If you’re leaving active duty military service, chances are good that someone has mentioned joining the Army Reserves to you. For many, it’s a natural step because of the low time commitment, familiarity and financial benefits. But for others, it’s more unwanted time in a uniform and the possibility of another deployment. Unsure if joining the reserves is the right step for you? Check out the pros and cons below to help make your decision.
PROS of joining the reserves
Health Care Benefits
If you haven’t paid for health insurance through a civilian employer before, you’re about to see how expensive it can get. You’ll go from paying next to nothing as an active duty service member to paying quite a bit in monthly insurance premiums. However, most reserve members and their families are eligible for Tricare Reserve Select. You’ll still pay monthly premiums, but the cost is lower with monthly payments for a single member averaging $50 and family plans ringing in around $200. As an added bonus, you’ll likely qualify for the Tricare Dental Program.
Retirement
If you’re leaving active duty service with less than 20 years of service, you should consider joining the reserves. The years you’ve already earned will carry over and serve as the foundation of your new reserve retirement. Then as a member of the reserves, you’ll earn points that can be applied as additional years of service. Once you’ve reached a total of 20 years of active service between the two, you’ll be eligible to collect retirement benefits around the age of 60.
Flexibility with Time & Location
When you’re an active duty service member, you go where the military needs you to go. When you transition to a reserve position, you help decide where you’re going to work. You can choose a unit that’s close to home or move to a unit that specializes in your field. The decision is based on your needs and wants. Likewise, your time commitment will span about one weekend a month and one, two-week training period a year as opposed to being on-call 24 hours a day, seven days a week. With such a small time commitment, you’ll have plenty of time to start a full-time civilian job, attend school and spend time with friends and family.
Money
Transitioning to civilian employment can be stressful, especially when it comes to money. One benefit of joining the reserves is that you’ll get paid for your time and you get to keep your current rank. Some will also qualify for cash bonuses depending on their job skills and the military’s current needs.
Career Advancement
If you choose to join the reserves, you’ll have an opportunity for both military and civilian career advancement. On the military side, you can opt to apply for a direct commission or a warrant officer program. Or if you’re unhappy with your occupational specialty, you can be trained in an entirely new one. On the civilian side, you’ll gain valuable networking connections through your work with the reserves. And you never know, the reserve member working beside you on Saturday may be your ticket to an interview at a company on Monday.
CONS of joining the reserves
Deployment
Spending too much time away from family may be one of the reasons you chose to leave active duty service in the first place. Unfortunately, if you join the reserves it’s possible that your unit will be activated and you’ll have to deploy. That being said, when you transition from active duty to the reserves you’ll get up to 24 months of deferment from involuntary mobilization. This will give you and your family time to get established at your new location.
Extra Work
For those who join the reserves in a more senior role, the one weekend a month training block may not be enough time to accomplish the required tasks. According to a Military Times article, it’s not unusual for some reserve members to spend their personal time finishing up military-related tasks or using their personal resources to accomplish the mission. It’s important to note that while you won’t be paid for those extra hours, you are still responsible for getting the job done.
No Physical Training
The regimented morning runs and group workouts will go out the window when you leave active duty service. Instead, you’ll need to maintain your physical fitness on your own time and through your own self-discipline. While this won’t be an issue for some, others may struggle to maintain height and weight standards without daily accountability. And yes, you’ll still have to pass a physical fitness test.
You Can’t Quit
As someone with active duty experience, the fact that you can’t quit when you feel like it isn’t going to shock or surprise you. Once you’ve made a commitment to the reserves, you’re expected to fulfill that commitment. This means showing up to drill weekends even when you’d rather be at your cousin’s wedding and accepting those deployment orders when you’d rather shred them.
There are many pros and cons to joining the reserves as you transition from active duty service, but in the end, it has to work for you and your family. To see what opportunities and bonuses are available to you, contact your local reserves recruiter. The recruiter can look at your situation, lay out all of your options and help you decide if the reserves would be right for you.
