View Full Version : Reserve Enlistment Bonus
lagrand
04-01-08, 03:05 PM
I just saw Kade62587 (member.php?u=51078)'s post about a Reserve Bonus in the "Ask a Marine" section of the forum. I found some information regarding this topic at http://usmilitary.about.com/od/marinebonuses/a/maresenlbonus.htm and I figured I would share. God bless.
rvillac2
04-01-08, 04:53 PM
Good job, Poolee.
lagrand
04-01-08, 07:54 PM
Thank you, Sir.
crazymjb
04-01-08, 08:37 PM
I believe my recruiter already put me in for those but I will have to double check. Thanks.
Mike
Ub3rmike
04-01-08, 09:14 PM
Yeah, my recruiters put me and another 92 dayer on the 6-2 so we could get some money for college.
lagrand
04-01-08, 09:46 PM
The one thing that confuses me is at the top of the page is states: "The Marines are offering an enlistment bonus of $20,000 for individuals who enlist in the Marine Corps Reserves in specified Military Occupation Specialties during Fiscal Year 2008"
It goes on to say later on that: "The $10,000 enlistment bonus is paid in a lump-sum following completion of initial active duty training"
There may be a bit of confusion on the amount that is supposed to be given. No worries though, if you make it, you will all be Marines and no one can take that away from you. God bless.
JimmehT
04-01-08, 09:50 PM
There may be a bit of confusion on the amount that is supposed to be given. No worries though, if you make it, you will all be Marines and no one can take that away from you. God bless.
That's what I am saying. I didn't know everything was all about the money, I thought just being a Marine would be enough hah.
lagrand
04-01-08, 09:57 PM
And you are indeed correct. Not even all the money in the world would be able to replace the title that YOU have earned. You will be one of the few, the proud, the Marines!
DangerMMA
04-01-08, 10:13 PM
Yeh I am receiving the kicker and the $20,000 for MOS 3531/3533
lagrand
04-01-08, 10:16 PM
Good stuff Danger. Correct me if I am wrong, but you have to enlist in the 6x2 option correct?
Good information thanks for posting.
lagrand
04-02-08, 12:45 AM
No problem at all.
DangerMMA
04-02-08, 06:41 AM
Good stuff Danger. Correct me if I am wrong, but you have to enlist in the 6x2 option correct?
I did...according to my research that is the only way to get it.
benw2200
04-02-08, 08:22 PM
Is there a catch or some fine print to this bonus that I'm not noticing?
I DEP'd into the reserves, back in the beginning of December with a 3531 MOS. I had no idea about any bonus or GI bill kicker, and my recruiter never mentioned anything. So does this mean I'm eligible for this 10 grand after completing MCT and job school? I don't want to get my hopes up for the money and then find out I won't get it because of some loophole.:sick:
Smitty Puffs
04-02-08, 09:17 PM
I have no desire to recieve $20,000 for joining the Reserves.
DangerMMA
04-02-08, 10:51 PM
I have no desire to recieve $20,000 for joining the Reserves.
Well for some of us in College it is the best we can do...
ExplicitReality
04-02-08, 11:33 PM
Seems like a lot of you poolee's joined the Marine Corps for the wrong reasons...
Bazzard
04-02-08, 11:38 PM
Seems like a lot of you poolee's joined the Marine Corps for the wrong reasons...
<!-- / message --><!-- sig -->
Because you and him don't share the same reasons dosen't mean his reasons to join are wrong. People Joined for many reason. Some people want financial security card.
DangerMMA
04-02-08, 11:42 PM
Because you and him don't share the same reasons dosen't mean his reasons to join are wrong. People Joined for many reason. Some people want financial security card.
Thank you, I plan on making a career out of the Corps and by finishing college and being in the Reserves works best for me. Not to mention PLC and the whole officer aspect. To each his own however, I will leave the judging to God. Best of luck on whatever path you feel is right for you and if your reasons for signing differ from mine then so be it, just remember we are all fighting for the same cause...
-Danger
lagrand
04-03-08, 01:10 AM
Benw, that's a good question. I believe in your case, it's time to call the recruiter!
Smitty, I can understand where you are coming from. My guess is that your mentality is "Hey, I've earned the title, I don't need anything else!". I definitely agree with you. But you also have to look at it in a different light also. You've earned the title and the US Government is going to GIVE you a check for $20,000 for enlisting in one of the above MOSs. I would much rather be $20,000 richer. Down payment on a car, open up a savings account and put it in there, invest it in mutual funds, help pay for your house, etc. The possibilities are endless as to what that money can go to. But I mean hey, do what you need to do. God bless.
benw2200
04-03-08, 02:05 PM
I just called my recruiter asking about that bonus and he said there wasn't one.
Is this bonus a really new thing that he wouldn't know about? What gives?
kbs95125
04-03-08, 02:53 PM
Print that out and bring it into his office and ask him. Bonuses do have a quota as far as I know so they could be gone by now.
JimmehT
04-04-08, 05:44 AM
Seems like a lot of you poolee's joined the Marine Corps for the wrong reasons...
I completely agree. It's not all about the money in my opinion, and never will be.
bonuses shouldn't matter. Money hunger is what corrupts many things, money is lame. If there was no pay at all in the Marine Corps, I would still join. It's about being a Marine, not rich.
it's a brotherhood we are trying to get into, not a bank.
DangerMMA
04-04-08, 09:11 AM
I completely agree. It's not all about the money in my opinion, and never will be.
bonuses shouldn't matter. Money hunger is what corrupts many things, money is lame. If there was no pay at all in the Marine Corps, I would still join. It's about being a Marine, not rich.
it's a brotherhood we are trying to get into, not a bank.
You obviously dont have bills to pay then, and seeing as your current status is "unemployed" you have no room to talk on this subject...By no means did I enlist for a signing bonus, I enlisted because I plan on making a career out of it, graduating college, and becoming an officer. However, if they are going to give me $20,000 to drive HMMWV's then by all means I am going to take it, with this money not only can I be 100% self-supportive (college fees, apartment rent, insurance, etc.) but also use it to plan for my future...
kbs95125
04-04-08, 09:25 AM
I saved $300 by switching my car insurance to Geico.
JimmehT
04-04-08, 03:54 PM
You obviously dont have bills to pay then, and seeing as your current status is "unemployed" you have no room to talk on this subject...By no means did I enlist for a signing bonus, I enlisted because I plan on making a career out of it, graduating college, and becoming an officer. However, if they are going to give me $20,000 to drive HMMWV's then by all means I am going to take it, with this money not only can I be 100% self-supportive (college fees, apartment rent, insurance, etc.) but also use it to plan for my future...
I used to have a job at Giant Eagle and to be honest, worst thing ever. I had to pay a car bill and insurance as well, so I know what it's like. But what I was saying is that there is all of this talk about money, and it shouldn't be ALL about the money man, at all...
That's great you want money, but money isn't everything.
lagrand
04-05-08, 01:30 PM
And you are right! Money isn't everything. Being a Marine and earning that title is priceless. But if you honestly had the option of taking the money or leaving the money (but still having the title either way) what would you choose?
Sometimes, it's just about thinking smart. If you are going to be a Marine either way, why not take the money to help you pay the mortgage, car payment, etc?
Twitchell
04-05-08, 03:31 PM
"I have no desire to recieve $20,000 dollars for joining the Reserves."
1- Then don't except it.
2- Some people need a bonus to pay off depts they will not be able to afford once they are Active Duty. Especially familys. This does not make them less dedicated.
"Seems like a lot of you poolee's joined the Marine Corps for the wrong reasons..."
1- Did you?
2- This may be, but if they did. They are going to have at least four years of HELL regreting they're actions. So why worry about it?
These, and other comments said in this thread are things that INDIVIDUALS say, not MARINES. Hense why your poolee's. Reguardless if a Marine excepts an enlistment bonus or not, he's still a Marine. No more, no less. How about you guys work as a team, and find a Mall Ninja to harass or something.
"Being a Marine and earning the title is priceless." For everyone else there's a "financial security card."
Does anyone know if the enlistment bonus for the Marine Reserves is still being offered? If so, what are the terms of enlistment (MOS, enlistment length etc)? I briefly asked a recruiter about this and he said he was not aware of any bonus.
Don't get me wrong, I am certainly not in this for the money. However, a bonus would certainly make my decision to join easier. Like most people here, I have obligations that need to be met and this is the only thing left that is making me think twice. Any tips or suggestions are welcome.
Thank you.
FYI
any bonus is subject to complete re-imbursement if you violate any contractual agreement you make in order to get it. Say it say you have to graduate a specific school, you already spent the money 'cause you thought it'd be easy, you fail the school... you owe uncle sam 15000 dollars, and they all come out of your pay check.
a big fat $0 for the rest of your contract doesn't really work for reservists seeing as they still have to show up for drill and all.
Be Smart, don't take the bait unless you know what you can and can't do. If all else fails, invest it until the obligated 3 years is up and then you'll have a brand new car paid for with cash.
joecoul89
07-25-08, 10:31 AM
Seems like a lot of you poolee's joined the Marine Corps for the wrong reasons...
A lot of people tend to say this. I joined the DEP without knowing anything about an enlistment bonus, and I think a lot of other people did too. We are finding out about it long after we got in the DEP. All I'm saying is that, how are we joining for the wrong reasons if we joined without that? I mean I want to be a Marine, thats my ultimate goal. But if someone is going to give me an extra 20,000 to do it, why not try to get it? Free money...
btw, I heard someone on another thread say you can't have a waiver to get a bonus, so that makes me inneligible. I still want to be a Marine.
kid, that same person said in order to get the bonus you need to jump off the tallest building in you town and survive....
you need to read the MARADMIN about the bonus and see what makes you either eligible or not... no one person will know that unless they have that in front of them, and even then the people who get paid to give it out have it in front of them when they screen your application for the bonus.
I also want to re-iterate since my last post was at the end of the last page, that if you fail to maintain certain requirements you will owe that money back to the government. I can get 15000 but if I leave my reserve unit before then I owe all that money back to the government...... every last penny.
polizei
10-13-08, 07:36 PM
Update, anyone still know if this is still up? It says on the website until Sep 30th, 2008, but is that for both, or just the $20k? I didn't think the Marines had bonus', as they want MARINES, not people who join for money (but free money is goooood).
OSFlanker
02-01-09, 09:47 PM
Does anyone know if this bonus is still going on? The information I have found says that it is valid through FY 2008....
The FY 2008 enlistment bonuses are dead and gone. Effective 1 Oct 2008 they changed the reserve enlistment bonus to $20,000 for eligible MOS's. All the same rules apply that applied last year, and I believe the MOS's are about the same as well. The only difference is the amount of the bonus. Last year they were saying 10 grand, this year it's 20. Here's the link to THE OFFICIAL MARINE CORPS WEBSITE so you know no one is yanking your chain.
http://www.marines.mil/news/messages/Pages/MARADMIN549-08.aspx
Note: The list of MOS's is at the bottom of the document.
OSFlanker
02-02-09, 09:25 AM
The FY 2008 enlistment bonuses are dead and gone. Effective 1 Oct 2008 they changed the reserve enlistment bonus to $20,000 for eligible MOS's. All the same rules apply that applied last year, and I believe the MOS's are about the same as well. The only difference is the amount of the bonus. Last year they were saying 10 grand, this year it's 20. Here's the link to THE OFFICIAL MARINE CORPS WEBSITE so you know no one is yanking your chain.
http://www.marines.mil/news/messages/Pages/MARADMIN549-08.aspx
Note: The list of MOS's is at the bottom of the document.
Thanks for posting the official word!
EMpunker
02-02-09, 10:54 AM
I believe the $20,000 bonus is still being offered for select Reserve MOS's.
I had originally signed up as a Reservist 0621 and was eligible for the bonus, but I decided to switch my MOS to 0861 and now I no longer get it.
I may be wrong but I don't beleive that deal is still going on. I just signed up for reserves a couple months ago and my recruiters never told me anything about a bonus.
I'm also looking to get some money for school and I was told you have to be activated for a certain amount of time or be in the reserves for several years before I'd see any of the G.I. bill.
I think the sign on bonus for the Marine Corp was used early 2008. Not positive though.
I talked with a recruiter a few days ago. I never even asked about bonuses. And out of the blue he tells me, "The USMC doesn't give bonuses. We don't give free money to people that haven't proven or done anything. We don't buy soldiers. You should want to be Marine period, not because I'm dangling a check in your face." I was asking about benefits since I have a family. I guess he thought that was going to be my next question.
So what's the deal with enlistment bonuses. Not getting one is not going to change my mind. But, if the money is out there damn right I want my share, I got a wife and 2 kids.