Military reserve offering sign-in bonuses just to join the military? How legit is that promise?

My next door neighbor has just met with a Naval Reserve recruiter and was being offered a $20,000 sign-in bonus. However, she turned down the offer to join due to the fact that she had such high hopes of joining the Officer's program. Yet that was not to be the case for her. Can anyone provide me with some specific facts as to why the military recruiters are using "bribe" money?|||they need more recruits. they are willing to pay bonuses.





it is legit, but get something in writing. make sure that there are NO cases in which the bonus will be dropped. also, make sure that the bonus is now, not after your 2 to 4 years of service.|||The sign-on bonus is given for a very specific tour of duty. Usually you must enlist for a minimum of 4 years but I have seen the tour to be as long as 6 years. Due to regulations they cannot give you more then $7000 per year. So one year after completion of BCT you would recieve the first $7000. One year later another 7k and so on. Upon completion of your determined enlistment period you would recieve the remainder. This is not exactly "bribe" money. The United States military has become more and more like a business and like any business they need to attract a desired workforce. Currently, the military is seeing a dramatic decrease in educated skilled enlistments. Potential recruits are electing instead to enter directly into the civilian workforce or attend a 4 year university. The bonus is simply used as an additional incentive to encourage college bound to sign up as they would have the extra money to go with the college benefits. The money is quite legitimate. In fact the money is not just used for nonprior enlistments but also for prior service enlistments. They also want people to stay enlisted. Your friend should carefully evaluate her goals before deciding since the money should not be a motivator in any way. This is a life altering decision. She will learn skills and behaviors that are beneficial for her life. She will also acquire a self-discipline and confidence that will allow her to succeed in any endeavors she undertakes. Make sure she reads her contract thoroughly. If for any reason she fails to complete her ENTIRE enlistment period she would be required to reimburse the government for the bonus money she had already recieved. It isn't a sign-on bonus exactly. Its a sign-on and stay on for 4+ years bonus.|||They offer bonuses to encourage qualified people to enlist.





It's not a bribe, it's an incentive. Private companies do it all the time, and yet you don't criticize them for it.|||is my boss "bribing" me to go to work for him?





it is a tough job for tough people. they should be "bribed" with high pay.|||Well, let's see. Do they tell you that you may end up dead in this trumped up "war' that CheneyBush started so he could drain the national treasury and enrich himself and his political cronies to the tune of $10 Trillion Dollars. And did they tell you that your widow and/or parents and/or children will be the ones who receive the sign-in bonus. ?|||This practice has been around for awhile and it is more of an incentive than a bribe as you call it. As long as the amount promised is in the contract the recruit signs, yes, the money is legit. It is no different than civilian nurses who are offered bonus money before accepting a position as long as they fulfill particular requirements. Or being put through a police academy, all expenses paid by the police department, as long as you agree to serve on their force for a certain amount of time. Some positions are hard to fill and when that happens, incentives are created to help.|||The military pays bonuses or a college fund to people agreeing to do jobs that are under manned or for skills a person already has that they need. No different than a lot of contracts in the civilian world.





The term is called Capitalism. You have something I want, so I am going to pay you for it based on what it is worth to me.





I tend to like this system better than having a gun stuck to your head and being volunteered. It is also better than being brainwashed with fanatical religious ideals starting at a young age.......sound familiar.





I am guessing that since you used the term "bribe money" you feel the way that the US military recruits is unethical?





Well be glad you have the right to voice such an opinion, a lot of good men and women died to bring you that right. They did not do it for the money either.