AF FF What should I ask for?

[hornedfrog2000]

My name is James, and I am fairly sure I will be joining the AF. I am just really concerned about being sucked into something I will regret. I will have my AA degree this Christmas, and that includes FF1, and my EMT-B certs. I was wondering if they would pay for my college that I already have taken, if so how much of it? Kind of vague I know, but I have searched quite a bit about this, and haven't come up with much. Any information is appreciated. Thanks, James.

[THEFIRENUT]

Sorry, but I believe that you are stuck with the bill. The military will not pay for schools that you have already attended. The GI Bill will help pay for future schools once you are in. Good luck and stay safe.

[emsff32515]

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[USAFSSGT]

I dont know about repaying your loans. But I would guess that your education will get you some rank out of basic, E-2/E-3 maybe. But I will tell you that the Air Force will offer the best quality of life for you and your family. Just my .02$

[trent43]

A buddy of mine did get his loans paid. He did not get the GI bill though. He got loan reimbursement instead. It does not pay off as much as the GI bill would give you. Not even close, but it may be better than nothing.

[hornedfrog2000]

I know they will pay for some of it sometimes, but I don't really feel ready quite yet to go in and talk to a recruiter. Thanks for the info.

[emsff32515]

You may be able to find some stuff online too -

Good luck to you

[ColdFireJT]

When you sign a 4 or 6 year contract you're offered one of two options: you can either accept the M.G.I. Bill, which means you'll pay $100 a month for your first year in and then collect up to $37,000 for up to 10 years after you get out... OR... you can coose to take a lump sum $10,000 college loan repayment. I would reccomend the G.I. Bill, especially if you dont have a Bachelor's degree yet. You might not want one now, but who's to say what will happen in the future. If you're really concerned about your student loans (maybe you got a screwed on the interest rate like I did..), you can always refinance with a VA loan once you're on active duty. Good luck!

[hornedfrog2000]

When you sign a 4 or 6 year contract you're offered one of two options: you can either accept the M.G.I. Bill, which means you'll pay $100 a month for your first year in and then collect up to $37,000 for up to 10 years after you get out... OR... you can coose to take a lump sum $10,000 college loan repayment. I would reccomend the G.I. Bill, especially if you dont have a Bachelor's degree yet. You might not want one now, but who's to say what will happen in the future. If you're really concerned about your student loans (maybe you got a screwed on the interest rate like I did..), you can always refinance with a VA loan once you're on active duty. Good luck!

Thanks for the info. What do you mean collect 37,000 after service? Is this only for college, or do you get this money no matter what? If I just get this money I could repay it on that. Thanks again.

[ColdFireJT]

Yeah, the $37k is the actual Montgomery G.I. Bill. You serve for 3 years, and you can start collecting on it. That means that as long as you're enrolled in a class of some kind, you get X amount of money per month. You can use the program for up to 10 years after you get out of the military, but the total amount you receive cannot exceed the $37k limit. So yeah, it's only supposed to be for college.

The choice is yours as far as which program you choose to accept. Like I said, I reccomend the M.G.I. Bill, but also keep in mind that the USAF is currently not offering enlistment bonuses to new firefighters (at least not on active duty). Sit down with your recruiter and make sure he gives you all the info on both programs. And again, good luck!

[RWood357]

I just got a $15K dollar bonus for going into Fire Protection in the Air Guard. It is difficult to find a unit with openings on the goang.com website. If you click careers/alabama/birmingham/fire protection then on the left there are is a huge list of other units that have openings in fire protection. That is the only way I can see them. Maybe my browser is messed up.

Good Luck.