View Full Version : Open contract?
Theguy101
03-23-08, 06:00 PM
Hello everyone, i was just sifting around and noticed in a post someone saying NEVER sign a open contract? Well i my self the other day signed one and was told it would be torn up after meps and i pick a job. Did anyone else sign this and was told the same thing? Does it get torn up?
cfranco89
03-23-08, 06:04 PM
A Marine will have to come along and verify this because I'm not sure an open contract is the same as a general elistment contract. General enlistment is where you sign a contract saying your in the DEP, but you do not have an assigned job. The Corps. will give you a job that needs to be filled to fit their needs when you ship out.
yeah I did the same thing...I signed an open enlistment and afterwards my recruiter and I sat down and discussed MOS options and then chose my job. Do recruiters have the power to pick a MOS with me after I sign the contract?
SGT7477
03-23-08, 06:34 PM
The Marine Corps has the power to put you where they want not the recruiter boys you will be put where you are needed.
So even though he said he put me in Infantry I might be something else?
If you go in true open contract that is a distinct possibility. Meaning shipping with no MOS i can garantee you won't get infantry most of thos guys when i went to boot went admin/ motor t
SGT7477
03-23-08, 06:44 PM
So even though he said he put me in Infantry I might be something else?
Could very well happen it just depends where the Corps needs you at that particular time, back when I was in I seen alot of contracts broken and alot of ****ed off people, when I went in 1974 I went under Combat Arms which included infantry, tanks and artillery 3 of us in the whole platoon went into artillery but most went infantry because that is where the Corps was short but you could tell who got screwed they were all mad at their recruiters,lmfao. BTW the DI's just laughed their asses off and I did too inside.:flag:
Marine84
03-23-08, 07:03 PM
I really need that laughing frog Jim!
You may luck up like I did with that open contract....................then again, you may not.
darkgreen0311
03-23-08, 07:59 PM
Gumby,An open contract is where you have no particular mos and they can put you anywhere, if there is a particular mos that you want you should sign a guaranteed contract.
:marine: :flag: SEMPER FI 4 LIFE
SGT7477
03-23-08, 09:00 PM
Thanks
An MOS you want but it's not 100% guaranteed.:evilgrin:
Hologram
03-23-08, 09:16 PM
An MOS you want but it's not 100% guaranteed.:evilgrin:Yes, sir. Says it right on the contract.
outlaw3179
03-23-08, 09:42 PM
lol Gumby WTF is that pic....thanks for the laugh.
JoeInVille
03-23-08, 09:43 PM
I signed up open and 2 weeks later my recruiter got me the MOS I wanted. You should just never ship off to bootcamp without an MOS imo.
darkgreen0311
03-23-08, 10:03 PM
That's true just because you sign guaranteed doesn't mean it will be guaranteed. I do recall some of my fmf friends who said they signed guaranteed and still got stuck in the grunts. I signed guaranteed Infantry and got infantry.
:marine: :flag: SEMPER FI 4 LIFE
cfranco89
03-23-08, 10:03 PM
Hologram, it says it right on the contract, but did you read all of the small print. Your MOS can be changed if the Corps. needs it. It can also be lost for several reasons stated on the contract.
P.S. You might get scolded for disagreeing with a Marine on this site. Take cover!
Hologram
03-23-08, 10:10 PM
Hologram, it says it right on the contract, but did you read all of the small print. Your MOS can be changed if the Corps. needs it. It can also be lost for several reasons stated on the contract.
P.S. You might get scolded for disagreeing with a Marine on this site. Take cover!I was agreeing....
cfranco89
03-23-08, 10:12 PM
Wow I feel like an idiot now haha. Misread that one a little bit. Sorry about that.
rvillac2
03-24-08, 12:55 AM
A Marine will have to come along and verify this because I'm not sure an open contract is the same as a general elistment contract. General enlistment is where you sign a contract saying your in the DEP, but you do not have an assigned job. The Corps. will give you a job that needs to be filled to fit their needs when you ship out.
The contract you sign to enter DEP is a placeholder contract. The contract that is binding your MOS is the one you sign when you ship. If THAT contract is Open MOS, you are assigned according to the needs of the Corps. If your recruiter is telling you he will get you infantry, that is the contract that needs to say it.
Everything in your contract is guaranteed. However, the contract also includes the right to change things if there are extraordinary circumstances (like those listed in the contract). A guaranteed MOS nowadays is not meaningless.
So we sign two contracts? The one I signed to get into DEP says that Im open enlistment and only going in as an E-1 even though my recruiter said he put my MOS as 03XX and Ill go in as a E-2. So the second one will have the guaranteed info on it?
rvillac2
03-24-08, 01:32 AM
So we sign two contracts? The one I signed to get into DEP says that Im open enlistment and only going in as an E-1 even though my recruiter said he put my MOS as 03XX and Ill go in as a E-2. So the second one will have the guaranteed info on it?
Yes, the second one should have everything promised to you. They will ask you several times if this is the case. If it is not on there, do not sign it.
Sweet thanks for that answer...It worried me because my recruiter is very nice and seems super up front and informative on what he tells me and promises me so i just wanted to make sure he wasnt lying to me even though i didnt think he was.
SGT7477
03-24-08, 07:05 AM
Yes, sir. Says it right on the contract.
You don't think the Marine Corps does not break contracts?lmfao:flag:
david529
03-24-08, 11:30 AM
If your contract tell your a specific MOS then you will get it, just read through it. These days people get what they sign for, so if you dont get what you though you were supposed too then go abck and read over what you sighned. Unless its an extreme case where all the Infantry units are being killed in some crazy war then you will get what you signed for. I am not saying that you will get what you want, but only what you sign for, so read everything and be careful. Also alot fo times you sign up for an MOS field. Say 13xx this means that you can get anything from a Combat Engineer (1371) to a Heavy Equipment Mechanic(1341) or a bulk fuel guy(1391)
So #1..dont sign open contract unless you truly dont care what you do and #2...read through your contract carefuly before you sign it.
Native Warrior
03-24-08, 11:44 AM
If you go in open contract, while you're in boot camp HQMC Enlistment Assignment Branch will see where the need is and based on your ASVAB scores you will be placed accordingly. I went in on open contract and was assigned Avionics based on my ASVAB scores. We even had guys with so called "guarantee contracts" that were sent to 03xx when they thought they were going to public relations or admin.
Always be thankful of what the Marine Corps gives you and say "thank you may I have more please" because regardless of what your mos is you will always be a rifleman first.
awbrown1462
03-24-08, 12:00 PM
I wanted Infantry but the Recruiter told me you don't want that so I took a open contract ended up in Supply after Boot Camp
Chumley
03-24-08, 12:17 PM
Hologram, it says it right on the contract, but did you read all of the small print. Your MOS can be changed if the Corps. needs it. It can also be lost for several reasons stated on the contract.
P.S. You might get scolded for disagreeing with a Marine on this site. Take cover!
FYI - No one likes their authority questioned. However, are you SCARED of asking a question????? There are much scarier things out there.......step up and ask PROPERLY.
:mad:
Chumley
03-24-08, 12:47 PM
Open contract I went, didn't even know what a DEP meeting was.
They told me if I made it out of boot camp, they'd find a place for me.
Got off the plane, walked up to the first Marine I saw and stuck my hand out to say hello and ask how we go from the airport to Parris Island.
The rest is history.
I spent most of my time in Hawaii brothers....open contract is not all bad.
Just be ready to accept what life hands you, then it's all good.
If you want to be a Marine, the rest are insignificant details.
Chumley
david529
03-24-08, 02:01 PM
Always be a rifleman first? Are you sure about that?
And i agree that being a Marine is a great thing regardless but the MOS you recieve is not an insignificant detail. For someone who wants to fight and be a grunt something like supply would be a huge detail. There are hge and major differances between the MOS's and i urge you to get the one you want.
I agree with you Sgt. I mean the biggest concern we should have right now is earning the title of Marine but I think having the MOS we want is a very important deal. I mean being a Marine is gonna be great regardless, but it is still your job for the next four years and I think it should be a job you want and will enjoy IMO. So I am definitely going to try my hardest to get the MOS I want.
SGT7477
03-24-08, 05:49 PM
Yes, sir. Says it right on the contract.
Maybe times have changed 1974 there were contracts broken there was no such thing as 100% guarantee what would you do if they BROKE your contract?:cry:
crazymjb
03-24-08, 06:05 PM
As I understand it you still have no 100% guarantee, but for some MOS's it comes close. For example I had a friend who got AFO, and they told him at boot that it had filled up and he could choose EOD or Supply.
Mike
david529
03-24-08, 06:39 PM
It is impossible to get EOD on your first enlistment. In the Marine Corps EOD is only available after you complete your first enlistment. In other words, you have to re-enlist to get into EOD
Theguy101
03-24-08, 07:27 PM
The contract you sign to enter DEP is a placeholder contract. The contract that is binding your MOS is the one you sign when you ship. If THAT contract is Open MOS, you are assigned according to the needs of the Corps. If your recruiter is telling you he will get you infantry, that is the contract that needs to say it.
Everything in your contract is guaranteed. However, the contract also includes the right to change things if there are extraordinary circumstances (like those listed in the contract). A guaranteed MOS nowadays is not meaningless.
Thank you for that perfect anwser Sir!
btw guys i passed through MEPS today and got the all clear! I scored a 71 on my test! I ship out september 2nd!!!
crazymjb
03-24-08, 07:40 PM
Dunno, that is just what he told me. He said they took him to an office and said there were no slots in AFO left (and he had it in contract), and they offered him "EOD or supply," and he didn't "want to be one of the guys the grunts made fun of for dying easily." Maybe he mixed it up with another acronym, or CE (as described), or something.
Either way, reinforces the point that there are no "Guarantees" in the Marine Corps.
Congrats on getting cleared at MEPS, that place sucks.
Mike
Hologram
03-25-08, 12:47 AM
Maybe times have changed 1974 there were contracts broken there was no such thing as 100% guarantee what would you do if they BROKE your contract?:cry:Sir, I was saying that it says on the contract that you will do what the Corps wants you to, even if it doesn't line up with the MOS on your contract.
Sorry if I wasn't clear.
SGT7477
03-25-08, 07:45 AM
Sir, I was saying that it says on the contract that you will do what the Corps wants you to, even if it doesn't line up with the MOS on your contract.
Sorry if I wasn't clear.
Carry On.:flag:
Chumley
03-25-08, 11:20 AM
Always be a rifleman first? Are you sure about that?
And i agree that being a Marine is a great thing regardless but the MOS you recieve is not an insignificant detail. For someone who wants to fight and be a grunt something like supply would be a huge detail. There are hge and major differances between the MOS's and i urge you to get the one you want.
Sgt david529, I say yes, always a rifleman first - OOORAH!
I do agree with you here, but apparently I didn't convey my perspective well. If you all were to buzz through some of my earliest posts here on Leatherneck, you would see that I encourage each individual to push hard to get into an USMC MOS that suits you, and also to strive for technical fields / schools or others that might additionally offer a civilian carreer path, since many of us do not complete a full Marine career.
Monetary incentives should be considered as well, both as signing bonuses and/or potential re-enlistment bonuses. You should be happy with your MOS/job but when things don't work out, you also need to adapt and deal with what life hands you. There are many times in life when we have to take a job/MOS for now, and use that as a stepping stone to move closer to where we want to be. Actually, I think that's called Private, PFC, LCPL, etc....who really wants to be those?? I always wanted to be a CPL, then a Gunny.
There are some that got a raw deal out of open enlistments, and some like myself that stepped in sh!t and came out smelling like roses. Every MOS is important to the Corps, and it takes all types of individuals to round out our finely tuned machine. My light hearted comment was not all-inclusive of my best advice, so I hope you all take it for what it was meant to be. Open Contracts are a necessary evil and a crap-shoot, but sometimes they work out well for both the Marine and the USMC.
Future Marines and Poolies should know that if you choose an MOS that you don't like after all, or go open-contract and end up somewhere you'd rather not be, there ARE options to change MOS's during a career which revolve around all the circumstances. Sometimes it works out, sometimes it doesn't.
SFi
C
david529
03-25-08, 04:11 PM
Ive seen alot of Marines that i would consider anything but a rifleman, drinking coffee and typing on a computer all day at a nice camp in Iraq, thats why i said that. We may all go through bootcamp and MCT but it pretty much ends there for alot of Marines when it comes to any sort of real combat training.
If you get stuck in an MOS you dont like you pretty much have to wait until you re-enlist at which point the Marine Corps in thier extreme want of people to re-enlist will pretty much bend over backwards for you and let you move into almost any MOS you choose. It is possible to change MOS's before your first re-enlistment but its extremely rare. But likei said if you re-enlist you will almost always get a change of MOS if thats what you ask for.