PAFFO â “ Are there specializations (streams) in the trade?

[*star]

Interested in gathering information on the PAFFO trade (66);

Specifically are there areas of further specialization (or streams) once initial training (BOTC, SLT, 66 Training) has been completed?

What areas of further specialization are offered? And when are they offered?

Who is responsible for the oversight and physical preparation of the CF communications and recruiting material - communications material intended both for internal and external audiences?

Is PAFFO the trade that steers or physically creates the brochures, info booklets, video, websites etc?

If your University degree was in marketing and your work experience was in graphic design (incl. management), would you have the opportunity in the PAFFO trade to continue with this type of work, if not at the beginning of your career, later?

Please also respond with any info relevant to the recruiting of DEO - PAFFO or the trade in general.

Thank you in advance.

 

[jwsteele]

All I can say is good luck.  Not to ruin your hopes but getting into PAFFO is extremely difficult and usually requires component transferring from another trade after being in the CF for a while.  As to what exactly they do and if they have specializations...I don't really know.

 

[Gunner]

All I can say is good luck.   Not to ruin your hopes but getting into PAFFO is extremely difficult and usually requires component transferring from another trade after being in the CF for a while.   As to what exactly they do and if they have specializations...I don't really know.

I think this use to be the case but over the last couple of years, I have met more and more PAFFOs who entered into the classification directly. 

Star, you are best off talking directly to a PAFFO to get this information.  There are a couple that frequent this board and may chime in.  If you don't get a response, contact your nearest base and ask the operator to speak with the base public affairs officer. 

 

[mdh]

Interested in gathering information on the PAFFO trade (66);

Specifically are there areas of further specialization (or streams) once initial training (BOTC, SLT, 66 Training) has been completed?

What areas of further specialization are offered? And when are they offered?

Who is responsible for the oversight and physical preparation of the CF communications and recruiting material - communications material intended both for internal and external audiences?

Is PAFFO the trade that steers or physically creates the brochures, info booklets, video, websites etc?

If your University degree was in marketing and your work experience was in graphic design (incl. management), would you have the opportunity in the PAFFO trade to continue with this type of work, if not at the beginning of your career, later?

Please also respond with any info relevant to the recruiting of DEO - PAFFO or the trade in general.

Thank you in advance.

Star - although I am not a reg. force PAFFO I am a reserve PAFFO working with the militia. I can answer some of your questions - first as a PAFFO you will be performing a management function within the branch.   Typically that means you would oversee the production of materials rather than physically doing the work yourself.   A good example is Army News - the actual shooting and editing is done by a reporting team consisting of a Sgt (reporter) and Cpl (cameraman); as an officer you would be working with the team in a more strategic fashion (a kind of assignment editor).

Materials are prepared according to whatever group or command has been assigned to do the work - for recruiting it would be Canadian Forces Recruiting Group (or whatever it's called now).

The trade is known as a "purple" trade - meaning that once you enter as an officer you can be assigned to whatever element needs you - whether army, air or navy. However PAFFOs move around a lot from element to element. There is no "specialization" per se that I know of - you might be tasked with exclusive responsibility for media relations or crisis management as part of the staff - but that's about it. (Quite a few PAFFOs end up in Ottawa at DND HQ for obvious reasons.)

PAFFOs focus largely on media relations, event management, crisis management, and community relations; each base or formation usually has a PAFFO staff made up of various NCO trades (ie image tech) including the odd civilian. (You might write the odd news release or press story.) You can also be deployed overseas - PAFFOs in Afghanistan for example will oversee media visists and provide orientation and guidance.

Gunner is quite right about DEO - in the past it used to be mostly a component transfer from one trade to PAFFO - but now there are a few DEO positions available each year (last year there was a total of 5 IIRC - check with Kincanucks on the board here who is our resident recruiter).

There has been a renewed emphasis on getting PAFFOs with broad experience into the CF - a marketing degree is certainly a good start - but head down to your recruiting center to find out - the optimum degree would be in journalism or an MA in journalism.

Hope that helps,

cheers, mdh

 

[kincanucks]

Why do we even have a recruiting website if no one looks at it?

http://www.recruiting.forces.gc.ca/engraph/home/jobs_e.aspx

If you don't have a journalism degree and experience then your chances are slim given the few positions up for grabs each year.