4 vs 6 year contracts
4 vs 6 year contracts
When considering a contract in the Air Force, it's essential to understand the difference between a 4-year and 6-year commitment. Here's a breakdown to help you grasp the distinctions:
A 4-year contract means your loved one will serve in the Air Force for four years. During this period, they will undergo basic training and receive specialized training for their assigned career field. After completing their initial training, they will be stationed at a base and carry out their assigned duties. Upon fulfilling the contract, they may have the option to reenlist or pursue other opportunities outside the military.
On the other hand, a 6-year contract extends the commitment by two years. The additional years offer certain advantages, such as increased training opportunities, eligibility for certain assignments or career paths, and potentially higher enlistment bonuses. However, it's important to note that the longer commitment also means a more extended period of service.
Ultimately, the decision between a 4-year and 6-year contract depends on various factors, including personal goals, desired career progression, and individual circumstances. It's essential to discuss these considerations with your loved one and explore the potential benefits and implications of each contract length to make an informed decision that aligns with their aspirations and future plans.
When it comes to joining, deciding whether to sign a 4 or 6 year contract can be a tough decision. I’m going to share with you my personal opinions on the 4 and 6 year contract. At the end of the day, whatever your Airman decides is best for them personally, I suggest that you fully support them.
To better understand the differences between 4 and 6 year contracts, you’ll have to know what rank your Airman is starting out as.
If they don’t meet any of the following requirements that's okay! They will still be able to join as an E-1.
Your Airman will join the Air Force as an E-2 if they meet ONE of these requirements:
Has completed two or more years of Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (JROTC) and has a certificate or statement on official letterhead from a JROTC unit commander at the high school attended stating satisfactory completion.
Has completed two or more years of college Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) and has a certificate or statement on official letterhead from the professor of aerospace science (PAS) at the college attended, stating satisfactory completion.
Was awarded the Boy Scouts of America Eagle Scout Award or Girl Scouts of the USA Gold Award and presents the respective award certificate.
Was credited with over 90 days active duty service and was last separated in a pay grade of E-2 or higher.
Is a former service academy cadet with over 90 days as a cadet corps member.
Has satisfactorily completed 20 semester hours or 30 quarter hours of credit from an accredited, degree-granting institution listed in the applicable AIPE* directory for last year attended.
Your Airman will the Air Force as an E-3 if they meet ONE of these requirements:
Was credited with more than 12 months of active duty service and last separated in a pay grade of E-3 or higher
Was awarded the Billy Mitchell, Amelia Earhart, or Carl Spaatz award or has a letter from CAP/AF/TTHE, Maxwell AFB AL, certifying successful completion of award requirements
Has completed at least a 3-year JROTC program and has a certificate or statement on official letterhead from a JROTC unit commander stating satisfactory completion. (Must present the certificate or statement before the EAD)
Has satisfactorily completed 45 semester hours or 67 quarter hours of credit from an accredited, degree-granting institution listed in the applicable AIPE directory for last year attended.
Is an ARC member who qualifies and enlists for 6 years
Now that you know what rank your Airman will be joining as you're one step closer to better understanding 4 vs 6 year contracts..
To start off, I’m going to say that the 4 year is most likely the best option for most people. There are benefits to the 6 year contract, but I (Kyle Gott) personally feel that most aren’t worth the extra 2 years of being under contract. This is my personal opinion and this is more to just help you understand the differences. Ultimately it is your Airman’s choice what they want to do. I’m going to start off with the 6 year just to give it a fair chance before sharing why I think the 4 year contract is your best option.
6 year contract pros:
Potential enlistment bonuses - The Air Force likes to incentivize people into signing 6 year contracts by offering enlistment bonuses exclusively to 6 year contracts. The Air Force constantly changes what jobs have enlistment bonuses and how much those bonuses are based on the needs of the Air Force. Typically enlistment bonuses are for less desirable jobs and jobs that the Air Force is struggling to get people to join or retain current Airmen in that job.
Early promotion - There is no early promotion if they are joining as an E-3. However, if joining as an E-1 or E-2 they can earn early promotion to E-3 at completion of tech school. Their date of rank will be backdated to their BMT graduation date meaning they’ll be promoting to E-4 28 months after their BMT graduation date which would be roughly their 30 month mark in the Air Force. Those who join as E-1 or E-2 and sign a 4 year contract won’t promote to E-4 until their 36 month mark in the Air Force. What this means is if someone joins as an E-1 or E-2 and they sign a 6 year contract they’ll reach E-4 6 months sooner than if they had signed a 4 year contract.
More pay - There is no pay benefit if you are joining as an E-3. However, if they are joining as an E-1 or E-2 and sign a 6 year contract, the early promotion mentioned above will mean they also get paid more because each promotion they get they will also get a pay raise. However, if they are joining as an E-1 the additional pay they’ll receive over the first 4 years compared to someone who signed a 4 year contract is just a little over $2,000 which is just above $500 more per year. If they are joining as an E-2 the amount is even less at just over $1,500 which is around $400 more per year. However, they will be under contract 2 years longer automatically, vs someone who signs the 4 year contract can make the choice to reenlist or get out.
Less IRR obligation - The IRR is the Individual Ready Reserve which is what makes up the 8 year obligation all contracts are for. If you sign a 4 year contract you’ll serve 4 years and then have 4 years after that in the IRR. If you sign a 6 year contract you’ll serve 6 years and then have 2 years in the IRR. The IRR is simply just a recall list of military members. Instead of the United States having to have a military draft, they would simply call back everyone who is in the IRR first since they are already trained and can immediately support our military efforts. By serving a 6 year contract you limit yourself to only 2 years in the IRR. Keep in mind it’s very unlikely and rare for someone to be recalled from the IRR.
Better job opportunities after service - Having military service is very prestigious in the civilian job market regardless of serving 4 or 6 years. However, if you had completed 6 years of military service and you were going up against someone else who had completed 4 years of military service, having 6 years of service would give you an edge in the hiring process. Keep in mind that this only applies to doing one contract. If someone signed a 4 year contract and reenlisted for another 4 to do 8 years total, they would have an edge over someone who only did 6 years. If you know you aren’t going to stay in for a military retirement, doing 6 years can give you an edge in the job market over just doing 4 years.
4 year contract pros:
Shorter time under contract - The majority of people know around their 3 or 4 year mark in the military if they want to stay in or get out. If someone signs a 4 year contract and at their 3-4 year mark they realize they for sure want to get out, they will be able to transition quickly. However, if they signed a 6 year contract they would have another 2-3 years that they have to serve even though they want to be done. That can be a long time and leads people to feel trapped. If they decide they do want to stay in at their 3-4 year mark, they can always reenlist and stay in. In my opinion, this gives them much more options and freedom. If they do want to, they can reenlist, if they don’t like it, they’re not stuck for several more years under contract. add that in with only about 18% of people who join actually do a full 20 years for retirement and it shows that most people realize at some point that the military isn’t for them long term.
Earlier reenlistment bonuses - The Air Force unfortunately doesn’t give a whole lot of initial enlistment bonuses and when they do they aren’t a lot of money unless they are special operations. The Air Force is more willing to throw money at those who are already trained and to incentivize them to stay in with reenlistment bonuses. There are typically more jobs that are offered reenlistment bonuses than initial enlistment bonuses and they can range from $4,000-$20,000+ for a 4 year reenlistment. By signing a 4 year contract, if your job does offer reenlistment bonuses you’ll be able to get that money 2 years sooner than someone who signed a 6 year contract.
Final verdict
Although the 6 year contract has more “pros” than the 4 year contract, I feel that the 4 year is still the best option for most people. Especially if they’re joining as an E-3 initially. If they’re joining as an E-2 initially, the benefits improve slightly for the 6 year contract and if you join as an E-1 that’s where the 6 year contract offers the most benefit. However, even with having more benefits for joining as an E-1 or E-2 I would highly suggest a 4 year contract for the most valuable pro of having a shorter time under contract and gives more control to their future. Having the peace of mind that if they realize after 2 years that they want to get out that they only have 2 years left instead of 4 is better for your mental health. If they decide after 2 years that they want to stay in, during their 3rd year they can sign reenlistment papers and extend your service. There is no correlation between signing a 4 and 6 year contract and career success or retiring. Someone is just as likely to do 20+ years of service signing a 4 or 6 year contract. Signing a 4 or 6 year contract also doesn’t effect base selection or achievements. All the pros for both 4 and 6 year contracts are nice, but in my opinion, the only one that truly matters is the one that gives them the most options, and that is signing a 4 year contract. Even the slight edge of doing 6 years gives them with getting a job after they get out, they still will be a top prospect for jobs doing just 4 years.
At the end of the day however, your Airman needs to do whatever they feel is right for them and their future. Sometimes, it comes down to what helps them sleep best at night. Even if a 4 year contract seems better, if they want to do a 6 year contract and that’s what makes them happy, then that’s what’s best for them.
