Posted on Apr 8, 2019
Is there a certain amount of time you must spend at a duty station before being sent to any schools?
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For instance, if someone were to send up a reclass packet, but had to PCS after getting an acceptance letter or before receiving an acceptance letter, would that person not be allowed to secure a school date before spending a certain amount of time at their new duty station?
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 5
It depends on the duty station, Command Sponsorship, and myriad other factors. Each is going to be a case by case, basis. Talk to your Career Counselor, Branch Manager, and CoC. Between the three the specifics for your case can be worked out.
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SSG(P) (Join to see)
Thank you for the speedy answer! Just curious, have you ever known someone to go off to school a very short time after PCSing?
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SFC (Join to see)
Normally at a minimum you have to spend 12 months at a location because transportation will not pay for another move less than a year on station. As far as the reclass, you would have to talk to retention as mentioned in the previous comments to see if you’re eligible to reclass. With a reclass, you’ll receive an approval or disapproval and if it’s a PCS enroute you’ll be notified with assignment instructions. If it’s a school date, return to unit and clear, you’ll still receive assignment instructions, it’ll just mean you have to go back to your previous unit to out process. The only time I’ve ever seen it done (3 times) is if it is a shortage in the MOS you’re trying to reclass into, however, the Soldier couldn’t leave until they were 12 months on station so that transportation will pay for their move. I hope this helps. SSG(P) (Join to see)
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SFC Casey O'Mally
It is exceptionally rare. Most of the time, reclassification happens as part of a re-enlistment (this is not required, but it is the common method). Very few people re-enlist AFTER their PCS. And even then, school slots take a while - I had to wait 8 months for my first AIT and over a year for my second AIT.
It CAN happen, but it is more of a "stars aligned" occurrence than anything else.
Now... a NON-re-class school... TDY and return type (or even on post)... THOSE have been known to happen on sign in to the unit. "Hey, wlecome to F Troop. I know it is Friday afternoon, and you literally just signed in to BN, but don't unpack. You start Basket Weaving Instructor's Course on Monday."
It CAN happen, but it is more of a "stars aligned" occurrence than anything else.
Now... a NON-re-class school... TDY and return type (or even on post)... THOSE have been known to happen on sign in to the unit. "Hey, wlecome to F Troop. I know it is Friday afternoon, and you literally just signed in to BN, but don't unpack. You start Basket Weaving Instructor's Course on Monday."
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It's one year on station, as per AR 614-200. That's for reclass, or for big army funding training in a TDY enroute status. For instance, if you were a medic requesting flight medic training, or a mechanic asking for ASI H8, or going to Airborne school.
If your unit wants to send you and pay for the training, to a training they are authorized to send you to, they can send you whenever they choose. It would have to be something they are authorized to send you to. A non-airborne unit couldn't send you to airborne school. But, you could go to air assault school, bus driver, or battle staff at any point.
If you received an acceptance letter to an MOS prior to PCS it will usually be outdated by the time you are eligible to request reclass and will need to be accepted into that MOS again.
If your unit wants to send you and pay for the training, to a training they are authorized to send you to, they can send you whenever they choose. It would have to be something they are authorized to send you to. A non-airborne unit couldn't send you to airborne school. But, you could go to air assault school, bus driver, or battle staff at any point.
If you received an acceptance letter to an MOS prior to PCS it will usually be outdated by the time you are eligible to request reclass and will need to be accepted into that MOS again.
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SSG(P) (Join to see)
Ah, thank you for the reference! So has there ever been a unit that was allowed to send you to AIT for reclassification, or is that just far-fetched?...
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SFC (Join to see)
SSG(P) (Join to see) if the unit is willing to pay for it, then they will send you. But, you still need to have one year on station, and it must meet the needs of the army to keep you at that station. Ranger regiment sometimes will reclass people because it's easier to reclass an infantryman then it is to get a support skill to pass rasp
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SSG(P) (Join to see)
SFC (Join to see) alright, sounds like that answers everything. Just for transparency, this is a reclass to 25D that I'm referring to here. If I'm processing this info correctly, then even if they do send me to reclass, then upon graduation, I would have to serve AT LEAST the remainder of my year's worth of time at my new duty station before every being eligible to go anywhere else. Did I get that right?...
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SFC (Join to see)
SSG(P) (Join to see) no, I don't think I explained it clearly.
You get accepted for for 25D with a letter from the proponent, but that's not a Reclass, that's a memo stating you meet the requirements for the MOS.
You take that memo to the Career Counselor who processes your Reclass. They can't process the Reclass till you have one year on station. You get the class seat and PCS to the AIT because it's over 20 weeks. Prior to that you reenlist to meet the SRR of 36 months after graduation for that MOS.
If the MOS were tdy enroute your unit could request to pay for the training if a valid requisition was available for the MOS.
You get accepted for for 25D with a letter from the proponent, but that's not a Reclass, that's a memo stating you meet the requirements for the MOS.
You take that memo to the Career Counselor who processes your Reclass. They can't process the Reclass till you have one year on station. You get the class seat and PCS to the AIT because it's over 20 weeks. Prior to that you reenlist to meet the SRR of 36 months after graduation for that MOS.
If the MOS were tdy enroute your unit could request to pay for the training if a valid requisition was available for the MOS.
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That is really not something that is easy to answer. As SFC Casey O'Mally said. You could for instance land on a post that has an Air Assault school, such as was the case at Ft Belvoir VA. Units that were stationed at Ft Belvoir had a number of slots, to keep those slots, the units had to send soldiers to the school. I was on station there less than 2 months, was awaiting my clearance paperwork to finalize when I was tapped to attend. I have heard similar stories with units stationed at posts that were predominantly hope to Airborne Units.
It will really depend on the unit, the needs and the school.
It will really depend on the unit, the needs and the school.
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