We have shared with you how the Navy is constantly on the look out for potential recruits, especially among high school athletes. According to a feature, however, starting a career with the military is becoming increasingly difficult – and it is not because of boot camp.
The lack of job opportunities is reportedly encouraging more people to turn to the military, and some of those who enlist may not even get to boot camp straight away. Through the “Delayed Entry Program” some of these interested applicants may have to wait as long as a year before they are sent to boot camp, which is when the paycheck will start coming.
Naval Recruiting Executive Officer Chris Jones shares: “The overall number of people we’re trying to put in the Navy has gone down, but the challenge in recruiting now is the standards, the qualifications to get in the Navy have gone up.”
It was observed that there was a 30 to 40 percent increase in the number of applicants who are college graduates over the last year, and many of them are being placed in the delayed entry program. Jones shares further: “A lot of folks are staying in the Navy or staying in the military because of the economy. That minimizes your numbers on the front end of who you need to put in.”
There are areas in the Navy where the wait time is not that long – but these are the ones where standards are quite high: air crew, rescue swimmers, special war combat craft and Navy SEALs, as well as nuclear and medical fields.
August 3rd, 2010 - 5:39 pm
i’m pretty much interested in USN career but i’m a citizen of other country, i’m physically and psychologically fit for a training, how do i made it?
April 13th, 2011 - 10:29 am
So this article was about the Navy sails and other Naval things right? My only concern is why is the picture of the 101st Air Borne Div? That don’t make much sense to talk about the US Navy sails but the US Army as primary picture on this article.