when i sign?

Question

when im about to sign my contract is my recruiter there with you? and should i make sure that my job is in the contract and is guaranteed? is anything really guaranteed such as job and leave date? and if you sign the contract that says the job ur going to get can they change it? and if they do can u refuse bc its wasnt in ur contract?

Answer 1

Recruiter should be there in the living room with you,he was for me.The job is usually guaranteed,but if you want to change it,you have to wait at least a year.That's the way it was for me,so you better make sure that's what you want to do!And make sure you know what it is exactly! "Communications"in the military,for example,really means"Radioman"in the field!

Answer 2

The only thing that's fairly guaranteed (if your plane doesn't get cancelled or some other act of God happens) is your leave date for basic. Other than that your job skill is not guaranteed. For all they know you might not be able to pass your AIT class and they can't issue a guarantee that you'll be working in that job if you don't pass the class. I saw a few in my AIT class that were bumped from computer programmers to operators (I was a 74D...computer operator when I was in) because they kept failing the programming course. No your recruiter is not there at the MEPS station where you usually sign the contract after completing your physical. And you can't refuse it if they change your mind though usually they will give you an option of getting out entirely or doing the other job skill.
You should make sure that you ask questions about most everything. I took the ASVAB for the Air Force, the physical for the Navy and wound up joining the Army because I felt the navy lied to me. I was told that I could stay out for one last summer (I was 25.5 when I went in) but at the meps station they said that was just for high schoolers who were finishing school. I was going in under the nuclear program and was told 500$ bonus when I finished the course and another 10,000$ bonus if I cancelled my current enlistment and re-enlisted for a longer term. At the Meps station they said all that was hogwash, they don't guarantee any bonuses (especially to first term recruits going in) because you might not pass the course. Seriously ask questions about everything you don't fully understand so you won't be left high and dry like I almost was. I was glad I asked them about what my recruiter had told me. I don't regret going in it was a great time and I needed the discipline then but I'd have not made it if I had gone in the Navy and found out they lied to me about the bonuses. Good luck.

Answer 3

My personal recruiter from Oak Harbor was not there when I signed my papers in Seattle in 1988. But most of the staff there are recruiters, and a few medical personnel.

In the Army, most folks get the jobs they signed for, I would guess about 99%. By some fluke, I was rerouted for several months after I got to Germany as a wiredog/communications specialist. But after 4 months they gave me the option of either staying on in Headquarters Battery and making Wiredog my primary MOS or going to a line unit to do what I was schooled for: Lance missile crewmember.

I picked the latter and went to Bravo Battery First Fire where I had a blast! And my experience as a wiredog was credited to my file as experience in a secondary MOS, which translates into promotion points as an E-4 looking for a promotion to Sergeant (E-5). In this case, at the end of four months, they give you an option, and it is your choice.

But you do not know what is coming until after school and you are assigned to permanent party.

Also, in my case, experience as a wiredog also gave me a leg up on everybody else. I had also been personally evaluated and I knew a lot of the people anyway. I was much less of a burden than some new private fresh out of Fort Sill. I was much more motivated to perform, and there was an awards ceremony where I received a letter of commendation for my file and a plaque from the Wiredog platoon: "Thanks for a Job Well Done." That really gave me a huge boost when I transferred into Bravo Battery!

I was no "newbie" either. By the time I came into Bravo as an E-2, I had already learned to wear the uniform and shine those boots. Bravo made me an E-3 about a month later. So, it still worked out.

God bless you and this great country: the USA! Listen hard and carefully to your drill instructors and do what they say. Ask questions if you get confused and don't let them catch you sleeping in class. If you think you are going to nod off, you can stand up and go stand against the wall, or drink water from your canteen.

Answer 4

Ok, I'm answering with an Army point of view.
Prior to you going to the MEPS you should have
taken the ASVAB or atleast the Enlistment Screening Test.
Based on those score, your recruiter can pull and guarantee your job prior to you going to MEPS. All enlistment bonuses will be listed on the job reservation sheet. You will know your enlistment bonus, Montgomery GI bill amount and if you receive a kicker(Extra Money Monthly), and if you will receive a Student loan repayment. It will tell you the dates that you'll be doing your basic training and advanced individual training. And ofcourse where the training will take place. Leave dates, thats up to you. You receive 30 days leave a year paid. The only way your job can change is if you fail out of either basic training and or your Advanced Individual training. If you should fail, the Army 9 out 10 times will just recycle you on the chance you'll pass on the second time threw. Email if you have any other questions. Keep in mind this info is for the Army enlistment process.

Answer 5

Recruiters are prohibited from being in the area where job counseling happens, so are other outside influences. This is to protect you from being influenced in to a career field that you really don't want. Before your go, know what you want to do, if it isn't offered to you, you have all the rights to leave. Do not sign anything until you have read it fully and ask as many questions as you want to make sure everything is clear. The only time a family member can be in the meps is during the actual swearing in. There is a thing called free will, and you don't have to sign for anything unless you want to. Make sure you get anything promised in your paperwork, or it doesn't count, Army, Navy, Air Force, or Coast Guard College fund, enlistment and job related bonuses. Remember free will, no one can make you sign the paperwork.

Answer 6

Your recruiter does his part of the paperwork with you. Once he drops you off at the MEPS, he's gone because MEPS takes ALL DAY and he has recruting to do. Once you sign up for a job, that's the job you'll be training for, not guaranteed till you gradutate, because there's also a chance you fail the classes and you have to get a new job. The MEPS folks go through all the paperwork with you and tell you what you're signing. They'll show you what job you're signing up for, make sure its the one you picked. If it's not, tell them you're not signing it till they fix it. The only way the army will "change" your job is if you're going through AIT and you keep failing the tests. They'll give you about 4-5 different jobs to pick from, but they won't pick for you. They won't be jobs you like either, they'll be stuff like fueler or cook. Also, leave dates aren'teven in your contract. That's on your unit. Good luck!

Answer 7

Yes, the recruiter is there with you, the recruiter is the one that does all of your initial paperwork, including the contract. As far as your MOS (your military job) its pretty much set, unless you have an alternate MOS on your contract also. For example my initial contract in the National Guard had my primary MOS as a 19K (Armor Crewman), and also an 88M (Truck Driver). I've had to do both. As for them being able to change your job, yes they can, however if you don't want to switch, you can transfer to a unit that has your specific MOS. For example (although I switched my MOS voluntarily) my Armor unit recently underwent restructuring and everyone had to either change MOS's to 19D (Cavalry Scout) or switch to a different unit.

Hope this helps. If you have further questions feel free to email me at [e-mail].

Answer 8

I went to MEPS yesterday. and am in the Navy. ask me all the questions you want....email me at [e-mail]