Enlistment process help

[red2958]

Hello Marines!

I am a poolee. I am registered here as friend and not poolee because I did not want to list my recruiters name.

I have been in the DEP for a few months. I have been having some issues with my recruiters and I don't know what to do. I am stuck in 2 different situations.

Basically, I want to join the infantry. I am willing to wait however long it takes to be in the infantry. I told my recruiter that and he made me choose 3 fields to be submitted into this "system". What is this system? It determines what field I get? Is all this stuff he told me accurate? I do not want the other 2 fields, I only want infantry, and I am willing to wait it out. His station commander gave me a direct order to comply, right then I began to think they were screwing with me.

I am also moving to a different state. My recruiter told me to NOT go to the recruiting station at the town im moving to. Why is this? He told me I have to show up at the poolee functions every month or I will be discharged from the DEP. I am fine with going there, but it seems inconvenient for me to drive 5 hours there and back for these functions and have them determine what field I will have.

Thanks for the help.

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[USMC 2571]

I can't help you with specific info but others can and will be along to do just that.

At least you are interested enough in the Corps to ask questions and get some direction.

Welcome to the site. Keep us updated here on this same thread.

[red2958]

Thank you.

Should I just go to the recruiting station at the town I'm moving to and see what they say about this? If I cant settle things with this station, will I be able to switch stations?

[Tennessee Top]

Don't know if I can shed any light on your situation but will throw in my two cents.

First of all. Your recruiters are playing hardball with you for some reason. This tells me there are two sides to this story, but we are only getting one side (yours). I would be really interested to hear the recruiter's side.

As far as an infantry contract goes. You have to understand they're the first to disappear because everybody wants one. Your recruiter cannot offer you something they don't have and they can't promise you something in the future that may never be available. As a poolee, you can stay in your DEP for 365 days. If you don't ship to bootcamp before then, you'll be discharged and not a poolee. You have the right to hang around and wait for an infantry contract up to those 365 days. That does not mean you'll ever be offered an infantry contract. New MOS allocations come out on Oct 1st. Maybe an infantry contract will become available, and maybe not. I imagine there are other poolees in your DEP also waiting for an infantry contract. Do you get first dibs or do they?

It's a free country. Poolees move to other states and change recruiting stations every day. Expecting you to commute 5 hours one way to attend poolee functions is ridiculous and unnecessary. As a poolee, you are required to attend mandatory poolee functions. But, you can do that at your new RS. Again, wish I could hear why your recruiters are giving you such grief about moving away - it happens. Do you happen to know if the new RS is in the same recruiting district as your current one (you can GOOGLE USMC recruiting districts and see what states are in what districts). Understand, recruiters network with each other. Your current recruiters will be talking to the new recruiters. If your current recruiters have problems with you (sounds like they do), your new recruiters will hear about them.

Recruiters get their orders/policies from their commanding officer at district headquarters. They also get their mission (quotas) from that CO. If district HQ does not give them any infantry slots, they can't just pull one out of thin air.

[red2958]

Based on the district map, it will remain the same. The station commander told me that there is no such thing as switching recruiting stations. He also said that he absolutely must submit 3 fields. Where is he submitting this to? He would not let me change my 3rd choice, I was pressured to choose 3 the day I was there.

Will this switch to another recruiting station be a smooth process?

The only problem my recruiters have had with me is the fact that I was firm that I wanted infantry and that I had to move.

Thank you for your help.

[crazymjb]

Talk to a recruiter at the new recruiting station. Giving you the benefit of the doubt, your recruiter seems like he doesn't give much of a crap about you. Not that that is his job... but some are better than others.

Mike

[Tennessee Top]

He submits your 3 choices to his district headquarters.

Like I said. Your RS gets it's mission (quotas) from it's District Headquarters. This means numbers (bodies) and also MOS's. Apparently, your third choice does not fit what HQ is pushing for. Recruiters don't come up with these numbers on their own (recruiters are salesmen the numbers come from manpower management folks) - all they can do is meet mission or they'll be fired and sent back to the fleet. Your recruiter wanted all of your choices to match his mission simple as that.

This is why I asked if the two RS's are in the same recruiting district. The recruiters at the new RS will have the same mission as your current RS (because they share the same commanding officer).

One important consideration you're missing is, all recruiters can promise is the opportunity to earn the title. They are not hung up on every poolee getting what they want because that's impossible to begin with. Imagine one reason you have issues is your demand to be a grunt, and nothing else. That's fine, but you're not leaving your recruiters any wiggle room. MOS assignments, promotions, reenlistments, etc are always based on the needs of the Marine Corps - not the individual's needs. You're basically telling recruiters "only thing that matters to me is my needs so screw everybody else". You can stick with that attitude if you want to (others have done it as well) but you shouldn't be surprised when recruiters cannot be flexible enough to meet your demands. Sometimes that attitude works, and sometimes it doesn't. If you want a recruiter to put your needs above everything else, you need to walk down the hallway and talk to an Army recruiter. They'll be glad to promise you everything you want.

Talk to the recruiters at the new RS. But, be very careful how you approach the conversation. If you go in there bad-mouthing and complaining about your old RS, they will naturally see that as a red flag and think you'll do the same to them.

Interested to hear how this works out for you - and if you ever get an infantry contract. Come back and let us know.

[red2958]

Thank you for explaining this process with me Marines. I will talk to the recruiters at the new station and see how things work out. I will take a more flexible approach with them on getting my job field contract settled.

[USMC 2571]

Be sure and keep us updated. We're curious as to how it turns out, and we can help others with what we see happening in your case.

[red2958]

My current recruiter told me I cannot switch stations. When I first mentioned to him I was moving, he told me to stay away from the station over there. Do I just go into the new station and explain this whole situation? Will they be able to help me switch stations even if my current recruiter doesnt?

[Tennessee Top]

I will get back to you on this question. I know a recruiting officer who works at a district headquarters. He is busy so can't say how quickly he'll respond to my question (it may be awhile). How soon are you moving?

[red2958]

I am moving this week. I kinda faked my profile to protect me and my current recruiters from anything and to be somewhat anonynous. I have nothing personal against my current recruiters, but this whole enlistment process is a big headache and I do not know if im getting screwed with.

Thank you for spending your time helping me Tennessee Top.

[Tennessee Top]

Sent you a private message. Check your inbox.

[Kamauxx]

Red, you can't just switch to a a different RS. If the RSS your recruiter told you to steer clear of is in the same RS you are already in they won't be able to help you. If it's in a different RS and you want to switch the only way possible for that to happen if for the original RS to discharge you and the new RS to write you.

This is a difficult path you're going down because the Ops-O will not be happy about you discharging to go to a different RS. And he has the option of keeping you on the books for 365 days from the day you signed your contact. In short, he can make things hell for you with the new RS.