Star reenlistment?

[Arcturus87]

I'm an ET3 on the Carl Vinson, and despite the fact that everyone here can't wait to get out, I plan on starring soon.  I talked to an ET2 who starred not too long ago and he got a bonus of about $67000.  The departmental career counsler said I would cap out at $75000, so why did this other guy get only $67000.  Everyone tells me it has to do with time in rate.  I thought that the bonus could be calculated by (multiple)*(base pay)*(number of years) or (9.0)(1786.50)(6)=$96471 but caps at $75000, which has nothing to do with time in rate. I've also heard from my divisional career counsler said that NAVADMIN was planning on raising the cap to $90000 on October 1.  Mabey that's just a rumor of something, but I can wait a little longer if I can get that much more.  If anyone has more info, similar experience or heard the "rumors", please let me know.

-ET3 Johnson

[Roll Tide]

I can't give you recent data on the cap changing. But I do remember re-enlisting in a war zone so all of my SRB payments were tax-free. If you are not in the war zone now, you may want to wait.

As far as time in rate, that is not in the calculation (as you observed).


And thanks for your service!

[navytwinmom]

Thanks for your service and the post.

My sons are graduating from power school on the 14th. We have talked about their position on Star reenlisting. I also understand you get a bump to E5? Any posts on this subject are greatly appreciated. I know the boys have a ways to go before they will be eligible but kind of nice to know the information we have is way out of day already (our information says the cap is $45000)

[Marlin]

Thanks for your service and the post.

My sons are graduating from power school on the 14th. We have talked about their position on Star reenlisting. I also understand you get a bump to E5? Any posts on this subject are greatly appreciated. I know the boys have a ways to go before they will be eligible but kind of nice to know the information we have is way out of day already (our information says the cap is $45000)

It is a little early to even think about this but here is my 2 cents. They will either already be E5 or very close when they are eligible to reenlist on this program. If it still works the same the extended time puts them in a Navy career status making them eligible for proficiency pay (an add on to their monthly pay for being in a critical rate). Star reenlistment gives them a guaranteed C school (depending on the needs of the Navy). This decision will come when they have had limited sea time if any at all, and sea duty is what the rest of their career will be if they chose to make the Navy a career. This will commit them to almost 40% of the 20 year career mark for a normal navy career. Getting back to my original statement it is too early to decide.

[Wirebiter]

I'm an ET3 on the Carl Vinson, and despite the fact that everyone here can't wait to get out, I plan on starring soon.  I talked to an ET2 who starred not too long ago and he got a bonus of about $67000.  The departmental career counsler said I would cap out at $75000, so why did this other guy get only $67000.  Everyone tells me it has to do with time in rate.  I thought that the bonus could be calculated by (multiple)*(base pay)*(number of years) or (9.0)(1786.50)(6)=$96471 but caps at $75000, which has nothing to do with time in rate. I've also heard from my divisional career counsler said that NAVADMIN was planning on raising the cap to $90000 on October 1.  Mabey that's just a rumor of something, but I can wait a little longer if I can get that much more.  If anyone has more info, similar experience or heard the "rumors", please let me know.

-ET3 Johnson

Your calculation is almost correct ET3.  You don't use number of years, you actually use number of months that you will reenlist for, then divide the whole equation by 12.  The ET2 you mentioned may have gone past his 2year mark.  If he did, by lets just say 6 months, then his calculation would be (Multiple*base pay*number of months reenlisting)/12 or (9*1786.5*66)/12.  If you STAR right at you 2 year mark, then it works out to 72 months divided by 12, or 6.  This assumes that you STAR reenlist for 6 years.

Here is the Navy instruction for the STAR program.  Most of it is not applicable for nukes, but it does have a few nuggets of knowledge.

http://buperscd.technology.navy.mil/bup_updt/upd_CD/BUPERS/MILPERS/Articles/1160-100.pdf

-Rob

[JustinHEMI05]

PAPER CLIP

Think hard about starring. Its a rip off. You give up any negotiating rights down the road. You will make up WAY more money in the same amount of time. The money isn't worth it, and although you didn't indicate so, I have a feeling thats why you are doing it. Alright, this post wasn't about why you should or shouldn't, just think about it... hard.

Justin

[hamsamich]

I don't know.  I had a bad time for much of my Navy life, even though it was good for me overall, but that is alot of cabbage.  Marlin says 40%, yeah, but they are already at 30%, so it's just 10 more%.  Add on a couple thousand bucks a year plus a bonus of 75 grand!?  That is almost 40K a year for the extra 2 years!  plus being E-5 aint too bad.  I don't know.....hmmmm.  that would have been hard for my 20 year old a$$ to pass up back in the day.  if it's 90grand, then I would say yes.  45grand, I'd have to say probably not.

[mlslstephens]

PAPER CLIP


Justin

Justin - You can take your paperclip off now.  Maybe you can start a new website warning others of the perils of staying in.

[deltarho]

Paper clip is still in use?  That is so 80's.  People Against People Ever Reinlisting Civilian Life Is Preferable. 

I suppose you all still collect the little black pins and remove the metal end-caps to see what color plastic plunger is underneath, too.  They were like Crayola Crayons, about 64 different colors.  Why?  I don't know...blind people (honest) put them together--what would they care (or know)?

[hamsamich]

I liked the short timers chain!  You could take a ball off of it everyday, one day closer to getting out.....sweet.  That made me feel good everyday.

[slarmox2]

Wow. I can't believe no one has posted the correct information about the reenlistment bonus calculation for nukes. Here it is: Star reenlistment is 6 more years in the navy from the date you reenlist. That does not mean you receive 6 years of bonus. Your bonus amount is calculated based on time past your current EAOS (The date you get out of the navy, currently.) Let's take my friend "ET3 No name" as an example. He just hit 2 years in the Navy this today. He wants to Star reenlist. If he signed the papers today to reenlist for 6 more years from today, he would be getting 4 years (48 months) worth of reenlistment bonus. That is because there is a clause for nukes to cancel up to 24 months of an inactive extension. (You know, how we sign up for 4 years +2 years extension.) The extension is at the end, and as long as you have not started that extension, you can get paid reenlistment bonus for it.
So he would receive: 48/12 * $1786.50 * 9.0(multiple for your rate) = $64,314.00 and E-5 pay immediately to serve 2 more years. Here is a link to the SRB calculator: https://staynavytools.bol.navy.mil/SRB/

I didn't reenlist, but I thought about it alot. It's alot of money. but like some stated previously, there is alot of money to be made outside the navy.

[hamsamich]

I re-enlisted, and I'm glad I did, even though I didn't really like most of my navy years.  But, they let me out a little early (about 7 months maybe?) because our tender was supposed to decommision and the navy wanted to downsize, even though it didn't (Rank Cable), and I didn't have to pay any bonus back.  I went to RCM school, which was really good I thought, and got to get my ticket punched as an RCSS aboard the tender.  That, being an ELT, and shipyard time made me eligible to work as a Senior RP/HP Technician directly instead of having to do any junior time.   It's only 2 years, and I think gettting E-5 and 65 grand may be worth it, especially if you use that time wisely to get a ticket punched (EWS, EOOW, RCSS, SHIPYARD, RCM, whatever).

If you already know what you want, and you don't need anything else from the Navy, then don't do it.  It just happened to work out for me.  Maybe it could work out for you.  I wouldn't want to do more than 8 years no way no how, but the extra 18 months did me good.  Back in the day it was cool to be an anti retention dude, but looking back, doing another 1.5 years for me anyway was no big deal.  It got me off the sub, which wasn't a very good one, onto a crappy tender, but we were 7 section duty and not much sea time...it was fun for a while but the tender started to suck because the general quality of the people and life when you were aboard the tender was way below my boys on the sub.  I missed all my sub-friends.  The tender people just couldn't compete, although it was alot easier in many ways on the tender.  It was good to get off the sub early and do something different, then get out of the Nav.

[mlslstephens]

...If you already know what you want, and you don't need anything else from the Navy, then don't do it.  It just happened to work out for me.  Maybe it could work out for you.  ...

Samich, I couldn't agree more with you.  Great advice for the youngster. 

Here is my two cents:  Don't stay in because I have and don't get out because hamsamich got out.  Ask yourself why you came in the Navy and what do you want to accomplish while you are in the Navy. 

After reading your post again, it seems like several of us all have gotten of the subject.  The bonus may go up soon, but it also has the option of going down.  I've seen that happen to some guys who were waiting on the next jump up in multiple.  However, knowing what I know about ET manning right now, I don't see your multiple going down anytime soon.  If you reenlist today and the bonus goes up tomorrow, don't sweat it!  That is out of your control.  Don't try and time your reenlistments.  If it is right for you, then do it.  Hope this helps.  Regardless of your decision...thanks for serving.

[rlbinc]

If your motives are based on service to this great country - do it without hesitation and accept my thanks for your service. Based on my Navy experience (8 years) and commercial nuclear experience (22 years) - this is the ONLY reason to stay in the US Navy.

If your motives are based on making money, allow me to review what I saw.
1) I made about 15k my last year in the US Navy (in 1985) that amounts to about half of what you're making. They offered 30k to re-enlist, again a half to a third of what you're getting offered.
2) My first year out, I made 42k, approximately tripling my income. (a chip shot shy of the sum of Navy Pay plus the offered Re-enlistment Bonus) That was the lowest amount of money I ever made in nuclear power.
3) Let's take both examples 5 years later. You will have made E-6 or E-7 by then (I was an E-7 selectee at the 8 year point when I separated) and you can figure that pay based on scales, adding 12% or so for those pay raises. During my fifth year in commercial power, I was NRC licensed and my pay about doubled from where I started. I made 90k in 1990. It had plateaued somewhat in the 1990's. My last year on shift was 1997, and I made 107k.

20 years out, I now provide contract services at a substantial premium to any of those amounts.

So, my advice is to (1) identify your motive (2) if it's money - do a spreadsheet and compare estimates.
You'll literally find a million reasons supporting your decision.

And (3) accept my thanks for your service, and do not hesitate to ask questions

[Wirebiter]

Here is a link to the SRB calculator: https://staynavytools.bol.navy.mil/SRB/

The SRB calculator is an excellent tool....but make sure you select '24 months' under the "Months until EAOS".  It goes back to that whole   2 year extension at the end of our 4 year enlistment.

I personally believe you owe it to yourself to make a deployment/patrol before you decide to STAR.  Nothing grinds my grits like hearing a STAR baby whine when they realize the real Navy isn't what they thought they were reenlisting into.

[hamsamich]

I agree with rlbinc partially, but I am trying to look at things from a 20 year old's perspective with the wisdom of having been there 17 years ago in the same situation.  Some money today may mean more than more money 6 to 10 years from now.  Don't try to be too much like the Ant when you are young, maybe be the Grasshoper for a while THEN be the Ant.  If you are truly going to save every penny then RLBINC's way PROBABLY, but not nesc.,  makes you more money.  A spreadsheet isn't going to take everything into account.  But when I was in the Nav it was nice to have the cash to spend when I was young enough to really enjoy it.  And it looks like the Nav is offering you guys a better deal than I ever got.  You can spread sheet it to death, but 20 grand in the bank TODAY to have fun in liberty ports and maybe buy that nice car or even take better care of the family may be worth more today than 30 grand later, just don't be too stupid; we had a guy that reenlisted, gave his gfriend an ATM card and came back from a cruise to a wrecked truck, a gfriend with her best friend wearing 2 new leather jackets coked out of their gords and a bank account with 400 bucks in it ....Also, don't forget about getting your SRO alot faster with some Navy qualifications that may be difficult to obtain in 6 years vs 8 years, that's one thing a spreadsheet might not take into account.  EWS for 2 years or something like that???  My buddy Bob was this close to getting accepted to SRO class, but in the end his 6-year term screwed him, becasue he didn't have EWS + 2 years.  He wants to go to SRO class, but instead toils as a primary chemistry first line supervisor, poor soul.  He was one of the biggest anti-retention guys I'd ever seen, and so was I later on.  But now I don't have an Ax to grind.  Yes, you CAN POSSIBLY get EWS+2 in 6, but not everybody can.  But for me, not having to do JR time was the sweet $$$ making deal for me.  If I wouldn't have reenlisted I might have had to do a yr or 2 of JR time, which is fairly low paying, and harder to get jobs and othr BS juniors have to put up with.

I wish somebody would have presented both sides of the story to me like this when I was a whippersnapper, it would have been sweet.

Don't do TOO much bean counting, take a look at the numbers and make sure all the calculations really apply to you.

Yes, do a patrol first. No grinding wire biter grits.

[hamsamich]

oh, i see you are an ET, so maybe you can be a SRO easier than bob can, but for MMs and others it may apply.

[JustinHEMI05]

Justin - You can take your paperclip off now.  Maybe you can start a new website warning others of the perils of staying in.

Why? This place is fine. Someone need to protect them from the "stay navy" "accelerate your life" types.

Justin

[rlbinc]

Yeah, we all have different motives. That's why figuring out "why re-enlisting" is so important.
Military People are my favorites folks. My nephew was also Nuclear Navy, only he stayed active 10 years. He now works for AREVA.

Since I predominantly work for income, that parameter has guided all of my professional decisions. My first job was as an HP for Detroit Edison, and I did that until my first Operations opportunity came up. I started at Clinton as an entry level Operator, got licensed in five years.
Moved to Quad Cities to be an SRO Instructor, went contracting from there. I wrote a few NRC License Exams and other tasks that sane people shy away from. Virtually every step was based on opportunity to do new things at a higher level - and at a higher rate.

NEVER, EVER think you know it all, or that you can afford to stop learning.
If I teach a license class in classroom or simulator, we don't go home for the day until everybody has learned at least one new fact. And I always get my new fact - early on.

In the Control Room, my motto was "Training can occur at any time and without notice."

That has worked for me. As far back as my Navy years, I felt a need to keep moving on.

...or it could have been that REO Speedwagon tape that was stuck in my eight track.

...got to keep moving on...

[Fermi2]

Stay in the Navy because you like the job, not because of money. The money for reenlistment looks big, but over the long haul it's chump change over the course of a career. I wouldn't stay in any job I don't like simply because of money. The Navy isn't that bad, I enjoyed my time in it, and who knows had I not been injured I might have stayed in and retired. I can say this, during my 6 years in the Navy I cannot think of one time I met a leader or supervisor I truly looked up to, but in the commercial world I've met quite a few. Even at that everyone is capable of inspired genius or tossing a stupid bolt of monumental proportions. The best thing I can say is judge items like leadership over the long term and it'll help you decide on what you should do with your future. I agree with those who say think it over and do whats best for you. Here's another way to look at it. Right now you are young, Say you get 64,000 to reenlist and it'll end up extending you for 2 years. You've essentially made 32,000 dollars more a year for those two years. Add that to whatever you make in the Navy INCLUDING the value of whatever other pay you are getting. Its important to not look at what you make now but what you believe you'll be making as an E-5 at the end of your initial enlistment. Lets say thats 30,000 or so. For those last two years you've made 32,000 extra for a total of 62,000 some of that possibly being tax free. Financially thats not bad at all. Hiring in as a NLO at most places you aren't gonna make much more than that during your initial training which at some places lasts 2 years. Where it hurts you is at the 8 year point if you decide to get out you've lost those two years. My point is for the two year extension you really haven't hurt yourself that much.

You have a lot of good advice here, from each extreme of the Navy is Evil to Navy Uber Alles plus a couple moderates (Can ANYONE believe I'm a moderate on this issue??) In the end read the posts, all camps in this have valid points then make your decision because it's right for you.

rlbinc hey bud when were you at the second finest BWR in the world?

Mike



Mike

[rlbinc]

I spent 11 years at Clinton (1986-97).
Loved the people, loved the area, hated the management.
And you know what? Right after I quit, they shot every one of them between the peepers.
Dang.

But I like what I'm doing now, and that was the move I needed to make.

No regrets.

[Cycoticpenguin]

Why? This place is fine. Someone need to protect them from the "stay navy" "accelerate your life" types.

Justin

WHATS WRONG WITH US?!?! :-D

Im going to reenlist. Seems silly not to. As for me, due to my medical hold from boot camp, and time delay on t-track, Ill hit my 2 year point right after getting to the ship. I calc'ed it out. Ill make 42k AFTER taxes. That equivocates to 21k up front, and 437$ EXTRA a month. Not to mention E5 pay, not sure why no one brought this up - BAH/BAS pay!, and the whole E5 thing :-D

I dont see what the difference 2 years will make. Im pretty sure "Chief"(pending all goes well) looks better then "Petty Officer". It also wont hurt to have extra time to get my degree, so when I get out of the navy, I will not have to deal with it. I can work on my masters degree in peace.

[JustinHEMI05]

WHATS WRONG WITH US?!?! :-D

Im going to reenlist. Seems silly not to. As for me, due to my medical hold from boot camp, and time delay on t-track, Ill hit my 2 year point right after getting to the ship. I calc'ed it out. Ill make 42k AFTER taxes. That equivocates to 21k up front, and 437$ EXTRA a month. Not to mention E5 pay, not sure why no one brought this up - BAH/BAS pay!, and the whole E5 thing :-D

I dont see what the difference 2 years will make. Im pretty sure "Chief"(pending all goes well) looks better then "Petty Officer". It also wont hurt to have extra time to get my degree, so when I get out of the navy, I will not have to deal with it. I can work on my masters degree in peace.

Actually, for the most part, no one gives a crap about Chief vs. Petty Officer. Goodluck with your reenlistment.

Justin

[RDTroja]

Ill make 42k AFTER taxes. That equivocates to 21k up front, and 437$ EXTRA a month. Not to mention E5 pay, not sure why no one brought this up - BAH/BAS pay!, and the whole E5 thing :-D ...

Im pretty sure "Chief"(pending all goes well) looks better then "Petty Officer"....

42K after taxes is OK if you only work 4 or 5 months and don't work for an employer that thinks they own you... and are right. As for the '437$ EXTRA a month' try on $700 to $800 a WEEK perdiem (tax free).

As others have said, stay in the Navy if that is what you want to do... and I sincerely thank you for your service. But if you are staying in for the money... well good for you. I hope your judgement in military matters is a bit better.

And Justin is right about the petty officer/chief thing. Nobody cares out here.

[rlbinc]

Everyone has different priorities.
If it's a money deal, the Navy loses hands down - every time.

If you like the lifestyle - stay in the Navy.

If it's money, welcome to the neighborhood. Class is in session.