promotion in the Guard

[ade123]

Hi, I'm planning on enlisting in the National Guard in a couple of months and I want to rank at least specialist before I'm discharged. Basically, I'm wondering what one must do to get promoted in the National Guard and what determines whether a soldier gets promoted

[Specialist Purdue]

If you have college credits you can get rank up to Specialists. You have to do time in grade and have passed the APFT also have your change of command agree that your should be promoted.

[ade123]

how many college credits are needed.

[2ndglance]

bachalors or 120 credit hours you can enlist as a E-4
48 credit hours gets you to E-3
24 credit hours gets you to E-2

[Doc]

Hi, I'm planning on enlisting in the National Guard in a couple of months and I want to rank at least specialist before I'm discharged. Basically, I'm wondering what one must do to get promoted in the National Guard and what determines whether a soldier gets promoted

If you start as an E-1 6 months to E-2 another 6 to E-3 and a Year to E-4.

If you don't get any waivers. At least that is how it SHOULD be done. If you make E-4 before 2 years without waivers (or college) that is wrong and you are cheating yourself.

[VTguard]

I disagree with "DOC". If you have a bachelor's degree, you can enlist as and E-4 in the National Guard. I don't think you're "cheating" yourself or anyone else by taking advantage of this policy. The National Guard has a promotion point system for soldiers that are enlisted in the Guard. You receive promotion points for military schools, coorespondence courses, college credits, physical fitness score, weapons qualification score, awards, etc. If you already have a Bachelor's degree, and you enlist in the guard, you should start out at a higher rank than someone that is right out of high school (or still in high school for that matter.) After all, a person with a bachelor's degree could enlist for the OCS enlistment option, and be an officer within a year anyway. Promotion policies are implemented for a reason.

[BoomerSooner]

So if you have a degree, and you come in as an E-4 how long until you can make E-5. Do you have to wait the entire "back" time so you are in 4-6 years or can you make E-5 in say 2 years.

[Specialist Purdue]

You will not owe any back time, the time that it takes you to get promoted is up to you and the number of E-5 slots your unit has. You still have to spend the required time in your E-4 slot before you are eligible.

[25C]

I realize this thread is almost a year old, but wanted to post the info in this thread instead of creating a new one. I learned a lot of info this past weekend and wanted to pass it on in case anyone does a search for the info later.

I came up fairly high on the TPL last month and was talking to some senior NCO's in my unit about my options. They advised that often, the soldier will have to change units in order to receive a promotion. For instance, my unit has no E5 slots at all in my MOS, so I called around and found one that had vacant E5 slots -- they said, "Yeah, those slots have been vacant for months...not sure why no one has wanted them." They said that it's possible when the soldiers put in their promotion packets that they stated they were unwilling to travel to drill or only wanted to stay at their current unit. That is ok, just be aware that if your unit has no slots open for the next higher grade for your MOS, you'll be stuck until your UMR changes for some reason or you change units.

I also learned that if you hold two or more MOS's, that what will be considered your primary MOS for promotion purposes (e.g. the MOS you'll come up under on the TPL) would be the MOS in which you're currently holding a slot for, if you are MOSQ'ed in that slot.

For example, if I am a 25C holding a 25U slot but am not MOSQ'ed in 25U, I would still come up on the 25C TPL.

If I am a 25C and holding a 25U slot, then attend the reclass school for 25U, I would then come up on the 25U TPL, but not 25C.

Hope that all makes sense.

Also, if your unit is undergoing transformation (if you do not know what this is, then it's not a factor for you...you would have heard about it), the rules are slightly different. I won't go into detail here so as not to confuse folks even more.

Anyway, that's all I can remember for now. If anyone has any questions, please feel free to PM me. Again, my apologies for bumping an old thread, but I just wanted to put this in a thread where people that need the info will see it. This was the second entry that came up in my google search.

[maikel]

I'll been In the Army National Guard for 22 years retried served in gtmo from 2004 2005 seen what happen soilder that had no high school got SGT that was all ******** I worked very hard I sign three time the SGT they never found the papar work so I say if they like you get it or lick some *** and you be a SGT I seen it happened that ***** that why lots of soldier don't sign again I'm one of them an I wish I would do 30 years cause I love serving in the Army National Guard but its **** when they only promoted soilder that they like even I know one case the soldier did'nt speak english good an made SGT that ***** that why I didn't sign bye