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07/04/08 03:42 am
pst
Melodie,
I have been in the Army for almost 24 years now. The military DOES have really great pay and benefits. Having been in the military for so long, I would like to recommend that you check with an Air Force recruiter, to see if their bonuses, etc. are similar to what the Navy is offering. Personally, I think the Air Force usually has much better standards of living than other branches. Of course, the Navy is a great "second choice". If I knew back then, what I know now, I probably would have gone Air Force. Due to my high ASVAB scores, the Navy tried recruiting me for their nuclear technology program, with a huge bonus, a commission, etc. Personally, I just couldn't imagine being on board a ship or submarine for 6 months at a time. I would go completely stir crazy, but if you can handle that sort of thing, then it would be a great opportunity for you. If you are on a ship or submarine, then you get a little extra money each month, as an "incentive pay" for that kind of duty. If you go Air Force, then you will not get those particular incentive pays.
When they tell you it starts at $57,000 a year, I assume they are "adding in" all of the benefits, like Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH) - I guess that is what you meant by "1000 a month for help with bills". If you are assigned on a ship or submarine, then you will get that special sea duty incentive pay and I "think" you qualify for family separation allowance, while assigned there. If you are talking about becoming a Registered Nurse, and becoming a commissioned officer, then you should also get the special medical officer incentive pay and you are correct about getting extra for being a specialty nurse. I don't understand how being a specialty nurse would increase your pay by more than $60,000 per year though, because the highest medical specialty incentives that I know of are only $36,000 extra per year. The military base pays and specialty pays are set by federal law, and they are the same, regardless of which branch you are in. However, some of the "bonuses", and things like that, are somewhat "different" across the different branches, depending on the need for certain specialties, so maybe the Navy offers an additional bonus, or something. Since I Army, I am not familiar with a lot of the bonuses offered by other branches.
If you ever want to look up the actual base pays, specialty pays, and incentive pays, then here is a link to the official pay tables for the military (bonuses are NOT included in this):
http://www.dfas.mil/militarypay/militarypaytables/2008MilitaryPayCharts35.pdf
To look up Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH) rates, then use this look-up tool. Your BAH is based on your rank and the zip code of the duty station where you are assigned.
http://perdiem.hqda.pentagon.mil/perdiem/bah.html
To see the website that is specific to Navy pay and benefits, go here (most of the pay and incentives are the same as what you will see in the above websites, but there "might" be something specific only to Navy - I am just too lazy to dig through it).
http://www.npc.navy.mil/CareerInfo/PayAndBenefits/
Feel free to print any of the above and, if you have any questions about how your recruiter is coming up with his/her totals, then have the recruiter show you each individual incentive that they are including in your total. Also, when you go to sign your contract, be absolutely SURE that any educational benefits (MGIB, etc.), bonuses, etc. are included in that contract. If not, be sure to ask about it before you sign the contract.
Certain things, like "Sea Duty Incentive Pay" (SDIP), BAH, BAS, etc. will NOT be included in your contract, because they are changed on an annual basis, SDIP is only paid during times that you are actually assigned to sea duty, etc.
GOOD LUCK!!! :)
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