Pay: Statements, Backpay, Benefits, Deductions (Taxes, T4), Deployed ect... [MERGED]

[humint]

I‘m curious, if I go into the Reg Force as an officer DEO (say, into the infrantry or as an arty), what sort of pay could I expect? Any ideas? How quickly does one work up the pay scale and how does it work? I‘m checking out the info on the d-net site, but is this really in line with reality? I‘ve read a few recent articles on how the forces will be losing officers because it can‘t keep up with the private sector and was wondering if it is as bad as the media makes it out to be?

 

[Zoomie]

Just to give you some sort of comparison, I am a 3 year 2Lt (Airforce training is LONG) with a 4 year Degree. All the magic works out that I get approx $42K/year before taxes. That is what you can expect while on training (probably a little less) until you are MOC qualified. Then it goes higher.

 

[humint]

Thanks, that helps.

It looks like a newby officer is equal in pay to the fed gov public service classification of PM2. To be honest, I would have expected the pay to be slighty higher given that many new officers have a university degree and other experience (if they are DEO), etc.

Am I right to assume that increases in pay happen fairly frequently and that, once you are more experienced and have taken courses, etc., you make a more modest wage?

I also see that the military is offering signing bonuses to certain types of professions or backgrounds. I am curious, why don‘t they attract and maintain their officers by paying them more rather than using signing bonuses alone?

It seems that the wages are a little out of whack with the rest of society, even low-level fed public service positions are making more.

 

[portcullisguy]

I am a PM-02 in the federal gov‘t and I make $48k per year, so I disagree with the statement that a 2Lt makes about the same as me. But then again, perhaps I am thinking of reservist salaries...

 

[humint]

I think PM-2 starts around 43. At least this is what the PSC website says. If you‘ve been with the feds for a while, I think you get paid more within that pm grouping. But hey, I was only taking a guess.

The problem is still this: the men and women of the CDN forces are well trained and put their life on the line (or are at least expected to) and their wages are still pretty low in comparison to other gov jobs. This is, of course, a wild blanket statement, but I think that, in general, it holds up.

But, does anyone else have any input? What sort of wage would a reg force junior officer make? How about a Cpt?

 

[Zoomie]

Reg force GSO Captain will start at around $57-60K, maxes out in the high 70‘s

 

[Ralph]

At the DND website, it gives the current payscale. For 2Lt and Lt, you follow your years in along, but there‘s also another column with "C" "D" "E" and "F". At Capt., it‘s just years in. What do those letters stand for? The number of courses you‘ve taken?
Cheers,
Ralph.

 

[Jug]

The A, B, C and D stand for the number of years of education that you have going in. The numbers on the top is number of years of work experience.

 

[Ralph]

Gotcha. So is it that an old-school officer without a university degree would be a C, and one with a four-year degree would be an F? Or is the F for a med school grad?
Cheers,
Ralph.

 

[humint]

I see that D-net has updated its pay scale charts -- which makes them a bit easier to read than before.

However, looking at the charts, it appears as though the letters on the left-hand side are related to the type of entry plan (at least in so far as officers are concerned) -- such as DEO, a commission from the ranks, other former service, ROTP, etc. The chart is here: http://www.forces.gc.ca/hr/dppd/pay/engraph/OfficerRegFPayRate_e.asp

However, on another page, the pay categories are divided into c, d, e, & f -- I have no idea what these categories are. This is the chart for a GSO 2Lt. http://www.forces.gc.ca/hr/dppd/pay/engraph/204.2114_e.asp?period=C&key=ALL

 

[Jug]

So for me for example, I have and Electrical Eng degree, 4 yr program with 5 years of private sector experience...so that would put me at F3 presumably as 2ndLt...if they translate 1 for 1.

Also, I think a board looks at all of this and determines where you fit. So there is some room for interpretation in there.

 

[humint]

To be honest, I have no idea how it works.

I sent off an email to the D-net site looking for more info it -- specifically asking if the level of education has an impact on pay.

I‘m in the same boat as you, I‘m finishing my PhD, and also have a few years professional experience, and am wondering whether a grad degree will get me more or the same $ as someone with a BA who is doing DEO. I‘ll let you know what happens.

 

[Jug]

Please do let me know. I‘m expecting around 50K when I start the "real" work, i.e. I‘m done my official training and such. I‘ve been told that this is realistic if not conservative.

I‘ve also been told that it will climb quite quickly given my degree and experience...so you shouldn‘t be much different.

I for one am willing to take this given the current high-tech environment right now.

 

[humint]

I talked to a recruiter the other day on higher pay, etc, for those with certain degrees or advanced degrees. Basically, he said that everyone receives the same pay, regardless if you have a BSc, BAH, MA, MBA, or PhD.

Not sure why.

He also said that the real difference is that those with a higher degree will advance more quickly up the officer chain.

The other difference is that new recruits with a BSc or Eng degree are receiving signing bonuses up to $40,000, whereas those, like me, with a degree in Behavioural Psyc, etc., (i.e. the humanities or social sciences) don‘t get a thing.

A pitty, I think, because the time and effort one has to put-in to get a degree is equal, but the business world or the bean-counters (who knows??) just don‘t see it that way. My complaint is that those in behavioural science, military history studies, communications, or political studies are just as *specialised* as others. The recruiter‘s defence is that they can‘t *or don‘t want to* retrain people to be engineers -- that they are **specialists**.

In response, I say that you can‘t get a P.Eng to do human intel or psy-ops without re-training him or her in the field, that those with a background in psyc have an immediate advantage.

Oh well, I‘m sure my complaints will fall on deaf ears.

All that said, I don‘t think that you should expect higher pay for having a certain degree or previous business experience. You will, however, get the signing bonus and will advance more quickly. It should also be pointed out that the recruiter may be wrong. I suggest that you call the recruiting centre to get some hard facts.

 

[Jug]

interesting...

I guess everybody starts out the same but everyone moves up at different rates depending on the needs of the forces at the time.

Well...I understand your complaint and it is valid. I guess it comes down to demand. They are currently dying for engineers from what I hear...I guess its just what they need right now. Hence the bonus and the career acceleration of those in my field.

 

[Zoomie]

Just to clarify your point there.... The signing bonus‘ are going to Engineers who join up to be Engineers. Some shmoe with a BEng that wants to be a pilot is not going to get a signing bonus.
If you have a Masters in anything, you will end up getting more per month than someone with just a Bachelors. Those recruiting REMFS are not the know-all when it comes to pay, Next time, go up to one of the Corporals or Master Corporals that are clerks at the CFRC, they can give you the correct response.

 

[Jug]

It doesn‘t really matter if you ask them, because its not them who makes the decision anyway.

In the end, you could be making more or less than what you expected because of the "behind the scenes" process that determines your pay.

The payscale is probably just a guidline like any other company...and some liberties are probably taken given individual skill-sets.

 

[humint]

I actually discussed the situation with a Sgt, and he basically said that there wasn‘t increased pay for level of education (i.e. a person with an MA or PhD would receive the same as a BA).

To be honest, I think he‘s wrong; which is not new since he‘s given me some very OFF information on a number of things over the past few months.

But, I don‘t know for sure as I am a newby at this whole thing. I‘ll ask the Lt or Capt the next time I‘m in the CFRC and will get the low-down on the whole thing.

 

[para_cadet]

My dad has always told me that if you really want to be an officer the money isn‘t what matters.

 

[combat_medic]

If you‘re joining the military in general, then money probably isn‘t your primary concern anyway. Also, as a corporal, I‘m making more money than a 2Lt