Instructor

“In case you haven’t noticed,” the Admiral snorted, “these classes aren’t exactly helpful. Right now it’s more about offering opportunities for each Admiral’s representatives to see all the new recruits and decide who they want to Claim. Instructor Davick is one of my reps, and he spoke very highly of you.”

— Mordena Dawn, Book 4: In Pursuit of Reckoning

Civilian members of the Sparnell Armed Forces, Instructors are responsible for the education of new conscripts upon their arrival at SAF Military Headquarters. Early instruction provides an overview of the many roles available within the SAF, often serving to brag about the prestige of more notable Sparnelli Families as representatives present on their Families' own accomplishments in their field of choice. Upon completion of these lectures, plus an aptitude test to determine each new conscript's natural magical aptitudes, new recruits are split into classes for more focused fields of study in their assigned roles.

Official Duties

Most recruits spend the first two years of their ten year conscription at SAF Military Headquarters, learning the skills and responsibilities they'll use regularly upon joining the fleet. They will spend all their time at Headquarters, aside from occasional Leave granted to visit their Families, if the recruits do not choose to remain behind for additional training in the hope of rising above their classmates.
Instructors are responsible for seeing all needs of the recruits are met, from education, to housing, to clothing, to food. The classes are demanding and time consuming, involving both mental and physical components. Instructors must learn the limits of their students, and then push them in ways to expand those limits without irreparably harming the recruit. The methods used vary by instructor, with some choosing to remain harsh and demanding while others play a more tactful and friendly approach.
As with all relationships in the Sparnell Confederation, the successes and failures of their students have a direct impact on their Instructors' personal prestige and glory, leading Instructors to constantly push their students to excel.

Unofficial Roles

While most recruits spend their first two years in training, this is not a requirement. Those Claimed by an Admiral or Vice Admiral are transferred to their Admiral's responsibility immediately. Sometimes this results in an Admiral selecting their new conscript's course of study, rather than leaving the decision to the Instructors. Other times, an Admiral may withdraw a recruit from classes immediately, instead attaching them to their fleet to learn in the field.
Regardless of the Admiral's decision, there is prestige and often credits to be made for identifying promising and successful young students and alerting an Admiral to their existence. Most Instructors augment their usual benefits with agreements with one or several Admirals, notifying them of conscripts worth their attention before another Admiral is able to Claim them.
While officially illegal, the practice has become so commonplace among SAF Admirals it's often joked that Fleet Admiral Valcore Sil would need to replace the entire SAF should she ever choose to enforce the ban.

Form of Address

Instructor

Type

Education

Famous in the Field

• Instructor Davick Soren

Related Locations

• SAF Military Headquarters

Used By

• Sparnell Armed Forces

Related Traditions

Claiming Ceremony

Further Reading