I was a Troop Commander in Pirbright for a year. As an Infanteer when I heard about my posting I thought it was the end of the world to be sent away from the Battaliom , especially to teach Phase 1 loggies. To my complete suprise it was a very enjoyable and fulfilling period - genuinely.
A couple of random thoughts...
The Work - Yes the CMS(R) programme is restrictive in terms of what you do. However how you go about it is pretty much your own business. I was in an RLC squadron and, aside from two visits to my exercises, I was left to crack on as I saw fit. Discipline, the quality of the teaching, the exercises, the "tone" of each Troop - its all up to you and your team.
I got a great sense of satisfaction out of being part of a good training team - moulding a group, bringing them on, coaching them through hard times and seeing them pass off. I won't deny that at times its extremely frustrating to deal with some pretty pathetic individuals but - your recruits look up to your team, and their personal and professional development is a direct result of *your* effort.
Standards - Yes there is a great deal of debate and criticism about these within and without the ATRs. The concentration on first-time pass percentages, APWT scores etc leads to rivalry between OCs and tacit endorsement of cheating. However it is down to YOU to maintain the standards and defend your corner, despite the consequences.
e.g.
"Look here Lt Charlie what the hell went wrong with your troop's APWT? Cleall Troop had a 90% pass rate." "Well sir our range was well run - the first round went down the range at 0800, there was a fast turn around, no break for lunch, Cpls taught revision to waiting details, and we maintained a positive atmosphere on the firing point. Furthermore I arranged for those who hadn't passed to retake it the next morning with another troop on the larger range, having provided the NCOs and ammunition for them to do so. Cleall Troop, on the other hand, abandoned the standing shoot, the use of respirators on the NBC phase and fired kneeling practices from the prone position."
To keep high standards you need to be efficient. There are a series of practical targets which are easy, aside from the APWT. After all, whos going to fail CMS(R) on The Country Code or won't be able to grasp fire and manouvre? The most important aspect, however, is the obvious "in my experience and opinion does this recruit have the core soldier skills which will make him a self-disciplined, robust, honest team player aside from his trade skills?" If the answer is "No" then they shouldn't pass out. HOWEVER! You've got to be able to show a track record on these intangible qualities - high quality, reliable reports by the NCOs backed up by warnings etc. Then you've got the proof to bin them if they're not up to it.
This takes a lot of concentration and effort. In my experience the JNCOs and, to a lesser extent SNCOs and officers, who complained most were the ones who didn't put the effort into quality coaching and consistent monitoring. After all, it is easier to say "the systems shit" than do something about it. Its what you make of it. As an officer you can, if you wish, get away with a respectable bare minimum, leave your NCOs to crack on and enjoy a relaxed year. Or you can put a lot in, get a lot out, and still have time for a much better quality of life than in a standard infantry battalion.
Annoyances - As RTFQ alluded to, there's a lot of paperwork. No two ways about that. Also discipline. Personally I thought it wasn't too bad. Coming from a Scots Inf Bn I found it refreshing not to have to deal with AWOL, assault, battery, breach of peace every week. There are many forms of punishment at your disposal - sending to the guardroom, shows, warnings, getting them charged. But you must have the paperwork to back it up. However any aspect of "bullying" or "cruelty" get jumped on from an enourmous height. Just a couple of exaggerations in some recruits' diary about punishments, allegations of bullying etc and the world falls on your head. You don't always have the full complement of NCOs - they can change quite frequently. Also some Infantry Regiments dump the guys they don't want - after all the best get sent to Catterick. You lose quite a few weekends on ex s etc - but more stability and routine than the field army and the added bonus of more subbies to cover duties. After your third troop, yes your will to live does start to wane a lot. It even more of a problem for the NCOs who are there for two years. Also some RLC JNCOs really have a point to prove and try the whole Gunny Highway approach with shaky basic military skills themselves.
Plus Points - Cracking mess life, exposure to other arms (I'd never worked alongside anyone outside to my Bn prior to Pirbright and was a definate G3 snob) relatively short working days when in camp, near to London, more chance of doing AT (where the f uck did that disappear to?), working in a close-knit gang with some really good NCOs.
In summary - there were times that I thought it was completely toss to be training recruits and losing some weekends instead of being properly warry. But then when I went back to the field army I re-realised what being busy was really all about.
Take the job.
Its far better than some bonk RD job like Coy/Sqn 2ic. But make sure you take your spine with you and have the courage deliver good training despite laziness and cynicism among a few NCOs and the politicing of brown-nosing OCs.
Edited to say feel free to PM me if you've any questions.