Officers' Training Corps - Present Day

Present Day

There are eighteen Officers' Training Corps throughout the United Kingdom, each of which serves the universities in a distinct geographic area. Those serving larger areas may have several detachments. Each OTC is effectively an independent regiment, with its own cap badge and stable belt. Most OTCs are split into a number of sub-units representing different arms and services, which cadets join when they have completed their initial training.

On 1 April 2005 there were 4,257 personnel in the OTCs. OTC members are classed as Officer Cadets (OCdt) and can gain internal appointments to Junior Under Officer and Senior Under Officer. They are "Group B" members of the Territorial Army, the same group as CCF (Army) and ACF officers, in common with whom they are neither trained nor liable for mobilised (active) service. From October 2009 to April 2010 UOTC Officer cadets were not paid for undertaking training; although since April 2010 payment has been restarted, they do not receive the same annual bounty payment as members of the Territorial Army proper.

OTC Officer Cadets can apply to the Army Officer Selection Board on an equal basis to civilians and, if they pass, attempt the Territorial Army or Regular Commissioning Courses with the goal of a commission as a Second Lieutenant. Cadets have no obligation to join the armed forces when they leave university and can resign from the OTC at any time; indeed 90% of those serving with an OTC do not go on to either the Regular or Territorial Army.

The officers and non-commissioned officers, who function as instructors and administrative and support staff, are a mixture of Regular Army and Territorial Army (including Non Regular Permanent Staff).