea Cadets , Civil Air Patrol Cadet Program, American Cadet Alliance and students at military high schools (e.g., Valley Forge Military Academy ).

In Canada , the term "cadet" refers to either an officer in training, with the official rank names as Officer Cadet for the Air Force and Army and Naval Cadet for the Navy. Also, the term Cadet can relate to the subdepartment of the Department of National Defence (DND), the Royal Canadian Cadets movement. This consists of Sea Cadets , Army Cadets and Air Cadets in units across Canada.

In .

In Norway , "cadet" is a pupil of the "Krigsskolen", of the schools of either the Army, the Navy, or to the Air Force educating commanding officers. Today the nco's unfortunately hold their ranks at the Military Academy.

In Ireland , ''Cadet'' is a pupil of the Military College, which carries out officer training for the Air Corps , Army and Naval Service . Training takes 2 years and the Cadets are split into Senior and Junior Grades and Classes.

In Australia, a "Cadet" is person aged between 13 and 20 who is a member of the Australian Defence Force Cadets (ADFC). The ADFC is comprised of the Australian Navy Cadets (ANC), the Australian Army Cadets (AAC), and the Australian Air Force Cadets (AAFC).

Cadet corps

In the British and Commonwealth (formerly Empire) service these bodies of boys or youths are organized, armed and trained on volunteer military lines.

CIVILIAN CONTEXT

In the United States, ''cadet'' refers to an officer in training for the Police , Firefighter and EMT services.

Similar usage exists in the UK for personnel in training for the positions of Fire And Rescue Service officers.

In :''Schweizerischer Verkehrskadetten Verband'').

OTHER USAGE

A new organisation on the internet named the Web Cadet Corps aims to educate people online and to build international friendships. It is not a government sponsored organisation and is run by donations by its members.

Some sports teams also refer to players that are in the process of
being built up to play for the team at a later date as cadets. Such players often play for a lesser team in the same club. This is done quite commonly in the National Rugby League (NRL).

In Australia, the term is also used to describe a person pursuing a career as a Chartered Accountant under the "Cadetship" program, designed to accelerate career progression for motivated students. The programs are offered to students finishing high school or currently undertaking tertiary studies in relevant courses by several Accounting firms such as Three of the Big 4 Accountancy Firm s ( KPMG , PricewaterhouseCoopers and Ernst & Young ), and mid-tier firms such as BDO and Grant Thornton .

To refer to someone as a ''space cadet'' is to imply that they are "on another planet", i.e. Foolish or Dim .

SEE ALSO