When did recruiters start calling the homes of upcoming seniors?

[BeachGirlFLA]

I got a lot of academic recruiters mailing things to my house (due to my SAT scores) but never had a military recruiter call me and never took the ASVAB (probably because I went to a private girls' school...they never offered the test to us.) I probably would have seriously considered joining if I could but I don't know if I would have been allowed (pretty sure I wouldn't have been) because I have asthma that is aggravated by exercise.

 

[powellrj]

Wait until they show up on your doorstep!

My oldest DS expressed an interest and they were on our doorstep weekly. He did end up enlisting, but it had more to do with the fact the war in Iraq started and he had a calling to do his duty.

Middle DS was harassed at his job by a recruiter. I mean the guy would harass him when he was working and that wasn't acceptable at all. Before I could get in touch with him to tell him to leave him alone at work before he was fired, the guy landed on our doorstep at 9:30 on a Monday night. We were ready for bed because we get up really early and the last thing I needed or wanted was a marine recruiter showing up without calling on my doorstep when I was going to bed. Needless to say I wasn't a happy camper. I made it very clear he was never to contact DS when he was working. I also told him if he ever wanted to contact him at home, work or school he was to call ahead.

As he was leaving, his parting shot was, just thought you should know that your DS smokes on his break. OK, just so you know, we already knew about it and I can guarantee if he ever decided to join the marines, he will not be joining the marines with you as his recruited you if you think you need to rat him out to his parents. Funny we never heard from the guy again.

 

[luvsJack]

College coaches can start talking to recruits after the end of their junior year season. For normal academic recruiting they don't have any regulations really--DS17 starting getting college stuff in the mail in 7th grade. The military would follow the same rules.

DS got all the stuff in the mail all through school, but the college coaches were not allowed to really actively start trying to recruit him until his senior year (I guess that would be after his team played summer baseball). They were coming to watch him play and did talk to his coach before that, but did not talk to him at all. In fact, there were colleges that we didn't find out until later were contacting his hs coach about him but for whatever reason his coach acted as though he had no interest in that college. And when they did contact ds, they had the courtesy to call and set up a time to sit down with us all together.

The military started calling during his junior year. And only wanted to talk to him. It was very different.

ETA: The reasons for my objection is not that I don't think the military is a good career choice for some. But its not for everyone and I just don't think a career should be chosen because of a promised "signing bonus" of $40,000 or whatever. A career should be chosen because it is what you want to do for the rest of your life or at least a portion of your life. And it should be chosen with the kid knowing all the pros and the cons of the career; not just the promises made by someone who is being paid to get that kid to sign up. When a kid signs up for college, they are not signing a 4 year contract that binds them to that college. They can change majors at any time, change colleges or even drop out--not that simple with the military. I just want to know that my kid is making an informed choice and is doing so with me hearing all the promises that are being made and all the information that is being given so that I can advice him to make the best choice for his situation.

 

[golfgal]

DS got all the stuff in the mail all through school, but the college coaches were not allowed to really actively start trying to recruit him until his senior year (I guess that would be after his team played summer baseball). They were coming to watch him play and did talk to his coach before that, but did not talk to him at all. In fact, there were colleges that we didn't find out until later were contacting his hs coach about him but for whatever reason his coach acted as though he had no interest in that college. And when they did contact ds, they had the courtesy to call and set up a time to sit down with us all together.

The military started calling during his junior year. And only wanted to talk to him. It was very different.

That is because the sports recruiting IS different. The military isn't recruiting for sports-but if they WERE they would have to follow NCAA guidelines. If your son had contacted a college about playing for them before the end of his junior year season, they COULD have talked to him but they cannot make that initial call--this is how some kids sign with a college as a junior or earlier (there is a 9th grader that has already signed a letter of intent to play for the U of MN). If your high school plays baseball in the summer then they wouldn't be able to contact him until the end of that season. If he played football in the fall and he was being recruited for that, they would have been able to call him at the end of the football season-so November or whenever of his junior year.

 

[luvsJack]

That is because the sports recruiting IS different. The military isn't recruiting for sports-but if they WERE they would have to follow NCAA guidelines. If your son had contacted a college about playing for them before the end of his junior year season, they COULD have talked to him but they cannot make that initial call--this is how some kids sign with a college as a junior or earlier (there is a 9th grader that has already signed a letter of intent to play for the U of MN). If your high school plays baseball in the summer then they wouldn't be able to contact him until the end of that season. If he played football in the fall and he was being recruited for that, they would have been able to call him at the end of the football season-so November or whenever of his junior year.

My point to comparing the two was that the choice to join the military is a bit more life changing than where to play baseball. The rules are in place for coaches for a reason. There should be similar rules for the military and I just think the parents should have to be present. It IS different but IMHO, the wrong one has stricter rules.

Oh, and he did actually receive a letter from the Navy about playing baseball! I didn't know that was something they did or used as a recruiting point.

 

[golfgal]

My point to comparing the two was that the choice to join the military is a bit more life changing than where to play baseball. The rules are in place for coaches for a reason. There should be similar rules for the military and I just think the parents should have to be present. It IS different but IMHO, the wrong one has stricter rules.

Oh, and he did actually receive a letter from the Navy about playing baseball! I didn't know that was something they did or used as a recruiting point.

I disagree about the Military being more life changing-it might be and it might not be. Yes, right now there is the possibility of a kid going into the military being sent into a war zone but that is not always the case. It is still a career option just like going to college. Colleges could send recruiters to your house but they don't because of the cost and effort involved-they do go to the high schools frequently and meet with kids. Most towns have an armory and a recruiter right in town so doing home visits is not an issue for them. I know plenty of people that went into the military and never got even remotely close to any kind of a war zone.

 

[koima]

I haven't read the whole thing, just the first page.

In 1996, I got calls from the Air Force. We lived near an AF base and I assume they called everyone from our high school. My dad was in Vietnam and had a very bad experience in the military and coming out of the military, so he was not fond of the idea of either of us kids joining. He was quite adamant that we were not ALLOWED to join, actually! When the recruiter called repeatedly over my senior year, my dad answered and told him quite flatly that no, we wouldn't join.

A few years later, the same recruiter called back and my dad said no again. The recruiter said, "Sometimes kids get into the real world and it kicks their butts." My dad said, "And sometimes they enlist and die." Point taken, he didn't call again.

I am very proud and grateful for the many who choose to go into military service, and lost a good friend in the Iraq war in 2004. It was just not the right path for me. My brother has ended up being something of a loser and my dad says he wishes he'd offered him to the recruiter instead, haha.

 

[PatsGirl]

When DS was a junior in HS he wanted to take the ASVAB and I had to sign a release for that to happen. Once his scores (exceptional btw) were in, we were hounded by recruiters from all four branches pretty much offering him his choice of jobs. He also did very well on his SAT and our mailbox was full each day from college catalogs He very much wanted to play BB and FB in college but apparently wasn't good enough for those recruiters

Long story short, he joined the USAF and has been in one year on August 26th! He is very happy with his choice and I am happy that he is happy. Sure.. we dealt with lots of propaganda from the military and the colleges but we weeded out the info we needed and I now have an Airman that I am very proud of

 

[luvsJack]

I disagree about the Military being more life changing-it might be and it might not be. Yes, right now there is the possibility of a kid going into the military being sent into a war zone but that is not always the case. It is still a career option just like going to college. Colleges could send recruiters to your house but they don't because of the cost and effort involved-they do go to the high schools frequently and meet with kids. Most towns have an armory and a recruiter right in town so doing home visits is not an issue for them. I know plenty of people that went into the military and never got even remotely close to any kind of a war zone.

College is an education option. One that if tomorrow you wake up and say, "i don't want to do this anymore", you get in your car and drive home. Will the military allow you to do that? Can you just quit?

I'm not against the military by any stretch of the imagination. It is a great career choice. And if a kid reads a brochure and decides this may be what he wants and he goes to the recruiting office himself to discuss his options with a recruiter and his parents--great, wonderful and all that. I just think it should be the kid's idea and I think that everything that is said to the kid should be 100% honest and not a sales pitch.

 

[luvsJack]

When DS was a junior in HS he wanted to take the ASVAB and I had to sign a release for that to happen. Once his scores (exceptional btw) were in, we were hounded by recruiters from all four branches pretty much offering him his choice of jobs. He also did very well on his SAT and our mailbox was full each day from college catalogs He very much wanted to play BB and FB in college but apparently wasn't good enough for those recruiters

Long story short, he joined the USAF and has been in one year on August 26th! He is very happy with his choice and I am happy that he is happy. Sure.. we dealt with lots of propaganda from the military and the colleges but we weeded out the info we needed and I now have an Airman that I am very proud of

I bet you are very proud!! Tell your son, thank you from a very grateful country! My dad was retired Air Force, so this family is a might partial to our Airmen!

 

[ntsammy5]

I never got call, but eventually I did get a letter from my Uncle, that started out GREETINGS.

Be happy there isn't a draft.

 

[Becky2005]

Interesting...apparently they call the girls & boys? I never got any calls, then again, I didn't take the SAT/ACT or the other test mentioned here either.

I'm wondering though if you fail the test mentioned here, would you not get any calls then? My son has some difficulties so gets extra help at school but has been known to get "we couldn't score this test" and "0" on some of the standardized tests due to the nature of the disability & couldn't get accomodations on that part of the test.

It should be interesting as my DD is a Sophmore. You don't want her in the military -- trust me, it would not be safe for anyone. She's kind of klutzy & definitely wouldn't want to break a nail type.

I know I did see the opt out part of the form but I thought only the males needed to opt out.