I'm a 27 year old dedicated wife and mom of two, I've decided to enter either the Airforce or Navy:?

Question

Which is more family friendly: Navy or Airforce? I would like an admin job and would obviously prefer a job that keeps me more often than not with my family. I am willing to choose a career based on what will keep me close to my family and probably out of war. Although there are no guarentees which of these brances would help me achieve my goals? I'm very good at all admin and easily learn languages--I'm currently a translator. Thanks for your time and concern!

Answer 1

NO military service is "family friendly". You aren't just "doing admin" in the military... even "admin" people have important jobs. You take care of soldiers, and the soldiers depend on you... even if you are "in the rear with the gear" doing something as mundane as scheduling transport aircraft...well there is some guy in outer Fubaristan that is COUNTING on that plane being there on time to deliver ammo, repair parts, flack vests, medical supplies, or to take him home. The military has been outsourcing their 9-5 admin jobs for about twenty years now. The thinking is "We aren't going to waste a trained war fighter on paper pushing jobs civilians can do."

Even if you got a stateside staff job the USAF A) It wouldn't be permanent, you get transfered every few years and B) even that is NOT a guaranteed 9-5 gig. Yeah, there are places where you will be at home THE MAJORITY of the time, and you can work 9-5 in the office MOST of the time... just be prepared and understand that there is a big difference between MOST and ALL.

I know a guy that was on CENTCOM staff in Tampa. About as far to the rear as you can get while still wearing a uniform. He worked 9-5 M-F... sweet gig. Then the General said "I'm taking the staff forward"... and three weeks later he was off to Forward HQ in Qatar for eight months, no "Sorry but I have to go pick up the kids..." he was GONE.



If you understand that and have provisions to take care of the kids, and have a clean criminal record, I'd recomend the intelligence branch of the USAF. Your languages will serve you well there, and Intel is a field where women are respected and welcomed. (When my CENTCOM friend was in his Intelligence Officer Basic Class about 1/2 the class was female.)

Also, while Intel has lots of jobs that require people go to the field for extended periods of time (like prisoner interrogation, etc.) it also has lots and lots of staff jobs. You could request that you be assigned to a high level staff, (like CENTCOM, or PACOM, or EUCOM) and your chances of going to the field are going to be a lot lower (not zero, as my buddy found out, but a lot lower).

Also, intel carries with it serious job possibilties in the civilian government and government contractor workforce. (Check out http://www.intelligencecareers.com/_homeroom/index.cfm ).

It costs Uncle Sam something like $50 -$75,000 to get you a Top Secret Clearance. It probably costs the civilian governement contractors more.

Lots of companies have government contracts where the workers have to have security clearances. The companies don't want to pay $50,000 for every person they hire, so they hire ex-military that already HAVE clearances.

You might want to look into being hired as a "DA Civilian"...
http://www.usarj.army.mil/information/zama/personnel/Employment/guidbook.htm

those are civilans who work for the Army and CAN leave at 5 to pick up the kids... they are an important part of the team and we couldn't function without them. On some RARE occasions they can get deployed, but a mother of two wouldn't be very high on the list....

I'm sure that the other serivces have similar programs/jobs.

Word of warning, most of the DA civilians I knew were either former military or the spouce of a military. It might be hard to get a job like that without joining up first.

So if you do this, understand that while you are in family won't be the priority. That being said, if you do a few years in the military and get a clearance you could use that to transition into a DA Civilian or Contractor position that will be a lot more family friendly.

Good luck!

Answer 2

Neither service will be as family friendly as you want them to be. First, basic training will take you away from you family for at least 6 weeks. Advanced training in the job you choose could take you away for up to 4 -6 months longer. You may not be given a break in between. Based on your current job as a translator, you may be assigned to an overseas job. Sometimes you are not allowed to take your family with you. There is no garauntee that you will be assigned to a base near your home so your husband has to be willing to follow you wherever you are assigned, except overseas. If you talk to many other families in the military, you will find that the spouse in the military is gone for months at a time. If you truely are a dedicated mother, the military is not the place for you. Even if you join the reserves, there is a good chance that you will be deployed.

Answer 3

My husband was a recruiter for the Navy and he said go with the Air force. It will depend on what your asvab test and if they will even take you since you have two children already. If you go AF you are less likely to be gone for long periods of time. Right now my husband is in the Navy and there are guys here who work in admin and they have a sea/shore rotation just like everyone else. They say 6 months is the longest time, but actually you could and can be gone for longer.

Answer 4

AF wont send you to sea for 6 months at a time. AF is very family friendly as well.

I haven't lived on any Naval stations and the people in the Navy say good things about it, but you are a mom and you don't want the trips to sea.

edit: I also worked as a military translator in the Army (prior 98G) I worked in this capacity with the AF quite a bit, hence the AFBs I listed. If you want you can contact me regarding that function and I can tell you a bit about it and how to request a DLPT for your second language. If you are interested in going for more languages you can request a DLAB as well.

Answer 5

Ask an AF recruiter and see if you can land the appropriate job before swearing in at MEPS.

Languages, eh? Got a big need for that but some forward deploy. Hmmm, so do Admins. There is no way to be certain about your overseas deployment schedule so no one will make you any promises in that regard.

May be a bad choice given your priorities.

Ret. USAF SNCO, Former Recruiter

Answer 6

Since you are a mother, I think that the Air Force would be your best bet. The Air Force needs translators, and I don't believe that you would be far from home very long. I know a gentleman who is an Air Force translator and he enjoys his job very much.
The Navy is great, but I think you would be more likely to have to spend many months on a ship away from your children.

Answer 7

Administrative job is good for you and both the Air force and Navy could give the said position. Nevertheless, the orders of your superior will determine your initial assignment and you just have to request for a reassignment to a family friendly position.

Answer 8

OOOH, OK WIFE AND MOTHER THATS 2 WAVERS THAT NEED TO BE DONE. YOU WILL BE AWAY FROM YOUR FAMILY DURRING BASIC DURRING AIT AND THEN BEING STATIONED TO YOUR DUTY STATION YOU WILL GO TO THE RANGE TO THE FEILD AND I DONT KNOW WHAT ELSE BUT YOUR QUESTION WAS NAVY OR AIRFORCE. I AM AN ARMY WIFE HOWEVER FROM WHAT I HAVE SEEN AND HEARD THE AIRFORCE HAS THE BEST BASES AND HOUSING AND EDUCATIONAL STUFF. I DON'T KNOW FOR SURE BUT I BELIEVE THE AIRFORCE HAS SHORTER DEPLOYMENTS THAN THE NAVY AS WELL AND YES THERE IS NO AVOIDING BEING DEPLOYED EVENTUALLY IT WILL HAPPEN REGUARDLESS OF YOUR FIELD.

Answer 9

what does your ASVAB score qualify you for? to be perfectly honest, neither branch wants women to fill traditional ADMIN roles, they have plenty already. what they want are ones willing to take on the non traditional, high tech jobs. They really don't care one iota that you have a family.

bottom line, if you are not willing to deploy or be sent anywhere you are needed, then don't enlist. your family WILL take second fiddle to your military duties. Plain and simple.

Answer 10

I agree with joe the man. A recrutier will tell you ANYTHING to get you to sign, including, this job won't get you deployed, this duty station doesn't deploy that much. If you are not ready to be away from your family for 50% of the time, don't join the military.