Posted on Nov 22, 2015
Did you get a bonus for enlistment, reenlistment, commissioning and did that bonus actually change your decision to join/stay?
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Yesterday we discussed the SMA's comment that non-deployable Soldiers are our #1 problem in the Army. I'd like to believe part of the problem is the quality of enlistments we bring in. Maybe our enlistment / reenlistment incentives should be tied to having high quality marks (high AQFT, PT scores...deployable).
So the discussion here is, did you get a bonus (or some incentive like Student Loan Repayment)? Did the bonus actually change your behavior or was it icing on the cake? How does a bonus stack up to a benefit you already get like the G.I. Bill or Tricare (Tricare Reserve Select)? What amount of cash actually changes your decision (10K for 3 years of service?)?
If you could write a bonus to target the kind of Soldier you wanted in your ranks what would it look like?
All of that is shaping questions, really I just want to get the community's thoughts on incentives in general.
So the discussion here is, did you get a bonus (or some incentive like Student Loan Repayment)? Did the bonus actually change your behavior or was it icing on the cake? How does a bonus stack up to a benefit you already get like the G.I. Bill or Tricare (Tricare Reserve Select)? What amount of cash actually changes your decision (10K for 3 years of service?)?
If you could write a bonus to target the kind of Soldier you wanted in your ranks what would it look like?
All of that is shaping questions, really I just want to get the community's thoughts on incentives in general.
Re-enlistment
Army
Army Reserve
Army National Guard
Edited 9 y ago
Posted 9 y ago
Responses: 4
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I did get a bonus when I reenlisted. I was single at the time but once I got married and we had kids even the bonus was not enough to compensate me.
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I got a bonus when I commissioned but it didn't affect my choice either way and it was pulling teeth to get it.
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1LT (Join to see)
If I could write a bonus it would be 65k for Commissioning as a 921A(?) Petroleum/Water Warrant Officer because the need was palpable at my last unit.
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Got a Bonus when I enlisted, got a much bigger bonus when I re-uped and turned down a similarity large re-enlistment bonus when I got out this year. For the field I was in(Navy Nuclear Power), it is/was one of the few reasons the Navy even has enough operators to keep our subs/carriers operational, and we're still badly undermanned.
The problem being that we got so little time off/crappy work-life balance that even the money offered wasn't enough to make us want to stay in. The ones who do stay in are either the ones who really can't afford to be out of work for any length of time(and presumably have no savings) or really love the Navy(or the Nuclear Navy).
I personally still have all my bonus money and then some from when I re-enlisted 7 years ago, because I never really had time to spend it(and by the time I did, I knew I was gonna EOS), which is now being invested into a down payment for a house and saving for retirement.
The problem being that we got so little time off/crappy work-life balance that even the money offered wasn't enough to make us want to stay in. The ones who do stay in are either the ones who really can't afford to be out of work for any length of time(and presumably have no savings) or really love the Navy(or the Nuclear Navy).
I personally still have all my bonus money and then some from when I re-enlisted 7 years ago, because I never really had time to spend it(and by the time I did, I knew I was gonna EOS), which is now being invested into a down payment for a house and saving for retirement.
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