Problems With Recruiter

[Brendon1215]

Throughout the past few months, I have had the same recruiter until just now. My recruiter is going back to his original MOS - in supply. I was assigned a new recruiter who's in charge of my school. He's a really cool person - but it seems a bit weird how he's going about things. He told me I had to take my ASVAB, then go to MEPS to enlist, then we'll discuss my MOS. My friend from school who just enlisted did that as well (which is what he was told to do). I told him that I wanted to have an infantry MOS, and he tried steering me away into the combat support type direction. It seems a bit odd. Also, I was told that I had to pick 3 MOS', then they'd TRY to get my MOS. I really want to be an 0311 more than anything, and that's what attracted me to the Marine Corps. I couldn't see myself not being directly in the action - which I've always been that way.

Can anyone help me out here?

Thanks a lot.

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[Gemoore2]

Everything he has stated is true. You have to choose three MOS' prior to signing your contract. This is due to a "needs of the Marine Corps" concept, in case something should occur between your time in boot camp until you are ready to ship out to MOS school. Example: such as your original MOS being over populated. I have only met one Marine during my time in service who was affected as such, so do not worry that you will lose your number one MOS pick. However, I would advise that your next two picks be of something you would want to do just in case.

You will have to take the ASVAB before you can do ANYTHING with your recruiter. Recruiters, believe it or not, have a VERY stressful job. You are not the only person who they are talking to everyday. There is also a mountain of paper work they have to do everyday. They also have to travel around a lot as well. So believe me when I say they do not want to waste their time with someone unless they know you are eligible to join the Marine Corps. The first step is to see if you can obtain a high enough score on the ASVAB to even enlist in the first place. This also helps the recruiter eliminate/find jobs that you are elgible for due to the fact that every job has its own ASVAB requirements.

You will have to report to MEPs prior to obtaining your contracted MOS. Reason for this is every MOS has different standards. An example of this being my own MOS requires that we have full color vision (not waiverable) while other MOS' do not. The Marine Corps is not going to reserve you a space for your desired MOS until you are medically cleared, which occurs at MEPs. Unless things have changed since I have been through the process, you will sign your MOS into contract at your MEPs station, not at your recruiter's office. When I joined, I signed an initial contract that had no MOS within it. I went to MEPs for all my medical evaluations. After everything cleared, I was sent to MEPs again to complete my contract.

Infantry, as I have been hearing as of late, is way over populated amongst poolees right now due to the demand, as well as the recent downsizing of the Marine Corps. This is most likely why your recruiter is attempting to steer you away. If I were you, I would not ship out to boot camp unless you have on paper the desired MOS you want. I will also tell you, Infantry is not the only MOS that is directly involved in action, if that is your only reason for choosing that route.

All in all, it sounds to me that your recruiter is doing the normal. I would not worry what so ever. Just have to bargain at this point and try to acquire the MOS of your desire.

-Good luck!

[Alisium]

Couldn't have said it better myself.

[Brendon1215]

Everything he has stated is true. You have to choose three MOS' prior to signing your contract. This is due to a "needs of the Marine Corps" concept, in case something should occur between your time in boot camp until you are ready to ship out to MOS school. Example: such as your original MOS being over populated. I have only met one Marine during my time in service who was affected as such, so do not worry that you will lose your number one MOS pick. However, I would advise that your next two picks be of something you would want to do just in case.

You will have to take the ASVAB before you can do ANYTHING with your recruiter. Recruiters, believe it or not, have a VERY stressful job. You are not the only person who they are talking to everyday. There is also a mountain of paper work they have to do everyday. They also have to travel around a lot as well. So believe me when I say they do not want to waste their time with someone unless they know you are eligible to join the Marine Corps. The first step is to see if you can obtain a high enough score on the ASVAB to even enlist in the first place. This also helps the recruiter eliminate/find jobs that you are elgible for due to the fact that every job has its own ASVAB requirements.

You will have to report to MEPs prior to obtaining your contracted MOS. Reason for this is every MOS has different standards. An example of this being my own MOS requires that we have full color vision (not waiverable) while other MOS' do not. The Marine Corps is not going to reserve you a space for your desired MOS until you are medically cleared, which occurs at MEPs. Unless things have changed since I have been through the process, you will sign your MOS into contract at your MEPs station, not at your recruiter's office. When I joined, I signed an initial contract that had no MOS within it. I went to MEPs for all my medical evaluations. After everything cleared, I was sent to MEPs again to complete my contract.

Infantry, as I have been hearing as of late, is way over populated amongst poolees right now due to the demand, as well as the recent downsizing of the Marine Corps. This is most likely why your recruiter is attempting to steer you away. If I were you, I would not ship out to boot camp unless you have on paper the desired MOS you want. I will also tell you, Infantry is not the only MOS that is directly involved in action, if that is your only reason for choosing that route.

All in all, it sounds to me that your recruiter is doing the normal. I would not worry what so ever. Just have to bargain at this point and try to acquire the MOS of your desire.

-Good luck!

Thanks a lot for the well thought out response & your help!

[Rocky C]

And there you have it.

Best of luck to you " Marine Friend ".

[Kegler300]

Boat spaces and shipping quotas ...

[Rocky C]

The Sequester

[Tennessee Top]

I have never been a recruiter so don't know the rules personally. I do know however that my niece's recruiter did not have her submit 3 MOS choices. His theory was if you say you have a 2nd and 3rd choice then your 1st choice is not as strong. All she submitted was 0200 Intell and it came back approved. In her case anyway, his theory worked apparently. Don't know his record with the rest of his poolees as far as them getting their only MOS choice.

[Brendon1215]

Thanks everyone! I was just afraid I wasn't going to get a job on my list. A lot of people have told me to NEVER go open contract, and by the way it sounded - it seemed as if that's what he was trying to get me to do.

Does anyone have any advice to get the specific MOS they want?
I really want to do something that is combat-oriented. Which is why I wanted to be something in the 03-series.

[Rocky C]

Not really. Not in these uncertain times.

We could say stick to your hearts desire which is 03XX but then again you may get shown the door.

Most of us older Marines went in on an Open Contract. We didn't have the Luxury of choosing an MOS.

The most important thing to us was becoming a " United States Marine ".

[Brendon1215]

The most important thing to us was becoming a " United States Marine ".

Thank you for the help. And I completely agree with what I quoted. I'll happily do whatever I'm assigned because every job has its meaning and its influence.

[Brendon1215]

My recruiter had instructed me to think of a list of 3 different MOS' that I am interested in & to let him know what I liked. I told him I wanted infantry, although he said that would be hard to get, and a lot of Poolee's enlist initially as 03XX. I want something that is combat oriented, which is obviously why I mentioned that I wanted an Infantry job. One of my buddies who just enlisted a week or so ago put 03XX, 18XX, and 08XX on his list. Besides being a basic rifleman, I think being an 08XX would be cool. But what else in the Corps is combat oriented?

[Rocky C]

Threads merged.
This question was asked or spoken on in your other thread.

[Gemoore2]

Most Marine Corps MOS' will see combat during times of war. Overall, the Marine Corps as a whole is an Infantry force. It is VERY difficult to say who/what will be part of the fight directly. Most of it comes down to what unit/duty station you are with.

I would say, as Infantry, odds will be in your favor, however even then you may be stuck in a non-deployable unit, hold a billet that needs to stay stateside, or a unit that is going to deploy elsewhere away from the fight.

I'll shoot you an example within my own MOS. I am Military Police. I started out within a "field MP" unit. These guys conduct no law enforcement what so ever. Rather they act as a light infantry force. Within the field MPs, they conduct A LOT of convoy security, a lot of "search and destroy" missions, and foot patrols. Also on the contrary of what I just stated, some MP field units may be stuck providing flight line security, or conduct law enforcement operations on a forward operating base. My last two years in the Marine Corps, I was ordered to Okinawa. There I was placed within a Provost Marshall Office (PMO) where all I did was worked law enforcement, basically as a typical police officer. It really had no impact on my MOS its self, it was more of what unit I was with, either way I was still a 5811.

I know a lot of cooks, landing support, radio operators, supply Marines who were all directly involved in the second battle of Fallujah, fighting from house-to-house and street-to-street. I know a lot of motor transport Marines who directly fought on the highway of death during the initial invasion of Iraq. A REALLY good buddy of mine, a mechanic, is permanently disabled and a medically discharged Gunnery Sergeant as a result of combat action in Iraq.

It is really an issue of needs of the Marine Corps and where they want you at any given time.

Pointing out "what MOS will see combat or not" is next to impossible. It is more of an argument of "what unit is going to deploy where, and what is their overall mission" which you will have no control over. My biggest advice to poolees is to worry about stepping on the Yellow Footprints first, the rest of your Marine Corps career will play out as it evolves. Contract a job skill that you believe you’ll enjoy.

[Brendon1215]

Thanks everyone. Okay, so a buddy of mine just enlisted, but didn't receive his MOS field at MEPS itself. He instead, waited about a week, and picked three MOS fields with the recruiter - he got his third choice. But another buddy of mine (served in Iraq) and another buddy of mine (fresh out of Boot Camp as of last Friday), and they both told me to NOT do that. They said they both received their exact MOS fields upon leaving MEPS & they signed their contract their second day at MEPS. I am really, really nervous about doing the whole "enlist, then pick three fields" type deal, because I don't want to get screwed over. I REALLY want to be an 03, and I have since I could talk. They told us at the recruiting station that the "enlist, then pick three fields" deal is the only way to enlist (which every vet and current Marine friend have said is very phishy). This is the next four years of my life, and I don't want to get screwed over like a lot of people I know. They (my current/vet friends) said the recruiter CAN get me infantry if he tried hard enough. They told me to tell my recruiter that, "I'm not enlisting or signing anything unless it has the field I want on it" -- is that a bad route to go?

I've heard...
"I chose my MOS at MEPS, and signed my contract for that field then and there."
"Don't sign anything without the field YOU want".


Please help me! It's bothering me, lol. I'm hearing one thing my the recruiting station, and another thing from my friends that are currently in, or have served. My old recruiter was willing to do anything in his power to get the MOS I want in my contract, but I have a new recruiter now because the old one went back to his original MOS.