THE RANK PROMOTION THREAD
The complete set of ranks a Rocket can achieve is Trainee, Grunt, Agent, Elite Agent, and Executive. Executive rank is reserved for staff characters only. If you decide your new character is going to be a Rocket, you can begin to play them at either Trainee or Grunt rank. If you choose to begin as a Trainee, then you must wait a minimum of two months from the date of your new Trainee's first RP post before applying for Grunt status. Alternatively, you can skip all Trainee RP altogether* and begin at Grunt rank.
* If you begin RP as a Grunt, it is assumed your character has already finished their Trainee work before you began to RP them. Every Rocket goes through Trainee rank first ICly, even if you skip that rank OOCly.
To see all of the different uniforms worn by each rank, take a look at the Character ID thread. If your Rocket is promoted and you have an ID for that Rocket that you would like updated to reflect their new promotion, you'll need to PM the artist who made the ID to discuss updating. It won't happen automatically.
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Team Rocket Trainees are the bottom of the totem pole. This is where someone starts when they first join Team Rocket. Packed into dorms eight to a room, a Trainee must endure a minimum of two months doing demeaning work such as janitorial or cafeteria duties while undergoing both physical and informational training. Trainees have very little free time, cannot leave the base without an escort ranked Grunt or higher, and are given no pay. Trainee rank is a testing period to make sure a new recruit demonstrates satisfactory loyalty as well as mental and physical competency. Trainees' opinions have no weight in the matter of recruiting new members.
Trainee status is awarded immediately. Trainers who join Team Rocket will start as Trainees, and if you decide to begin RPing your new character as a Trainee you may do so.
Grunts are low-ranking agents fresh out in the field. They're not very well respected among higher ranking agents and aren't awarded very exciting missions. If they're interested in or suited for a particular department, they may be given menial assignments, essentially "grunt work," within that department. Otherwise, they can expect to be sent out to steal Pokémon and supplies from inexperienced trainers. Grunts live two to a room with communal hall bathroom and are paid somewhat poorly in exchange for having room and board covered for free. They're allowed to partner with other Rockets if desired. Grunts can file a recommendation to recruit an individual they consider promising.
Grunt status is awarded if you engage in any RP. This means that your first RP post may be as a Grunt if you'd like to start off playing them as a Grunt rather than a Trainee. If your first post is as a Trainee rather than a Grunt then you must wait a minimum of two months to apply for Grunt status.
Agents earn significantly more respect than Grunts. They're trusted to do what's best for Team Rocket with or without orders and are often allowed to come up with their own missions. They also may be assigned legendary Pokémon. Agents are typically expected to be more competent and successful than regular Grunts and may be asked to step into leadership roles. Agents are assigned their own rooms which share a bathroom with the next room over; if they have an Agent rank partner, they will be given adjacent rooms. Agents are encouraged to form partnerships with other Rockets. Their work is compensated with fairly good pay. Agents are permitted and trusted to recruit new members that will be valuable to the team.
Agent status is awarded if you've been actively RPing your Grunt in the shop for at least 6 months, they have attended at least 1 raid, have one noteworthy accomplishment*, and have a minimum of 25 completed† RPs.
Due to the increased responsibility and competence assumed of characters at Agent rank, these restrictions are just minimum requirements for applying. Staff will select applications based partly on whether the character could plausibly be promoted given their nature, if staff thinks they're ready for the additional responsibilities, or whether or not they deserve to be promoted. The closer you are to the minimum, the more strict staff's evaluation will be.
Elite Agents are rare and very important. They're entrusted with Team Rocket's most delicate operations and are usually expected to lead important missions. They may take Trainees and Grunts out on training exercises or act as mentors to promising Agents. Elite Agents often oversee departments or subdivisions of departments. Their quarters are individual suites complete with a kitchenette and a personal bathroom. Elite Agents do not have partners officially, and they are paid well. Elite Agents are able to recruit individuals.
Elite Agent status is awarded if you've been actively RPing your Agent in the shop for at least six months since their last promotion, they've attended at least 3 raids, have at least 3 noteworthy accomplishments*, and have a minimum of 50 completed† RPs.
Due to constraints on the number of Elites that can be allowed, the previous restrictions are minimum requirements for application only. Staff will select applications based on quality of RP, shop participation, etc. when choosing which characters can or should be promoted. Since Elite is the highest rank a non-staff player can achieve, Team Rocket has a finite list of departments for Elites to lead, and Elites could potentially outnumber lower ranks otherwise, only a select few will reach this rank.
Executive Agents fulfill the duties not only of normal Rocket agents but also of executives. They're the only members who have regular contact with Team Rocket's mysterious boss, Lucere. Their rooms are a step up from those of Elite Agents, and they enjoy the highest pay grade. Executives can recruit new trainees, but they rarely do so personally.
Executive Agent status is for staff characters only.
* A noteworthy accomplishment is something your Rocket has done in the name of Team Rocket that would earn them respect in the eyes of their fellow Rockets, such as accomplishing a difficult solo or partner mission, completing profitable research or experiments, or even just consistently performing well on missions or assignments. If you think something your Rocket has done is noteworthy, feel free to include it in your form!
† RPs must be 2 pages or more in length and be more involved than single sentence exchanges to count as complete.
** Rank requirements are subject to change on a case by case basis.
If you think your Rocket has met the qualifications for a rank promotion, then you'll need to grab a form from the bottom of this post, fill it out, and post it in this thread. Rank promotions will not be awarded without an application. You need not apply for Trainee rank unless you have a trainer that has recently decided to join Team Rocket.
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To apply for a rank promotion for your Rocket, simply copy this form, fill it out, and post it here! We try to review promotion applications as often as possible, though you may have to wait a few days. Simply keep checking back until your post has been edited with a response from staff. Remember, post all applications for rank promotions in this thread! Please do not PM them.
Also, if you aren't sure of the exact date of your Rocket's last promotion, you may simply post the month and year they were promoted (for example - just "August 2011", or "sometime near the end of January 2012" would be fine).
[size=11][color=darkred][b]Rocket promotion![/b][/color]
[color=dimgray][b]Name:[/b] (Rocket's name)
[b]Journal:[/b] (link)
[b]Current rank and next rank:[/b]
[b]Date of last promotion:[/b]
[b]Raids participated in:[/b] (if applicable)
[b]Accomplishment(s):[/b] (if applicable; list as many as you'd like)
[b]Completed rps:[/b] ##
[/color][/size]
[color=dimgray][b]Name:[/b] (Rocket's name)
[b]Journal:[/b] (link)
[b]Current rank and next rank:[/b]
[b]Date of last promotion:[/b]
[b]Raids participated in:[/b] (if applicable)
[b]Accomplishment(s):[/b] (if applicable; list as many as you'd like)
[b]Completed rps:[/b] ##
[/color][/size]
Example form:
Rocket promotion!
Name: John Smith
Journal: Link
Current rank and next rank: Grunt applying for Agent
Date of last promotion: 08/17/11
Raids participated in: Link one, link two
Accomplishments: Improved existing software in Rocket pokedexes to increase efficiency by 67%
Completed rps: 32
