I received mine a few years ago when I was asking for information that would enable me to show qualification equivalency. In addition to the information that I actually needed they sent me the full package. It was an interesting read, but didn't really show anything that I didn't already know.
From a point of view much lower down the food chain:
- I was an immature pillock as a 19 year old JT in Belize. No complaints from me on that score.
- I was routinely praised for efficiency and equally routinely criticized for not letting everyone know that I had been efficient. Apparently making a noise about doing my job was expected.
- Working away from my trade stream had a negative effect on my promotion prospects. Essentially there was only me and no-one had any point of reference. As a result my numbers were average despite the write-ups being extremely positive.
- My final write-up was fascinating, but by that point irrelevant. The RO commented on the tardiness of my promotions and the difficulties that previous ROs had faced in effectively assessing my performance against my peers and, in his opinion, the lack of effort made to retain "a highly experienced and qualified SNCO". While I appreciated the sentiment it made little practical difference.
Personally I thoroughly enjoyed my time away from the mainstream and don't for a moment regret the choices I made. The experiences that I had set me up for a very successful and varied post RAF career, in several industries and quite a few different countries.
I thought that it was an interesting read and overall a fairly accurate reflection of who I was, and continue to be. I disagree with one or two observations, but IMHO, the system seemed to work within certain limitations.
TTFN