Jobs in the Army are readily available for young, fit and energetic human beings. They offer a lifetime of life changing service and many benefits to go hand in hand with their chosen military careers. But what happens when you are no longer young, fit and energetic? Are there jobs in the army that offer suitable retirement packages? The answer is yes.

The military is not only the supplier of a large proportion of jobs in the army, but also a large provider of benefits and compensation for active duty. Throughout your career in the military you will be at liberty to take advantage of fabulous medical, dental, housing and other benefits, but you will also be entitled to arguably the best available retirement benefits across America. Jobs in the army receive a pension that is technically termed “reduced compensation for reduced services” (Sourced from www.military.com). Pension benefits for jobs in the army can be collected from an early age and not necessarily the pre-determined age of retirement of 60 years. If you are no longer able to serve in your chosen field due to injury or consequence, then you may begin redeeming your pension payments as soon as you retire.

Jobs in the army and the predetermined pension received therein vary according to the date that you began service in the military. There are two different types of pension pay that are calculated in slightly differing ways: Final Pay and High 36.

The cap on retirement packages was recently lifted, and members who have served in excess of a certain number of years will receive larger percentages of their base pay after retirement. This recognises the admiration and high level of service for jobs in the army, and ensures that its citizens are awarded accordingly for their years of dedication to duty.

The cap remains in place for employees that are removed from service due to disability. They are entitled to up to 75% of their base pay for jobs in the army. A figure instituted by law.

Your pension is also levied according to these factors:

• The number of dependants you have
• Your current financial situation
• If you are already receiving benefits from Social Security
• If you are in need of hospital care
• If you are housebound and in need of nursing services or home services such as meals on wheels or similar.

There are also specific stipulations for Veterans who served in one of many jobs in the army. These also vary according to whether or not the Veteran is disabled, receiving other benefits etc. All benefits vary according to what jobs in the army were carried out before retirement, and also on your current financial situation and reasons for being discharged. If the recruit is discharged from duty through dishonourable reasons, then all benefits and pension become null and void.

The bottom line is that the benefits for jobs in the army are immense, but the benefits for after service are just as competitive.

Army Jobs are readily available within almost any department or trade you can think of, and they are available all over the world. No matter what your personal skills may be, or what your preferences are, there are a range of army jobs to suit you. It may be found that the one particular job you set your sights on is not the opportunity you receive, this is more than likely due to your skills and abilities being sharper in other areas. This can also be the case if you are looking for army jobs that don’t require you travelling overseas.

Many recruits who enlist for army jobs want to maintain a relatively normal existence in or close to their home towns. They want to be able to sign up for army jobs without travelling overseas. In doing so, they are offering their service to the military without leaving their families and friends behind. There are numerous army jobs that suit this ideal, in fact a very large proportion of civilian jobs are suited to these specifications. For example:

• Administration and Office Staff: This is an army job where employees would be required to be present on the premises of the location that you sign up for. Their duties center on successful and efficient running of the military offices and filing systems, making sure that all documentation is in order for quick and easy reference.
• Chefs: Every base needs a series of trained kitchen staff to ensure that all prepared meals are healthy and nutritious for all recruits and on site staff. This army job would keep chefs in one place at all times.
• Teachers: There is no more important job than that of a teacher. Developed skills are essential in any field, especially in the military, where close attention is paid to honing and developing inherent skills to assist employees in doing their jobs to the best of their ability. Teachers need to be on site for regular programmes.
• IT Technicians and Systems Engineers: Any business runs on computers in this day and age, as does the military. Army jobs within the field of Internet Technology are vast and hugely available. With all services operating on a technological level, IT technicians and computer system’s engineers need to be close at hand to offer support and service.
• Doctors and Nurses: Although doctors and nurses can be transferred or deployed to further reaches of the earth at any moment, there is always a need for them on site too. Every base will have a hospital and every hospital needs a well rounded, experienced and confident team of medical staff.

This is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to army jobs that don’t require you travelling overseas. Within each field there are more specialized positions available as well as many others in different fields of employ. Staying on your home turf and being recruited for army jobs of your choice is both possible and probable.

The Department of Defense is the United States’ largest supplier of employment. There are many military contract jobs available in varying departments, from civilian positions to full service positions.

Determining which arena would suit you is the first step to consider when researching military contract jobs for your particular preference. Here is a breakdown of the diverse sectors and divisions that military contract jobs are divided into today:

1. US Army
2. Marine Corps
3. Navy
4. Air Force
5. Coast Guards

Within these branches are numerous modes of employ available that can provide a competitive salary for inspiring and self-satisfying work that has many benefits. By consulting this basic guide, you can determine what military contract jobs are available and an estimation of what your possible lows and highs in terms of remuneration would be for positions across the military.

Signing up for a military contract job could earn you between $18000.00 and $21000.00 of basic pay depending on your standing. More or less is given according to your qualifications and rankings and is referred to as special pay. Special pay for military contract jobs can also be allocated to people with advanced or unique skills. Not only are military positions well compensated for, but they come equipped with extensive advantages and rewards, such as housing benefits of between $6000.00 and $17000.00, clothing allowances of between $1300.00 and $1600.00, medical insurance of $3250.00 and dental insurance of $221.00.

*These figures are based on information sourced from the resource listed below.

There is an abundance of different military contract jobs available to suit everyone’s tastes and background, although a large degree of placements are according to the need within that domain. Full training is given in all departments to ensure that positions are fulfilled to their optimal potential. This is known as Advanced Individual Training and can take place in a number of different ways, for example: in a classroom situation, by eLearning, simulation, practical learning or through distance learning. Some of the extensive avenues in which military contract jobs are offered are:

• Accounting Services
• Business Administration
• Avionics – Helicopter Pilots, Airplane Pilots, Air Traffic Controllers, Flight Engineers, Technicians
• Media – Graphic Designers, Desktop publishers, Audiovisual Specialists, Journalists
• Combat Operations
• Construction – Electricians, Plumbers, Building Specialists, Civil Engineers
• Teaching
• Social Work – Psychologists, Counsellors
• Health Care and Medical Care – Nurses, Dentists, Doctors, Opticians, Pharmacists, Occupational Therapists, Physical Therapists, Dieticians
• Engineers
• Intelligence
• Information Technology
• Security and Law Enforcement Officers
• Fire Fighters
• Lawyers and legal specialists
• Chefs and Culinary Specialists
• Transportation and Logistics – Couriers, Drivers

This summary is a small indication as to the world of opportunity available within military contract jobs. With such a diverse and complete range of careers to choose from, excellent salaries, comprehensive training and added benefits and allowances, it is not difficult to understand why such a large percentage of the employment across America is commanded by military contract jobs.

The benefits of getting an army job are many. The following are a few of them:

• 1. Get An Education For Free

Not only are your education costs paid for, you get PAID full-time wages to go to school. The army also has counselors available to help you in choosing the courses that you need to qualify for your chosen profession.

• 2. Protect Hearth and Home

An army job gives you the chance to protect hearth and home like no other job does.

• 3. Compensation

When comparing the income of similar civilian and army jobs, turns out that the army job pays more. The base pay is less, but once you factor in Housing, Food Allowance, Special Pay, Tax Advantages and Healthcare, the army job comes out on top.

Additionally, there are many other ways for a soldier to earn extra pay.

• 4. Extra Edge in Job Experience

At the time of enlistment, a soldier can opt to take advantage of the Partnership for Youth Success Program which will give him/her priority consideration for jobs at select companies (around 225 companies) all over the country in his post army job career. Many are Fortune 500 companies.

• 5. Retirement Plan

As a soldier, you have the option of contributing to a 401-K-type savings and investment plan which is more attractive and has more benefits than a regular civilian plan.

• 6. Physical Strength

There’s physically fit and then there’s army strong. The army will keep you in shape.

• 7. Adventure

If adventure is what you’re looking for, the army provides that in abundance.

• 8. Earn Professional Training Certificates

In your army job career you will have the opportunity to earn professional and trade certifications that will help you succeed in your civilian career.

• 9. Health Care

You and your family are automatically covered by a HMO type health care plan that provides health and dental coverage at little or no cost. Group Life Insurance called Servicemembers’ Group Life Insurance, is a low cost life insurance available for active duty and army reserve soldiers.

• 10. Vacation

The army feels that time off for a soldier is important to his well-being and that of his family. As a soldier in an active army job you get thirty days vacation a year, weekends off and national holidays off as well. As with any job, the necessity comes up occasionally to work weekends or holidays.

The Department of the Army was ranked one of the best places in the Federal Government to work in 2007. The rankings were judged by employee satisfaction in areas such as pay and benefits, family-friendly culture and benefits, and work/life balance.

There are many NAF or Non-Appropriated Fund army jobs in the fields of Child Development, Food and Beverage Management, Golf and Bowling, Recreation, Hotels and Billeting, Clerical and Administration, to name a few.

To search for these army jobs, go to http://acpol.army.mil/employment/index.html. Click ‘Search for Jobs’ and choose from some important criteria on the form to find army job vacancies. You will see that there are 50 plus fields to choose from, and different states and countries to select from. This will allow you to target your search for the many army jobs available. Be sure to fill out the ‘Applicant Eligibility’ as well.

The US army has a student program to provide work experience for anyone interested in working in the challenging field of government service prior to graduation. Whether you’re in high school, technical or vocational, college or university, or accepted to post grad studies, as long as you are a degree-seeking student, an army job can give you the experience you need in your field to be attractive to an employer.

For more information, click on ‘Student Opportunities’ from the above website.

The Intern/Fellows get paid a full-time wage while going to school or attending training. Educational costs are also paid. The Intern or Fellow is considered a full-time federal civilian employee. At the completion of training the successful Fellow may be offered a 25% of base pay bonus for signing on and the Intern is provided with a permanent placement in an army job.

The Internet has the most reliable, up to date information for army jobs available. The vacancy announcement will provide a description of the army job and salary range, whether it’s temporary or permanent, full or part-time and information on who can apply. These announcement sites are updated daily.

As an army employee, you receive a comprehensive benefit package which includes:

• Comprehensive health and life insurance.
• Generous retirement programs.
• Paid holidays, sick leave, and vacation time.
• Flexible work environment.
• Paid employment related training and education.
• Possible student loan repayment.
• Payment of licenses, certification, and academic degrees as applicable.
• Bonuses, incentives, and awards.
• Competitive salaries.
• Annual pay increases.

As a rule, army job recruiters are honest, hard-working people just trying to do their jobs. But like anything else, there are exceptions to this rule. This is not to be negative, just meant to be a warning to do some research before making decisions that will so deeply affect your life.

Here’s the thing, an army job recruiter’s job performance is judged based purely on numbers. The higher the numbers of army job recruits, the better the performance review. The lower the army job recruits, the worse his performance review. Plain and simple. If he doesn’t make the minimum quota he doesn’t make ‘mission’ and may find his career at a dead-end. Because of this, some unscrupulous army job recruiters will say anything just to get recruits signed up to an army job – stretch the truth, even lie…whatever it takes.

As you can imagine, this can lead to very unhappy new army recruits. You may wonder why the army doesn’t put a stop to this. Each service has recruiting regulations which make it a crime to cheat, lie or knowingly sign up a recruit that is ineligible for enlistment. When they are caught, recruiters are punished. The problem is, it’s hard to catch a recruiter as there are usually no witnesses and it becomes a he said, she said situation.

However, in some cases the ‘lies’ told by a recruiter was a case of ‘selective hearing’. The army job recruiter may say: ‘Many of our bases now have single rooms for people’. What the recruit hears is that ‘You’ll get a single room with no room-mate.’ So, the advice here is to ‘listen’ and research what the recruiter has said before enlisting.

And remember…the army is not for everyone. A full 40% of new recruits that enlist in the army today will not complete their full term of service. Barring circumstances beyond the new recruits’ control like illness or injury, many recruits are involuntarily discharged because they just quit trying. Many say the army turned out to be completely different from what they’d expected and this is often the result of army job recruiters’ lies or the selective hearing of the new recruit.

How do you as a potential new army job recruit avoid the lies, exaggerations and half-truths of an unscrupulous recruiter?

Read. Information on the Internet will walk you safely through the whole process.

Whether you choose to make a lifelong career in an army job or decide to explore your civilian options, the army supports your decision through programs and guidance to help you succeed.

Some of the programs available are as follows:

Transitioning From Soldier to Civilian

Every army post has an Army Career and Alumni program with counselors to help you choose a civilian career that best utilizes the skills you’ve learned in your army job, from crafting a resume to networking with potential employers.

Enlisting for Post-Army Career Success

At the time of enlistment, a soldier can opt to take advantage of the Partnership for Youth Success Program which will give him/her priority consideration for jobs at select companies all over the country in his post army job career. Many are Fortune 500 companies.

Earning Professional Training Certificates

In your army job career you will have the opportunity to earn professional and trade certifications that will help you succeed in your civilian career.

Become a Teacher After the Army

The army has a ‘Troop to Teacher’ program that will help you succeed in your quest to go into the civilian teaching profession from identifying teacher certification requirements to employment opportunities.

Retiree Benefits

Upon retiring from an army job, benefits are available to the soldier to pay for college, buy a home, life insurance, or find a job.

Retirement Savings Plan

As a soldier, you have the option of contributing to a 401-K-type savings and investment plan which is even more attractive and has more benefits than a regular civilian plan. The TSP plan (Thrift Savings Plan) enables you to contribute up to 100% of all your army job pay, including base, incentives and bonuses. The contributions are taken from your pay before taxes are withheld, an option regular savings plans do not have.

The TSP Matching Funds Incentive is an option where the first 5% of your contributions are matched by the army – dollar for dollar on the first 3% and 50 cents on the dollar for the remaining 2%. TSP contributions will be matched by the army for 5-8 years, your entire first term of enlistment.

To find out more about the Thrift Savings Plan or Retirement Savings Plan, contact a recruiter or visit the TSP website at http://www.tsp.gov/