Can someone be forced into becoming a Drill Instructor? If so, how do you avoid it?

Mikitary service is based on selfless service. Assignments are determined by need and qualifications along with potential. The avaerange NCO wants to be a drill sergeant. Only so many are selected a year, there are usually enough volunteers, when there are not they are selected by the branch. All NCOs need to take on a developmental assignment, this usually occurs twice ina career.

If you are in the military looking to get but not give you are in the wrong place, sacrifice is inevitable. You should take on any challenge and be determined to excel in any position. Excellence brings with it a feeling of accomplishment and pride. Sokdiers in a platoon at training respond to strong forthright keadership from men and women who exude confidence and competence. The reward is in seeing young people of the street develop into a foundational member of the nations largest team. They graduate and go to there units ready to face the unknown. They are a lie to do that because of the NCOs who shape them. I can’t name most of whom with which I served save those that you share a special bond with, I can still name my DIs. Man up and get ready, the military can be a great ride, but only for those who are in it for the right reasons.

SPC July Macias, every assignment has its good and bad. The thing is what you make it. Being a DS was one of the most rewarding things I’ve done. Seeing those new Soldiers I created graduate, knowing I had given them all the tools they would need to fight and win in Combat.
The days are long and the work is hard. But if we want good Soldiers to take our place when we leave, they need an excellent foundation. Creating that foundation is the Drill Sergeant’s job.

It's not called "forced." It's called DA Select. As for the Reserves and Guard, I do not believe there are any Guard Drill Sergeant units....but I could be wrong. There are Reserve Drill Sergeant units. Most folks will transfer in IOT promote. Others will get transferred in because of promotions. In those Reserve units, you will get spun up and trained up before you would even see Drill Sergeant Academy. If you don't mesh up, you'll probably get transferred out.

How to avoid it? You decline continuing
serving this nation. It’s a privilege!

I was not forced into being Drill Instructor instead the Army told me (military equivalent cut orders )that upon my return from Vietnam back in 1967 I was to become an instructor at Ft.Polk La. AIT patrolling range for the next Fourteen months,taught me great lessons and gave me the self confidence to address large and small groups and certainly overcame my fear of public speaking, all in all the needs of the Army were a benefit to this old grunt

Be honored you were selected, and bloom where you're planted.

There are always jobs that need to be filled to keep a Service going but they get inadequate volunteers. The personnel people then must assign nonvolunteers to those jobs. For Air Force officers the hard to fill jobs were often remote unaccompanied assignments. The personnel folks could use these jobs to force separations or retirements to thin the force when the end strength numbers had to be met. Here’s some ideas for avoiding an assignment.
-separate or retire if able
-volunteer for an even more difficult to fill job
-re-enlist for a hard to fill MOS or location
-get a GO to step in to extend your current assignment or otherwise influence the personnel people.

BTW you might be able to leverage volunteering for a DI job into picking the location to one you’d like.

The Marine Corps has something similar with the Special Duty Assignment Screening Team. They basically do an annual road show throughout the Corps screening eligible candidates for the SDA fields needing bodies. It originated as an effort to screen for future Recruiters but it evolved into a screening process for all SDA's.

The moral of the story is that one needs to be proactive in their career instead of reactive. If you wait for the Military to decide where you go next you may just end up on a Special Assignment you didn't want.

Good Ole DA selected. You have been selected as the needs of the army. Congratulations.

I would say it truly depends on who you speak to. There are some who say the hours are long but the stories and the reward were high. I haven't met a former DS who regretted being one. To be honest, that is the one regret that I have in my career; not following through and going Drill Sergeant. I submitted a request when I was a Staff Sergeant on active duty, but I tore my meniscus during sports pt, pulled my packet and continued to put it off. If you're a DA select, well guess what DA, can find you EVERYWHERE! The key to making it in the military is being willing to do things others are not and exposing yourself to things outside your comfort zone. DS's are respected. If you see an NCO or officer with a DS badge your expectations rise and you have an innate sense that this individual can handle what's thrown at them. Is that always true? No, but don't look at how difficult it is to be a DS, look forward to the reward after being one. I wish I went through with it when I had the opportunity after my initial injury.