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MOS Contracts

With few exceptions, the Marines don't guarantee an MOS

When you sign your enlistment contract, you can select a particular occupational field such as Infantry or Engineering.

In some unique cases, you can sign for an MOS such as Enlisted Musician or Reconnaissance Marine.

If you don't sign for an occupational field or MOS, you'll go open contract.  This means you can be selected for any MOS in the Marine Corps that you have qualified for.

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How Do I Select an MOS?

Candidates for enlistment will first have to choose which Enlistment Contract they sign before being assigned an MOS by the Marine Corps. The contract they sign will play the most important role towards ensuring getting an MOS (essentially a career specialty) you want. Each contract has either one or many MOS's under it.

 

Contracts available to a prospect will be based on their ASVAB scores and the Needs of the Marine Corps.

Marine Corps manpower planners look at forecasts of future force numbers and decide how many of each contract will be required in a given fiscal year - hence Needs of the Marine Corps.

Needs are based on the size of an MOS field. Some MOS's such as infantry are large in contrast to the small musician field.

   Candidates have very little, if any influence on this factor, but the Recruiter will provide the candidate with a list of options which they qualify for based on their ASVAB scores and what the Corps has available at that time. 

What is an Open Contract?

A poolee or recruit who holds an open contract can be considered a gambler putting everything on a roll of the dice. They can be assigned any MOS for which they are eligible for.  

 

Candidates for enlistment who choose this route often seek to ship to Recruit Training at the earliest opportunity, so they will not have an MOS prior to shipping boot camp. 

 

Though the individual's ASVAB score will still weigh into the selection, the ultimate decision for an MOS will be completely at the discretion of the Marine Corps' needs as we discussed before. 

 

In this case however, an Open Contact individual will not know their MOS until late in Recruit Training. 

 

They will not receive a list of options to choose from, but instead they will only receive a notification from their training staff what their occupation will be. 

 

Contract MOS Options

Click on a Contract to See What MOS's You Can Be Assigned

  • Can you call home from Recruit Training?
    Recruits are guranteed only one call home. This call takes place during Receiving, and it is intended purely to ensure the recruit's family they have arrived safely on the Depot. Additional calls after are rare, but not unheard of. On occasion training staff may allow a recruit a call home, either as motivation or as a reward for exemplary performance. In some platoons, an SDI may see a recruit struggling and allow a recruit to call their recruiter to receive a little push. In other, an SDI may allow the high PFT or high shooter from the range a call home. In some other situations, if a recruit has a severe issue at home which has arisen, company staff may permit a recruit to handle that business such as with a family member or bank.
  • What is the hardest part of Recruit Training?
    This will be different for every Recruit. Some will struggle with PT while others will struggle with academics. Certain Recruits might face difficulties with Swim Week as others will find Marksmanship training to be problematic. No matter your strengths or weaknesses, the best things to do are to pay attention to your DIs and other instructors, practice when you are provided time to remediate, and last, Never Quit!
  • What happens if you get hurt at Recruit Training?
    This is a question begets an answer which is multilayered. In all cases, Marines and Medical staff at each Depot will do their best to keep every recruit in training so they may earn the title of Marine. The decision to continue or drop a recruit folllowing injury depends on the severity of the injury, the individual recruit's medical history, and when in the training cycle the injury occurs. For example, an ankle sprain during Range Week may be allowed light duty and some time to heal, but the same injury the day before the Crucible may proclude a recruit from beginning the event. If a recruit is found unfit to continue training, he or she will find themselves in Support Battalion, and they will no longer continue to matriculate through training with their orginal platoon. Males will be assigned to Medical Rehabilitation Platoon (MRP) and female recruits are assigned to Female Rehabiltation Platoon (FRP). When a recruit is with FRP or MRP, their time will be dedicated to rehabilitation. Doctors appointmenrs, physical therapy, and plain old rest will fill the majority of their days. Recruits will still be responsible to conduct themselves in a professional manner as future Marines, but many of the stressors involved during training will not be present.
  • Do we get shots at Recruit Training?
    Yes, every recruit will recieve a number of immunizations dependant on their medical history. Recruits will have up to three rounds of immunizations given by Navy medical staff aboard the Depot.
  • What is dental like at Recruit Training?
    Every recruit will have a screening completed during their receiving process. Based on findings from this initial appoinment, Navy and civilian dental professionals may conduct fillings, caps, wisdom teeth removal, or other procedures as required. Recruits will be allowed time to recuperate from any procedures conducted.
  • What happens if I get hurt at Recruit Training?
    There are generally three types of injuries, which we will call: 1) Minor 2) Medium 3) Major A minor injury is something like a rolled ankle or broken finger, where you can continue in the current training cycle with some minor modifications. You might not be able to fully PT with the platoon, but you won't miss any graduation requirements and can stay on track. These are typically handled by athletic trainers with taping, compression socks, etc. A medium injury is something like a broken leg, or badly sprained knee. Treating the injury will require physical therapy or a few weeks of recovery. In this case, you will be sent to the Male or Female Rehabilitation Platoon that is part of Support Battalion. You will spend your days doing rehab work and generally waiting to go back to recruit training. When you do, you will typically pick up at the start of whichever phase you left at (i.e. if you were dropped in the middle of second phase, you'll resume training with a company when they are starting second phase). A major injury is one that requires surgery and long rehabilitation processes, such as a torn ACL. The Marine Corps will fix the injury and put you through rehab. A Medical Review Board will determine if you can still serve in the Marine Corps based on the length of time it will take for you to recover and also the severity of the injury. Some injuries will disqualify you from military service, in which case you will be discharged from the Marines. In other rare instances, you may spend up to a year rehabilitating and then resuming training.
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