Re: Enlisted Bonus Went Up

[imthehoopa]

Quick bonus question that my recruiter couldn't answer nor could the Nuke recruiter I talked to. The time frames for certain bonuses have been said in this topic to be February -> May, June -> September, and October -> January. Is that what they are or is that just arbitrary time frames someone made up?

My reason for asking is because they are asking for Nukes to get shipped out early and leave this month. If I can leave 2+ months early and not take a substantial cut in the pay (I know for sure that if I left last month I'd have gotten 7k less), then I would. Thanks in advance for your answers.

[TheObiJuan]

If you are ready to go, then go.
The bonuses are an incentive to stimulate a demand during low points of the year.
When seniors graduate there are MUCH more nukes leaving so the bonus goes down.

I was asked to leave early for RTC back in the day as well. I was told it was because NNPTC expects a regular flow of students to keep the classes going year round. If they're short they ask folks to leave early, if NNPTC anticipates full classes, they delay shipping out of more nukes.

[imthehoopa]

If you are ready to go, then go.
The bonuses are an incentive to stimulate a demand during low points of the year.
When seniors graduate there are MUCH more nukes leaving so the bonus goes down.

I was asked to leave early for RTC back in the day as well. I was told it was because NNPTC expects a regular flow of students to keep the classes going year round. If they're short they ask folks to leave early, if NNPTC anticipates full classes, they delay shipping out of more nukes.

I understand why they are different at different times of the year and the money they offered me is not the reason I am joining. However, if I said I'd leave early today and could have left tomorrow (or still sometime just a bit later) for $7,000 more... I'd be a bit angry about that. I know that I am at least close to when they change. I just don't want to impatiently rush myself out of that much money.

[Maziwrath]

Not to mention the fact that even the military has gone to a 401K style plan with TSP.  The only difference....Most private companies have matching contributions.  Navy doesn't. 

Yea back in my day (1998) we had a guy with a 99 ASVAB and 67 NFQT fail out of A school after two subjects, Math and BM.  The ASVAB is basically the Miltary version of SAT, it measures how well you should do in training, not what you will do.

So far so good, finished Math and BE with a 3.81 overall. =)

[surfinobx]

just dep'd in on the 27th of March and I'm due to ship out on the 18th of November.  I got a 84 on the ASVAB, far from a 99, and a 76 on the NFQT exam.  My enlistment bonus was $23,000.  It's too bad we don't get to see any of it until after all of the schooling....

[Preciousblue1965]

just dep'd in on the 27th of March and I'm due to ship out on the 18th of November.  I got a 84 on the ASVAB, far from a 99, and a 76 on the NFQT exam.  My enlistment bonus was $23,000.  It's too bad we don't get to see any of it until after all of the schooling....

My RE-enlistment bonus was barely $32K, and I already had an NEC.  But I guess it is better than some of the older guys who got bribed suckered persuaded to re-up back in the day when all you got was a pat on the back, a new contract, and a swift kick in the "get back to work" section of your coveralls.

[vagabond]

just dep'd in on the 27th of March and I'm due to ship out on the 18th of November.  I got a 84 on the ASVAB, far from a 99, and a 76 on the NFQT exam.  My enlistment bonus was $23,000.  It's too bad we don't get to see any of it until after all of the schooling....

You get part of your bonus after Power School, and the last part after Prototype.  If you had a College Kicker you would get some after A School.  I believe the partial payments show some reward for your hard work.  A School isn't that hard really.  It's kind of insurance for the program.  From their perspective you haven't done anything yet to prove you deserve the bonus.  If you don't make it through as a Nuke you would have to pay back any portion of the bonus you have received.  In the long run, it'll be worth the wait.

Good luck, it'll be hard work!

[nione46]

You get part of your bonus after Power School, and the last part after Prototype.  If you had a College Kicker you would get some after A School. 

Good luck, it'll be hard work!

actually they did away with the college kicker, effective november 2008. so there's no more credit for having taken college courses. which kinda sucks, because i could've gotten an extra 6k but oh well.

i guess they make up for taking away the college kicker because the enlistment bonus went up, i just depped in on saturday, i leave march 01 (which was the earliest they could get me) and my bonus is 25k. it used to be only 20k.

[imthehoopa]

actually they did away with the college kicker, effective november 2008. so there's no more credit for having taken college courses. which kinda sucks, because i could've gotten an extra 6k but oh well.

i guess they make up for taking away the college kicker because the enlistment bonus went up, i just depped in on saturday, i leave march 01 (which was the earliest they could get me) and my bonus is 25k. it used to be only 20k.

Hmm... I have the 25k enlistment bonus and the 7k college kicker on my contract. I DEPed in October so I just missed that policy change, but I wonder if that means they'll change it when I ship out. If anyone can answer that it would be nice to know. I'm not too worried about it. I leave Monday, so I can just find out then.

[vagabond]

Hmm... I have the 25k enlistment bonus and the 7k college kicker on my contract. I DEPed in October so I just missed that policy change, but I wonder if that means they'll change it when I ship out. If anyone can answer that it would be nice to know. I'm not too worried about it. I leave Monday, so I can just find out then.

Since you already signed your contract it won't change.  Not unless they hypnotized you and got you to sign another one.  It's good that you're going when it is warmer.  Good luck, and don't have too much fun!

[GoLonghorns]

Vagabond is correct.  They won't take away anything already in the contract unless you sign an addendum.  For ya'll trying to change your shipdates, the first thing you want to do is talk to your Rinc and have him/her generate a DAR, DEP Action Request.  DAR's are used to change the status of any DEP member.  This can be rolled up or rolled out ship dates along with informing the command of a change in status.  Once this is filled out and processed by your MEPS, they will most likely call your Rinc and find out your intentions in the way of shipping out and bonus requests.  If they don't, your Rinc can call MEPS and talk to the classifiers, preferably later in the afternoon and not on mission day and find out some info for available dates and associated bonuses.  Once a new ship date is agreed upon, they will fax an addendum to your contract and you will sign that.  All other benefits (Loan Repayment Programs, college bonuses, College Fund) will need to be on the new contract addendum.  Just because it was on the old one does not matter.  The old contract page is null and void once the new one is signed. 

[imthehoopa]

Thanks vagabond and LongHorns. I wasn't too worried about, but I would have been slightly disappointed on Tuesday morning to learn I lost 7k to a policy change. I will be on the lookout for anyone swinging a pocket watch back in forth with one hand and a new contract in the other though.

[ringo35]

Hey all, I am a DEP recruit as of April 20th and my numbers (as far as an enlistment bonus) are a little different than the ones posted. I just thought I would share my experience.  My ship date is Dec. 22 and the bonus in my contract is $23,000.  however I was informed that this number changes depending on the month you ship.  I consider myself lucky for the bonus I am (hopefully) getting. the highest possible bonus is $27,000 while the lowest is $20,000. 

[Snoble123]

I will be leaving for RTC on 20100218 (Feb 18, that's just the way they want us to write it these days) and was offered a $25,000 bonus for NF Field. 

My question now is how this is given out?  I have read anything from segmented to lump sum after completion of all schooling...

Can anyone who has been through the pipeline recently offer any insight?

Thanks in advance!

[HydroDave63]

Too bad it's not paid in Euros or Yuan 

Got Gold?

[B.PRESGROVE]

I should have joined the navy like my dad wanted instead of AF, then I too would be have been paid in gum (with stripes).

[antwon510]

well this fact has been discussed at length on several threads and confirmed by numerous individuals(both E and O gangers).  But your buddies are right, it is 99.999999999999999% impossible to have a student fail out as long as they give at least 0.00000000000000000001% effort.   

Wow really?

And on another thread i read that a high overall GPA doesn't mean anything in the end.

Look at it this way, it's the equivalent of a guy showing up at the World Series Champs and saying he once struck out 10 in a junior high baseball game.

So you can't fail, and overachieving is unrewarded.

I'm a DEPer in the Nuke field leaving Feb. 2009; I was under the impression that NUKE school was intense and offered some of the best nuclear training in the world. Now my intention is not to offend anyone on this site (cuz its really great, I'm getting a lot of useful information here) but it seems like mediocrity is the goal for NUKE school?

Are there any incentives to fully apply yourself in school as opposed to just skating by?

[Gamecock]

Wow really?

And on another thread i read that a high overall GPA doesn't mean anything in the end.

So you can't fail, and overachieving is unrewarded.

I'm a DEPer in the Nuke field leaving Feb. 2009; I was under the impression that NUKE school was intense and offered some of the best nuclear training in the world. Now my intention is not to offend anyone on this site (cuz its really great, I'm getting a lot of useful information here) but it seems like mediocrity is the goal for NUKE school?

Are there any incentives to fully apply yourself in school as opposed to just skating by?

Yes...its called pride in a job well done and knowing you did the best you could possibly do.  If you don't have it, then go ahead and skate away.

[antwon510]

Yes...its called pride in a job well done and knowing you did the best you could possibly do.  If you don't have it, then go ahead and skate away.

Is there any way to monetize that pride? I'm a proud man but pride doesn't pay the bills.

Is there really no incentive, besides pride, to fully devote 100% of your time and effort into school?

There must some benefits in placing in the top of your class.

[Neutron_Herder]

You're not going to get a bonus for getting good grades in school.  You're expected to do the best you can...  that's what you signed up for.  If your recruiter told you you'd get more money for grades, he lied.  If you're just now trying to get money for trying harder, you're being silly.

If you're top of your class it will give you some preference as far as your first duty assignment is concerned.  It won't be guaranteed, but some consideration is given to those with the best grades.

You'll always want to try to be your best whether that be in the Navy or on the outside.  If you settle for "good enough", you'll be rewarded respectively.  The financial rewards in the Navy are called promotions...  As a general rule, the better you perform (qualify fast and actually contribute) the better your chances to get promoted are.

Quit worrying about the money.  You haven't even started the whole process yet.  Do the best you can every day (it's harder than it sounds) and you will be recognized...  If you're joining the Nuke program for instant money you joined the wrong program.  Do your time, do your best, qualify everything you can when you can and you'll be fine!

[antwon510]

Absolutely.

After thinking about it, I think you CAN monetize pride. It's definitely a reflection of yourself and although there's no immediate tangible reward I'm sure accomplishments in school don't go unnoticed in the Navy.

Hopefully someone can share an experience where there accomplishments in NUKE school benefited them somehow in life, whether in the Navy or as a civilian.

[Neutron_Herder]

That all depends on how you define "monetizing pride"...  If you think someone's going to hand you a check for doing well in school or on the ship you're wrong.

The way hard workers are taken care of in the Navy is by recognition.  Do a good job, and you might get an award.  That award counts as points when you go to take the test for advancement.  Do a good job all year, and you're ranked above your peers during evaluations.  The higher the grade on evaluations, the more points it gives you towards advancement.

Grades in school do matter later on....  There are certain assignments that you can't get in your career unless you're in the top half at both power school and prototype.  There are waivers (and they're liberally granted) to allow you to go to those assignments anyway, but the real criteria are top half/top half.

I would recommend you stop worrying about turning things into money and start worrying about making it through the pipeline...  Do what you have to do so you can wake up in the morning and look at yourself in the mirror in the morning and not be ashamed.  In the end that's all that really matters.

[HydroDave63]

I'm a DEPer in the Nuke field leaving Feb. 2009; I was under the impression that NUKE school was intense and offered some of the best nuclear training in the world. Now my intention is not to offend anyone on this site (cuz its really great, I'm getting a lot of useful information here) but it seems like mediocrity is the goal for NUKE school?

50 quatloos against the newcomer

[Neutron_Herder]

Yeah, just trying to see if I could have a Christmas miracle...  It's that time of year and all!

[antwon510]

That all depends on how you define "monetizing pride"

Monetize: Meaning to derive value from. Not necessarily cash.

Obviously the Navy isn't Chuck E. Cheese where you get 4 tokens for an A, 3 tokens for a B and so on.

My question wasn't how much money do i get for good grades. I was trying to figure out, if grades are meaningless, what drives a NUKE to do his best in his classes?
Priority (even though not guaranteed) in choosing assignments would be an example. Early advancement is another good example.

I was also reading about travel waivers on weekends. Are grades taken into consideration when giving these out? If so that would also be an example.

I'm sure there are many benefits to getting good grades. I was hoping someone who did well in NUKE school could share an experience where their work in class benefited them somehow (not necessarily money), because on other posts people say that your accomplishments are completely meaningless. Apparently your grades in NUKE school are "Like getting to the World Series and saying you struck out 10 in a JHS game" (not my words).

So if someone could please share a personal experience where good grades translated into something, anything at all, it would be greatly beneficial to me and the readers.

Thanks.

ohh and

Quit worrying about the money.

I would recommend you stop worrying about turning things into money

Sorry man, thats what i do