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USN So... I'm in the IRR. Now what?
- Thread starter Purdue
- Start date
To be fair, I guess what I want from the reserves is a retirement. I've got 12+ years towards my 20 right now, and I just am averse to leaving that on the table.
I don't "need" the additional drilling paycheck, although an extra few grand a year would be advantageous as a regional FO. I'm doing OK and holding my own, I'd just like to set myself up for later in life and having an eventual pension to look forward to that I've already earned 60% of would be appreciated. I don't even know if I'd need to fly... I'm flying for my main career now, and having a second airframe to keep current on would just be a pain (even if it would keep me in the Rotary world perhaps). However, I see what others have said about an involuntary deployment at the most inopportune of times. That would be aggravating, even though the regionals/airlines are super accommodating of the reserve requirements.
Given your location, if you wanted to stay flying, that may be a little tough to do it in helos. My info is about 2 months old, but the forecast I got for the next 12 months was not good for the options at North Island (basically spots have been filled). That can always change, though.
Another option could be to rush VR-59 in SD or VR-55 up in Pt. Mugu. Easy commute and with your growing fixed-wing time, they may be interested...if they're not already full. I'm not sure how the SELRES health is for the Herc squadrons, but that might be worth looking into.
But if flying has the potential to be too hard, then it's either doing coloring books every month for a weekend (I have a feeling you would question how much the retirement is worth having to do that), or trying to affiliate with SELRES and find a billet somewhere at NI, San Diego, LA, or maybe even Fresno. They're all decent sized, so have a bunch of units. If you decide to go that route, I'd move past the CTO adventures and start with a Reserve recruiter, which can usually be found at the NOSCs or out in town.
Personally, I don't think doing correspondence courses will be sustainable for the next 8 years, but I'm sure others here will say otherwise.
Another option could be to rush VR-59 in SD or VR-55 up in Pt. Mugu. Easy commute and with your growing fixed-wing time, they may be interested...if they're not already full. I'm not sure how the SELRES health is for the Herc squadrons, but that might be worth looking into.
But if flying has the potential to be too hard, then it's either doing coloring books every month for a weekend (I have a feeling you would question how much the retirement is worth having to do that), or trying to affiliate with SELRES and find a billet somewhere at NI, San Diego, LA, or maybe even Fresno. They're all decent sized, so have a bunch of units. If you decide to go that route, I'd move past the CTO adventures and start with a Reserve recruiter, which can usually be found at the NOSCs or out in town.
Personally, I don't think doing correspondence courses will be sustainable for the next 8 years, but I'm sure others here will say otherwise.
If you have 12 years of active service, then you have quite a few points (probably close to 4400) so yes, leaving those points behind would be bad. I have been out of SelRes for a number of years, but the guys here can tell you which wickets you need to hit if you want to promote - which will have a substantial increase in your retirement.
As Gatordev alluded to, Correspondence Courses change over time. Sometimes the Navy giveth, sometimes the Navy taketh away.
vxc961
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Purdue, good luck, and I think you're in good shape here. Gatordev is right about letting everyone know what you want, I think yo did that.
For me, I got out with eight years active, focused on my civ career and family for two years, went SELRES...*hated* it, and then worked the IRR. I actually turned traitor to my IRR-brothers and went SELRES again (so I could transfer the GI Bill), but holy cow was the IRR better! Here is my STAGE ONE OF PURDUE's RESERVES ADVICE:
1) Download the RESPERMAN 1001.39--it will actually answer many of your questions
2a) Check out the course thread here, and pick a low-point/easy one to test out for yourself.
2b) I've lost track of what's authorized, but make sure it's "authorized" for IRR points.
2c) Do 35pts worth of courses ASAP--this will give you a "satisfactory for retirement year", and a little breathing room.
3) Do the homework suggested here to find out your anniversary year.
I had not idea what an anniversary year was, and I have two bad years...and in one of those I even did 27 points worth of courses!
Once you get your homework on your own admin done, if the IRR is right for you, I would recommend the following:
-Do 35 points (or slightly more, to be safe) of NETC courses, but don't submit until your next anniversary year--you can print these out and do them while you're flying around the country
-Call your local NOSC (LA *and* Chicago maybe?) and get put on the funeral honors detail--you'll get like a day or two of notice to do a funeral--you're actually adding something and it's really appreciated by the families, and you'll get 1 drill period pay and retirement points for it. You can always decline to do it if it's a bad time for you.
-Sign up as a Blue & Gold Officer: It will take a while to "ramp up" and get students/schools, but you basically counsel young men and women on their USNA app, and eventually interview them. You keep track of your time, and get one point for every three hours of work (no pay, but super flexible, and most can be done via phone/email).
-Eventually, you can also sign up for JPME 1 and milk the three courses for three retirement years...but I thought it was a tough way to get those points!
Good luck!
Couple of things to clarify:
You need 50 points for a "good year". You get 15 points for being alive - which means you need to do a minimum of 35 points over the year. Just this year, I had my point total capture from 4 years ago adjusted down by 1 point - no reason given - but I have point capture sheets to prove it. If you are sitting on exactly 50, you have no buffer room which is why I suggest to err on the side of caution and do an extra 10 points. In case you are wondering, the maximum amount of "inactive points" you can get in a year is 130 - to get more you have to do some type of active duty (AT, ADT, ADSW, etc).
The reserves will look at the day the course is completed, NOT when you submit it. If you complete a course in January and submit it in April, it is still counted in January.
Purdue separated in March, and I'd hazard to guess that his anniversary is in May or June, so he's already a few months into a new anniversary year with no points so far.
Purdue, if you're on the fence, at least start by getting points in the IRR through correspondence courses. You really don't want to get a bad year.
I'd definitely do a course or two so you can see what sort of time and effort they take and if it's a pain you're willing to ensure for the next eight years. I had to do a bunch of DAU courses for GS work and figured I'd send in the certs for credit. After doing the courses to get a level II cert I still didnt hit 35 points. And I had spent a decent amount of time clicking, PDF searching, and in residence at DAU. That was the start of my downhill slide from "well, I'll see if I can get the points" to "Meh, fuck it."
My transition was similar to yours but I gave up even earlier and found a unit by literally knocking on a door and asking if they needed reservists. The fact I was unemployed for two months and had plenty of time to do reserve admin stuff helped.
I'd echo what a few others said and knock out a few courses to make sure you have a good year in the IRR so you don't have to worry about it later, the Correspondence Course thread is a great resource for that stuff. I'd then take Gator's advice and once you get a little settled we can probably help you more, I am in the SELRES now and have been for 10 years so I am relatively familiar with how stuff works but others have plenty of relevant experience here too. I am in an aviation-centric and friendly unit right now that is half airline guys, several of them regional types, so I am even familiar a little with the airline/reserve balance of life.
My 2cents is that the reserves is well worth it but it is definitely an individual choice. Airline guys are usually able to make it work better than most other careers and a lot of units are familiar with the unique aspects of airline careers.
You are more than welcome to PM if you would like more info or even help finding open billets for SELRES.
I'd echo what a few others said and knock out a few courses to make sure you have a good year in the IRR so you don't have to worry about it later, the Correspondence Course thread is a great resource for that stuff. I'd then take Gator's advice and once you get a little settled we can probably help you more, I am in the SELRES now and have been for 10 years so I am relatively familiar with how stuff works but others have plenty of relevant experience here too. I am in an aviation-centric and friendly unit right now that is half airline guys, several of them regional types, so I am even familiar a little with the airline/reserve balance of life.
My 2cents is that the reserves is well worth it but it is definitely an individual choice. Airline guys are usually able to make it work better than most other careers and a lot of units are familiar with the unique aspects of airline careers.
You are more than welcome to PM if you would like more info or even help finding open billets for SELRES.
Have you considered the air guard? There is a Reaper squadron at March who is always hiring guys. That is close to LA, and will get you what you're lookin for. I am currently in the process of joining an ANG unit as I am on my way out of the Marine Corps. I can give more info about the transition if you'd like.
your mission now... is to get enough good years to get paid retirement at 60...so start doing correspondence courses or something to get points...you already have put in the active years so make it pay for you.---in the long run. just keep pounding the pavement till something pops.
good luck
yes!....you have 12 yrs active...you for sure want to get retirement....just keep pushing and nosing around to get the right deal for you...I have been retired for 10 years now, ...yes...I'm 70...and the tricare benefits are SO worth it. CYA...and get a good earned retirement..
Once you are in the IRR, is there anything that needs to be done to remain in the IRR year after year until you hit 20 years? Reason I ask is because i'm a Mustang officer and when I was prior enlisted, you literally had to sign a two-year re-enlistment contract every two years to remain in the IRR. Do we need to do anything like that as officers, or are we simply in the IRR until we effectively let the Navy know that we want to resign our commission or something to that effect?
As long as you keep earning good years (50 or more points per anniversary year), you are considered a member of the IRR in good standing. The only paperwork you have to fill out is the annual IRR screening.
If you do not get a good year (less than 50 points), expect to get a letter from the Navy IRR as a warning and to be kicked out of the IRR after the 2nd or 3rd bad year in a row.