Negotiating contract

[Itzhakway]

Can a contract be negotiated before I sign it? Specifically, can I ask commitment in writing from the Navy to accept me to nuke school (provided I do well on ASVAB & NFQT) regardless of what my background check comes up with (provided I don't have criminal record, which I don't)?

[longball4414]

grrr.. I just had a long response written out for you, but I hit the back button on my mouse as I went to post!!

Anyways, I would talk to your recruiter and see what he thinks of your waivers. I myself told him that I had smoked pot a couple times in my past, but we kept that on the down low  . (It was very awkward because my dad was next to me when I said it...I shoulda kept quiet!!!!).

If your recruiter thinks you have a good chance of getting the waivers signed (which you probably do) then go to MEPS. Make a lovely night out of hotel food, ASVAB, physical, medical, NFQT if you need it, getting your butthole examined...oops sorry I ruined it for ya.

After you get all of the examinations and tests finished you will wait in a waiting room for a counselor to call you up. This can take a while. If you qualify then they will guarantee you Navy Nuke right there if you want it. If you don't qualify and need some waivers then your night will be delayed quite a bit. You may even have to go home and come back. I was lucky enough to not have to fill out any waivers, but the guy next to me was on his third visit to MEPS.

edit: you also go over your bonuses here. I got $8,000, but that depends on when you sign up (theres a post here somewhere discussing that).

You don't have to make any binding contracts at this point. You will not be obligated to force the Navy at ANY point in time on your first visit to MEPS.  Even if you raise your right hand you will not be obligated to ship until you raise your right hand again on your second visit to MEPS right before you ship (correct me if I'm wrong). So it doesn't hurt to go down to MEPS and see what happens. Its good to get all of that crap out of the way ahead of time anyways.

[Already Gone]

If I read the tone of your question correctly, the answer is NO WAY!!!
The navy will never guarantee you anything unconditionally.  If the contract says that you are entitled to one thing, there will be conditions attached.  They will NEVER guarantee you nuke school without regard to your being qualified for nuke school.  Your background check is part of the qualification.  Any contract they put in front of you will be that way - it will always stipulate that any promises or guarantees they make will be subject to your eligibility.  PLUS, the added stipulation that your failure to perform the duties or maintain the eligibility specified by the contract does not nullify your obligation to serve the required period of enlistment.
When you think of contracts as being negotiable, you are not thinking about the navy enlistment contract.  How it works is: THEY write the contract, and YOU decide whether or not to sign it.  That is the sum total of all the "negotiating" that you are going to get to do.