Tweet
Alright, so I am joining the Army. I was originally thinking of going OCS, but as the pipeline is long, they no longer offer the CLRP (College Loan Repayment Program), and my GPA sucked, that looks to be out. In any case, I kind of like not having to play the MOS lottery anymore.
Maybe it's a cliche, but I kind of want to go jump out of helicopters and be all high speed and such, so infantry is for me. That leaves me looking at 11X, option 40, or 18X.
I have a lot of questions, so any answers to any of them are very much appreciated. I don't expect anyone to know all the answers to all these questions, but if you can help with even one of them, thank you in advance.
I am 29, and I have a BA in Political Science. I speak fluent French. I also have dual citizenship (Sweden) which I would prefer not to give up because an EU passport is a very useful thing to have once I am eventually back in the civilian world. That said, I was born a US citizen, and I also have a TS security clearance from when I did an internship with the State Dept (6 years ago).
Option 40
My recruiter says there are no Option 40 contracts at the moment so I am SOL on that. Anyone think he's wrong?
18X
I know a little about the 18X program, but I didn't even ask for it, he says they have a mission order or something to find 18X candidates and he thought it might fit me, so he brought it up. Being a fit, healthy, 29 year-old foreign language-speaking college-grad, I suppose this makes sense. I don't even know where to begin on what to ask for in my contract though if I were to go this route. Does anyone know?
1. How many years? I hear both 5 and 6. What part of training is not counted towards those years?
2. What kind of signing bonus? About.com shows a $16k bonus with a 5 year enlistment, or $20k with a 6 year enlist. Who knows how old that info is, but does anyone know if that's right?
3. Could I still get the CLRP if I went this way? If yes, how would that affect my signing bonus?
4. What about my dual citizenship? Is this a problem? Would I need to renounce my Swedish citizenship? If yes, is this still true, even though I already have a TS clearance through State?
My thought here is kind of why not. Even if I don't make it, I end up 11B and probably with jump school. It is always something I thought of as a bit of a dream job. That said, I am concerned that if I do make it and decide I want to go the OCS route down the road, I am kind of shutting myself out of that option. Do people go 18X then OCS later? Is that even really an option?
11X
He is offering me a 3 year contract with Loan repayment (CLRP) and a $2000 signing bonus. This seems like a good flexible option as I had previously thought I needed a 6 year commitment for CLRP. My feeling is that doing this would put me in a good position to go OCS, SFAS, or underwater BB stacking school, or whatever once I'm in and it comes time to re-up in one to two years (my understanding is re-ups become avail 2 years before your contract is up). Or I could decide the life is not for me and walk away with my loans paid off (and of course hopefully no injuries or missing limbs, but that conversation is for another time and place).
Questions:
1. Am I correct in thinking that I could use the short contract to leverage my way into re-upping OCS or some other or more specific MOS once I'm in and have a better feel for the Army in general?
2. The $2000 bonus seems low based on what I am reading elsewhere. Any thoughts? Is this because of the CLRP?
OTHER CONCERNS:
CLRP:
1. I have both Perkins and DIRECT Loans. I see Perkins on the list, but I don't see DIRECT loans. They are federal loans though so they should count, right? Does anyone know if DIRECT Loans are covered in the CLRP?
2. I also have some Wells Fargo Private loans. I imagine these would not be eligible, correct?
3. If I were to consolidate all my loans under a DIRECT Loans consolidated loan, would the money from the old Wells Fargo loans be covered?
Laser Eye Surgery:
I wear contact lenses. I have astigmatism. It is correctable, but I understand I can get Uncle Sugar to give me some laser love and fix my eyes. I am told that this is not something I can get a guarantee on in my contract. Is this true? Should I be trying to get lasik in my contract?
Storage for personal effects:
I am 29, I have stuff. Like a 20' Conex shipping container's worth of stuff. My recruiter says there is nothing I can get in my contract in regards to storage of personal stuff. Is this true, or is there possibly something out there that I can use to have my stuff stored while I am off in training?
I'm sure I'll have more questions, but that's a good start.
Thanks in advance everyone,
-Pete
Maybe it's a cliche, but I kind of want to go jump out of helicopters and be all high speed and such, so infantry is for me. That leaves me looking at 11X, option 40, or 18X.
I have a lot of questions, so any answers to any of them are very much appreciated. I don't expect anyone to know all the answers to all these questions, but if you can help with even one of them, thank you in advance.
I am 29, and I have a BA in Political Science. I speak fluent French. I also have dual citizenship (Sweden) which I would prefer not to give up because an EU passport is a very useful thing to have once I am eventually back in the civilian world. That said, I was born a US citizen, and I also have a TS security clearance from when I did an internship with the State Dept (6 years ago).
Option 40
My recruiter says there are no Option 40 contracts at the moment so I am SOL on that. Anyone think he's wrong?
18X
I know a little about the 18X program, but I didn't even ask for it, he says they have a mission order or something to find 18X candidates and he thought it might fit me, so he brought it up. Being a fit, healthy, 29 year-old foreign language-speaking college-grad, I suppose this makes sense. I don't even know where to begin on what to ask for in my contract though if I were to go this route. Does anyone know?
1. How many years? I hear both 5 and 6. What part of training is not counted towards those years?
2. What kind of signing bonus? About.com shows a $16k bonus with a 5 year enlistment, or $20k with a 6 year enlist. Who knows how old that info is, but does anyone know if that's right?
3. Could I still get the CLRP if I went this way? If yes, how would that affect my signing bonus?
4. What about my dual citizenship? Is this a problem? Would I need to renounce my Swedish citizenship? If yes, is this still true, even though I already have a TS clearance through State?
My thought here is kind of why not. Even if I don't make it, I end up 11B and probably with jump school. It is always something I thought of as a bit of a dream job. That said, I am concerned that if I do make it and decide I want to go the OCS route down the road, I am kind of shutting myself out of that option. Do people go 18X then OCS later? Is that even really an option?
11X
He is offering me a 3 year contract with Loan repayment (CLRP) and a $2000 signing bonus. This seems like a good flexible option as I had previously thought I needed a 6 year commitment for CLRP. My feeling is that doing this would put me in a good position to go OCS, SFAS, or underwater BB stacking school, or whatever once I'm in and it comes time to re-up in one to two years (my understanding is re-ups become avail 2 years before your contract is up). Or I could decide the life is not for me and walk away with my loans paid off (and of course hopefully no injuries or missing limbs, but that conversation is for another time and place).
Questions:
1. Am I correct in thinking that I could use the short contract to leverage my way into re-upping OCS or some other or more specific MOS once I'm in and have a better feel for the Army in general?
2. The $2000 bonus seems low based on what I am reading elsewhere. Any thoughts? Is this because of the CLRP?
OTHER CONCERNS:
CLRP:
1. I have both Perkins and DIRECT Loans. I see Perkins on the list, but I don't see DIRECT loans. They are federal loans though so they should count, right? Does anyone know if DIRECT Loans are covered in the CLRP?
2. I also have some Wells Fargo Private loans. I imagine these would not be eligible, correct?
3. If I were to consolidate all my loans under a DIRECT Loans consolidated loan, would the money from the old Wells Fargo loans be covered?
Laser Eye Surgery:
I wear contact lenses. I have astigmatism. It is correctable, but I understand I can get Uncle Sugar to give me some laser love and fix my eyes. I am told that this is not something I can get a guarantee on in my contract. Is this true? Should I be trying to get lasik in my contract?
Storage for personal effects:
I am 29, I have stuff. Like a 20' Conex shipping container's worth of stuff. My recruiter says there is nothing I can get in my contract in regards to storage of personal stuff. Is this true, or is there possibly something out there that I can use to have my stuff stored while I am off in training?
I'm sure I'll have more questions, but that's a good start.
Thanks in advance everyone,
-Pete
Comment