DWIRC:Staff Training Program

Apply for the Program

Potential candidates should first review the eligibility requirements and application process:

Eligibility and Application

Applications and reviewer notes must be submitted through the approved private application system. They must not be posted publicly on the wiki.

DarkWorld IRC Staff Training Program

The DarkWorld IRC Staff Training Program prepares potential staff members to support, moderate, and protect the DarkWorld IRC Network.

DarkWorld IRC is one of several projects operating under the wider DarkWorld Network umbrella. Other DarkWorld projects include DWShells, DWBouncers, DWBots, DWGames, DWStats, DWPaste, DWVPN, and DWTutorials.

Completion of this program applies only to roles within the DarkWorld IRC Network. It does not automatically grant authority, administrative access, or staff membership in any other DarkWorld project.

Purpose of the Program

The program ensures that potential IRC staff members understand:

• How IRC works.
• How the DarkWorld IRC Network operates.
• DarkWorld IRC rules and policies.
• User and channel modes.
• NickServ, ChanServ, HostServ, and other IRC Services.
• User-support procedures.
• Channel moderation.
• Abuse and incident handling.
• Staff ethics, privacy, and security.
• The responsible use of IRC operator privileges.

Candidates must demonstrate knowledge, sound judgment, professional conduct, and reliability before receiving permanent staff access.

Core Principles

Every trainee must follow these principles:

1. Learn before acting – Candidates must understand the network and its policies before receiving authority.
2. Use the least privilege – Access must be limited to what is required for the assigned role.
3. Protect the community – Staff powers exist to protect users and the network.
4. Remain neutral – Staff access must never be used in personal arguments.
5. Respect privacy – Private reports, IP addresses, logs, and account information must remain confidential.
6. Use proportionate action – Staff should use the least severe effective response.
7. Document important actions – Serious incidents and enforcement actions must be recorded.
8. Escalate when uncertain – Trainees should ask a senior staff member instead of guessing.
9. Accept accountability – Staff decisions may be reviewed by senior management.
10. Respect project boundaries – IRC staff authority does not extend to other DarkWorld projects.

Who May Apply?

A candidate should:

• Be a registered and active DarkWorld IRC user.
• Have a positive history within the community.
• Demonstrate maturity, patience, and professionalism.
• Be willing to help users without expecting personal benefits.
• Be able to communicate clearly.
• Be willing to follow DarkWorld IRC rules and staff procedures.
• Protect confidential information.
• Complete all required lessons and assessments.
• Accept supervision during training and probation.
• Disclose any relevant staff positions held on other IRC networks or communities.

Previous IRC staff experience may be helpful, but it is not required. Experienced candidates must still complete the DarkWorld IRC-specific policy, ethics, and practical assessments.

Disqualifying Conduct

A candidate may be rejected or removed from training for:

• Repeated violations of DarkWorld IRC rules.
• Harassment, discrimination, threats, or malicious conduct.
• Ban evasion.
• Sharing private or confidential information.
• Impersonating staff.
• Providing false information in an application.
• Attempting to obtain access without authorization.
• Using training knowledge to disrupt the network.
• Serious abuse of access on another network or project.
• Refusing to follow instructions from authorized trainers.
• Cheating during an assessment.
• Using another person to complete training work.

Removal from training does not always mean permanent rejection. Management may allow a candidate to apply again after a suitable period, depending on the reason for removal.

Training Stages

Stage	Description	Access
Applicant	A user who has submitted an application.	Normal public user access only.
IRC Student	A candidate accepted into the training program.	Training materials and approved training channels.
IRC Trainee	A student who has passed the initial lessons and assessments.	Supervised practical duties only.
Probationary IRC Staff	A trainee who has passed the core program and has been selected for probation.	Limited role-appropriate access.
DWIRC Staff Member	A candidate who has successfully completed probation.	Access appropriate to the assigned IRC staff role.
IRC Specialist	A staff member who has completed an additional specialist program.	Specialist access approved separately.

Training Process

The normal training process is:

1. Candidate submits an application.
2. The application is reviewed.
3. Approved candidates join the core training program.
4. The candidate completes all required lessons.
5. The candidate completes assignments and practical exercises.
6. The candidate passes the written assessment.
7. The candidate passes the practical assessment.
8. The candidate signs or accepts the Staff Code of Conduct.
9. Successful candidates enter supervised trainee duties.
10. Selected trainees enter probation.
11. A final review determines whether the candidate becomes a permanent staff member.

Passing the course does not create an automatic right to a staff position. Staff appointments depend on conduct, trust, network requirements, available roles, and final management approval.

Core Training Curriculum

Module 1: DarkWorld IRC Network Introduction

Candidates learn about:

• DarkWorld Network as the parent organization.
• The purpose of the DarkWorld IRC Network.
• Official IRC servers and channels.
• IRC staff roles and reporting structures.
• The boundaries of IRC staff authority.
• The relationship between DWIRC and other DarkWorld projects.

Lesson: DarkWorld IRC Network Introduction

Module 2: IRC Fundamentals

Candidates learn about:

• IRC clients and servers.
• Secure TLS connections.
• Nicknames, usernames, idents, hostnames, and cloaks.
• Channels and private messages.
• IRC masks.
• IRC commands.
• Netsplits, lag, reconnections, and server notices.

Lesson: IRC Fundamentals

Module 3: DarkWorld IRC Policies

Candidates study:

• General network guidelines.
• Advertising, invitation, and recruitment rules.
• Relay and bridge policy.
• Channel registration requirements.
• Project registration and verified presence.
• Spam, flooding, harassment, and ban evasion.
• Privacy and evidence handling.
• Staff conduct requirements.

Lesson: DarkWorld IRC Policies

Module 4: User and Channel Modes

Candidates learn about:

• User modes.
• IRC operator modes.
• Channel modes.
• Channel access levels.
• Ban masks.
• Ban exceptions.
• Invite exceptions.
• Moderated and restricted channels.
• Flood-protection modes.

Lesson: User and Channel Modes

Module 5: IRC Services

Candidates learn about:

• NickServ.
• ChanServ.
• MemoServ.
• HostServ.
• BotServ, where applicable.
• Account assistance.
• Channel access.
• Channel ownership disputes.
• Appropriate escalation to Services Administrators.

Lesson: IRC Services

Module 6: User Support

Candidates learn how to:

• Assist users in official help channels.
• Ask useful diagnostic questions.
• Help users connect securely.
• Provide NickServ and ChanServ assistance.
• Handle complaints professionally.
• De-escalate disagreements.
• Protect confidential information.
• Escalate complex cases.

Lesson: User Support and Communication

Module 7: IRC Moderation

Candidates learn about:

• Warnings.
• Mutes.
• Kicks.
• Channel bans.
• Spam and flood response.
• Advertising violations.
• Harassment.
• Ban evasion.
• Proportionate enforcement.
• Avoiding unnecessarily broad actions.

Lesson: IRC Moderation

Module 8: Abuse and Incident Handling

Candidates learn how to:

• Receive an abuse report.
• Verify evidence.
• Protect private information.
• Preserve logs and timestamps.
• Classify incident severity.
• Take immediate protective action.
• Escalate serious cases.
• Prepare an incident report.
• Follow up on unresolved incidents.

Lesson: Abuse and Incident Handling

Module 9: IRC Operator Fundamentals

Candidates selected for network-level roles learn about:

• IRC operator responsibilities.
• Operator-account security.
• Network notices.
• User investigations.
• Kills and network bans.
• OperOverride and SAMODE.
• Netsplits and server routing.
• Flood and attack response.
• Recording operator actions.

This module does not grant IRC operator access. Access requires separate management approval.

Lesson: IRC Operator Fundamentals

Module 10: Staff Ethics and Security

Candidates learn about:

• Least-privilege access.
• Neutrality.
• Confidentiality.
• Account security.
• Conflicts of interest.
• Staff accountability.
• Internal escalation.
• Compromised-access reporting.
• Separation between IRC authority and other DarkWorld projects.

Lesson: Staff Ethics and Security

Assessment System

Candidates are evaluated through written, practical, and behavioral assessments.

Assessment	Weight	Minimum expectation
Written assessment	30%	Demonstrates knowledge of IRC, policies, and procedures.
Practical IRC assessment	35%	Correctly performs support, moderation, and IRC tasks.
Communication and judgment	25%	Remains professional, neutral, and proportionate.
Participation and reliability	10%	Completes assignments and follows training procedures.

The normal minimum passing score is 75%.

Candidates must also pass the ethics and security section independently. A high overall score cannot compensate for unsafe conduct, abuse of access, dishonesty, or serious privacy violations.

Practical Training

Practical exercises should take place in an approved training environment.

Exercises may include:

• Registering and securing an IRC account.
• Identifying parts of an IRC user mask.
• Using user-information commands.
• Managing channel modes.
• Selecting an appropriate ban mask.
• Handling a support request.
• Responding to flooding.
• Responding to prohibited advertising.
• Handling a channel dispute.
• Preparing an incident report.
• Escalating a serious case.
• Recognizing when no staff action is required.

Candidates must not experiment with moderation or operator commands against real users without authorization.

Mentorship

Every IRC trainee should be assigned a mentor.

The mentor should:

• Answer training questions.
• Review assignments.
• Observe practical exercises.
• Correct unsafe actions.
• Provide feedback.
• Monitor trainee conduct.
• Review incident reports.
• Recommend advancement, additional training, or removal.

A mentor must not approve a candidate solely because of friendship or personal association.

Trainee Period

After passing the core assessments, a candidate may become an IRC Trainee.

During this period, the trainee may:

• Help users in approved support channels.
• Observe experienced staff.
• Participate in supervised exercises.
• Prepare reports.
• Recommend actions to authorized staff.
• Handle approved low-risk duties.

Unless specifically authorized, a trainee must not:

• Use unrestricted IRC operator access.
• Use administrative OperServ commands.
• Issue permanent network-level sanctions.
• Access production server configurations.
• Handle confidential investigations alone.
• Modify IRC Services or network databases.
• Represent personal decisions as official policy.

Probation

Selected trainees may enter a probationary staff period lasting approximately 30 to 60 days.

During probation, candidates are evaluated on:

• Activity.
• Reliability.
• Policy knowledge.
• Support quality.
• Professional conduct.
• Accuracy of actions.
• Team communication.
• Security awareness.
• Incident documentation.
• Willingness to accept correction.

At the end of probation, management may:

• Appoint the candidate as a permanent DWIRC staff member.
• Extend probation.
• Require additional training.
• Return the candidate to trainee status.
• End the candidacy.

Staff Access Policy

Completing training does not automatically grant access.

All staff access must be:

• Approved by authorized management.
• Appropriate to the assigned role.
• Limited according to the principle of least privilege.
• Removed when no longer required.
• Reviewed after role changes or security incidents.

Staff access must never be shared with another person.

Specialist Training

After completing the core program, eligible staff members may apply for specialist training.

Planned specialist programs include:

• IRC Operator Program
• Services Administration
• IRCd Administration
• Policy and Compliance
• Abuse and Security
• Support Team

DWShells, DWBouncers, and other DarkWorld projects will maintain separate project-specific training programs.

Staff Code of Conduct

All candidates and staff members must read and accept the:

DarkWorld IRC Staff Code of Conduct

Acceptance of the Code of Conduct is mandatory before a candidate may enter probation.

Important Notice

The DarkWorld IRC Staff Training Program is an educational and evaluation process. Completing it does not guarantee appointment to a staff position.

DarkWorld IRC management reserves the right to accept, defer, reject, remove, or require further training for a candidate based on the security, operational requirements, and best interests of the network and its community.

Related Resources

• DarkWorld Network
• DarkWorld IRC Documentation
• DarkWorld IRC Network
• Linux Basics for Beginners