How long to wait and ship out for the Air Force?

Hello Brandon,

Did the recruiter explain to you when you signed the DEP paperwork (Delayed Enlistment Program) that you can be in that program - waiting - for UP TO 12 months before you get to go to basic training?

If you don't get to go to basic training within the 12 month period then the DEP expires and you are released to visit any other service branch.

Now, "usually" people are reporting back on Yahoo Answers that they have waitied between 6 - 8 months to get to ship out to basic training at Lackland AFB, Texas.

So, you should NEVER quit your day job NOR even tell your employer that you are going into the miltiary. It is none of their business until you give them 2 weeks notice of leaving your job. Otherwise, you might not get promoted or you might even be given "less hours."

Now, you can not mix/match jobs from different MAGE aptitude areas.

If you are enlisting into the GENERAL aptitude area then ONLY those 68 jobs that are coded as GENERAL aptitudes will be available for you.

NOT IN GENERAL: You can NOT get one of these jobs.

Electrical Systems is in Electronics. Not available to you. (6 month school at Sheppard AFB, TX)

Aircrew Flight Equipment is in Mechanical. Not available to you. (56 day school at Sheppard AFB, TX)

Space Systems Operator is in Electronics. Not available to you. (1 month school at Vandenberg AFB, CA)

In GENERAL

Aircraft Loadmaster is in General. This IS available to you. (3 month school at Lackland AFB TX and then at McCord AFB, WA for survival training on what to do if your plane crashed in the water or on land, etc.)

Cyber Surety is in General. This IS available to you. (40 days school at Keesler AFB, MS)

I suggest that you revisit www.airforce.com and ONLY look at the jobs in the General Aptitude Area. You can ONLY get a job in this area.

There are 68 different jobs; 18 jobs are medical; 2 jobs are dental, cops, fireman, fuels, bomb handling (EOD) explosive ordinance disposal/destruction (you find land mines and bombs); legal office, public affairs, Services (gym, billeting/dorms, food service, morturary affairs); etc.

You don't wait for a job to "open up." You wait for a spot at basic training. AF recruites "about" 32,000 new airmen a year. That translates to ONLY about 2 people a month from every recruiting station. You are waiting for a spot in basic training.

THEN, in your 2nd week you sit down for about 10 minutes with a personnel guy/gal and they will ask you for your list of your TOP 10 job choices from "GENERAL" aptitude area. THEN, just before you graduate from basic training you will learn what GENERAL job you were assigned to learn and study and what school will be starting up the week after you graduate from basic training.

Jobs are driven by the Technical School Pipeline. If a school is not starting up then you don't get that job choice. You can't wait months for a school to open up. That's why you give them 10 choices. You may get your 1st choice or 10th choice or NONE of your choices.

I got my 2nd choice back in 1961.

Don't even "think" that AF jobs are assigned like civilian jobs. Even in the other services our AF jobs are not assigned the same way they do theirs. The AF ALWAYS does everything differently than the Army/Navy/Marines/Coast Guard. Don't listen to people outside the AF to advise you on AF jobs. They can only talk about "THEIR" service.

Rarely does the AF guarantee a job and disrupt the school pipeline flow. Everybody goes: "OPEN." Only the Army will guarantee a job before enlistment.

Best wishes,

Larry Smith

Senior Master Sergeant, USAF (Ret.)

First Sergeant

1

My husband (Army infantry) sworn in November 2010 & shipped out in April 2011. His friend (Navy) Sworn in March 2011 & will ship out November 2011. It all depends on your career and if its in high demand or not.

9 mths is the wait list.

you can wait up to a year. the AF is popular

I would go to your recruiter and ask