Officer Pay Confusion, please clarify

[Huxley88]

Im planning on joining the reserves while Im in University next year being there from ages 21-25 until I get my Bachelors Degree. After that Im considering joining the Canadian Forces as an officer but I am very confused about something.

It's the pay, I see here that your only payed 42k a year and you have to wait 5 years to be paid 66k a year. I can make 40k a year in Customs so why would I consider the Military? http://www.forces.ca/v3/engraph/resources/payandbenefits_en.aspx?bhcp=1

Then I click on a Adobe link and I added up the Officers pay for Second Lieutenant and it was about 55-60k for 2007. I don't get it which is it?

http://www.forces.gc.ca/dgcb/dppd/engraph/dppd_coverpage_e.asp?sidesection=3&sidecat=28&docid=1

I know it's not all about the money but if I can make 40k a year in Customs then why would I consider Military Service? 

 

[armyvern]

Im planning on joining the reserves while Im in University next year being there from ages 21-25 until I get my Bachelors Degree. After that Im considering joining the Canadian Forces as an officer but I am very confused about something.

It's the pay, I see here that your only payed 42k a year and you have to wait 5 years to be paid 66k a year. I can make 40k a year in Customs so why would I consider the Military? http://www.forces.ca/v3/engraph/resources/payandbenefits_en.aspx?bhcp=1

Then I click on the Adobe link and I added up the Officers pay for Second Lieutenant and it was about 55-60k for 2007. I don't get it which is it?

I know it's not all about the money but if I can make 40k a year in Customs then why would I consider Military Service? 

Does customs pay your tuition fees?

The first 4 years of most Officer's careers are spent while in University. They are getting paid the lowest level the first year and for 3 years afterwards you see the pay level go up ... to go to school - while the CF is covering the costs of their tuition/books etc. Certainly seems like a pretty good deal to me.

 

[VM]

yea customs may pay more. RCMP pays more as well. You join the military cause you want to be in the military. If you want to be in customs just as much as the military than it will be all about the money. Otherwise, it certianly isn't.

As a side note, 42k a year and up to 66k after 5 years is pretty darn good. And thats not even mentioning the great benefits (like paying for your schooling)

 

[Huxley88]

Ya but Im planning to go into University first and the Direct Officer entry thing while remaining in reserves. Im just really confused, if you see the pay for second Lieutenant for April 2007 its about 55-60k a year and Canadian Forces has 42k to start out? My parents are paying for half my university anyway!


http://www.forces.gc.ca/dgcb/dppd/engraph/dppd_coverpage_e.asp?sidesection=3&sidecat=28&docid=1  What is it 55k or 42k? I heard the 42k figure is only a broad outlook.

 

[SupersonicMax]

ROTP 2Lt:  Around 49K a year.
DEO:  I would expect a little lower, not quite sure.

Max

 

[Huxley88]

I see, but what If I decided to join as an officer in Reserves after I get a degree and lets say in 2 more years I become a Captain would I be able to transfer to Reg force? I don't understand why you would need to wait 5 years until your paid more than 42k, I thought your pay was based on rank! Im not a greedy person it's just I feel at least 50k should be a starting range for officer since the military is a big commitment.

 

[blacktriangle]

Hi I'm a Private. I make even less then what you would as an officer, and do so quite happily. I could easily be earning more right now, but I do my job because I like it. I don't know what your situation is, but if money is the only thing you care about, please do not lead me into battle.

Thanks.

 

[Welshy]

As a direct entry officer like you said you would be at Pay Level C, which is 3468$ a month for a 2LT. You could join under ROTP, get paid to go to school and have your school paid for and come out with a pay level of 48,000$ a year base salary.

Also I am pretty sure that you cannot join the reserves as an officer before you even have the degree, you would still have to be an officer cadet until the completion of that degree and your pay would be based on the number of days served a month.

Do some searches of the site and learn the difference between reserve and reg force, it will help you make a decision. Also talk to a recruiter about it, it is there job to set you on the right path.

 

[SupersonicMax]

I see, but what If I decided to join as an officer in Reserves after I get a degree and lets say in 2 more years I become a Captain would I be able to transfer to Reg force? I don't understand why you would need to wait 5 years until your paid more than 42k, I thought your pay was based on rank! Im not a greedy person it's just I feel at least 50k should be a starting range for officer since the military is a big commitment.

Don't know how CT pay works, but normally for a DEO, you will do 1 year as a 2Lt, 2 years as a Lt and then you get promoted to Capt.  Pays goes up accordingly.

Max

 

[Redeye]

As a direct entry officer like you said you would be at Pay Level C, which is 3468$ a month for a 2LT. You could join under ROTP, get paid to go to school and have your school paid for and come out with a pay level of 48,000$ a year base salary.

Also I am pretty sure that you cannot join the reserves as an officer before you even have the degree, you would still have to be an officer cadet until the completion of that degree and your pay would be based on the number of days served a month.

Do some searches of the site and learn the difference between reserve and reg force, it will help you make a decision. Also talk to a recruiter about it, it is there job to set you on the right path.

Not quite, in the Reserve you would be an Officer Cadet until you pass Common Army Phase at which point you're promoted to 2Lt, you then get promoted to Lt on completing DP1 in whatever trade you're in.  Three years from that you can be promoted to Captain.

To echo the original posters, it's not about the money.  If it's only about money to you then go to Customs or the RCMP or wherever else.

 

[Welshy]

Thanks for that clarification. You learn something every day.

 

[George Wallace]

Of course you are confused.  You should visit the CFRC and talk to someone and get "real time" answers.  You have confused Regular Force Pay and Reserve Force Pay.  You have confused Pay Scales for the different Officer Entry Plans.  You have confused the amount of time it takes to progress through those Pay Incentives, and through the ranks.  You have confused too many things here, and each post added to this topic only adds to the confusion, unless something is done to clarify it.

First off.  As a Reserve Officer going to University, you will not be earning anything near $40K a year.  You will be entitled to claim up to $2K per year after successfully completing your courses.  You may earn in the neighbourhood of $12K if you spend the summer as a Reservist.

If you go to http://forums.army.ca/forums/threads/48593/post-424713.html#msg424713 you will find at the bottom, a table that explains the Letter Code in the various Reg Force Officer Pay Scales. 

 

[Huxley88]

Ill consider the Military in life, I should focus on getting into University next year if all goes well Ill have my Bachelors by the time Im 25. I do have an issue though, I have a "learning disability", no it doesn't mean Im stupid or anything I just learn differently than other people. Albert Einstein had one as did Thomas Edison and they where both smart enough. I don't have ADD,ADHD or Dyslexia I think it's just a minor one. In school the only accommodations I get is extra time on tests if I really need it. This is why I want to go into university first, since if I really do need extra time on a exam then Ill get it. I was told by the military that they don't care if you have a learning disability. Isn't going to university instead of going to RMC just as effective? I mean wouldn't you be the same age upon finishing and becoming and officer?

Im just the type of guy who takes long to make the big decisions in life. Im just unsure of what I really want to do. Im attracted to the military because they do pay for all your education but Im just worried they won't give me extra time on tests because I need it sometimes.

 

[Welshy]

RMC is not the only choice in the ROTP program. Myself an many others on this board have attended civilian university. During the year you are student just like everyone else and in the summers you do your training. The accommodations at school has no bearing on whether you are military or not, it is simply between you and the institution. Like mention before, go to a recruiting center where someone can talk to you face to face and explain everything about the different entry plans and potential paths.

 

[HCA123]

I pretty much did what you want to do - was a reservist during university and then DEO'd after I was done university. Here are some of the factors to think about before you get wrapped around the axel about starting at the roughly $42K DEO base salary (factors that made my salary a bit more than my fellow DEO's who were 'off the street'):

- Rank upon transfer from the reserves to the reg force (I started out at a higher IPC due to my previous experience/rank); and
- what degree you have (I was given extra IPC's because of the degree(s) I had)

If money is a big deciding factor, than I'll tell you that when I DEO'd I started out making $50K+. Realize that every case is different and the recruiting gods will treat each file individually... because they are different... different ranks upon transfer, different # of yrs in, different trades, different degrees, etc, etc. The reality of it is, as a starting salary - it's pretty good if you are just entering the work force as an entry level manager and I highly doubt there are many jobs out there spell out how your salary will be increasing every year for at least 13 years (3-4yrs in the 2Lt/Lt world and then 10 pay levels available at the Capt level).

As you'll hear many say on this forum - it's not about the money if you are joining the CF. What I can say from personal experience is that the job comes first (it has to) and the money falls somewhere in the list after that. I can't complain about either because I enjoy my job and I live quite comfortably on the salary I receive. I'm not saying that all you are thinking about is $$$ - however if you try and put the money first (ahead of the job you may decide to do), then you'll feel cheated about all the extra hours you work that you don't get paid for. This isn't a 9-5 job that pays overtime. Sometimes you'll have 30hrs weeks, sometimes you'll have 85+hrs weeks... still get the same monthly salary and for many of us, we still get the same job satisfaction out of either type of week.

 

[SupersonicMax]

If all that interest you in the military is the money , I really suggest you look for an other line of employment, you'll you make your life miserable.

Max

 

[Huxley88]

It's not, It's just waiting for 4 years until your paid more...NCM's do it to seems like a drag to me when I can make that much in Customs.

 

[Eye In The Sky]

I have friends that make 66+ a year.

They have never

- jumped from a plane with army kit hanging off them.
- took part in or run a live grenade range.
- had the honour of being green, tired and dirty on a FTX July 1st and spent Canada Day really celebrating this great country.
- been privileged to be given the opportunity to train, lead and mold some of Canada's sharpest young minds; our new recruits and soldiers.
- had the same feeling I have when O Canada is played at a Halifax Mooseheads game
- looked at a vet on Rememberance Day and had a smick about what those gents went thru based on my own little experiences of being tired/hot/cold/hungry etc.

There is so much more to serving than the $.  I've been in 19 years next month, have never been paid 66k during any of those years and I would not trade them for a 6 digit suit and tie job.  And now, in my 19th year, the CF has given me another opportunity to do something different again.  There's No Life Like It!  

 

[Loachman]

If all that you are interested in is money, this is not the career for you, and you are not the person for us.

Forget about the money. Go to a recruiting centre and see if you are interested in who we are, what we do, and why we do it instead. Make your decision based upon that.

 

[PPCLI Guy]

since if I really do need extra time on a exam then Ill get it. I Im attracted to the military because they do pay for all your education but Im just worried they won't give me extra time on tests because I need it sometimes.

I will try to be delicate............which is, admittedly, not my long suit.

If you need extra time to make decisions, then perhaps being an officer is not for you.