Stay up-to-date with news and information about your military education. You can get the information you need to make informed decisions about your online and military correspondence programs. Learn what's going on with military education and how you can make a smooth military transition. Your civilian career awaits you!
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
In support of continued education for its service members, The Navy a number of programs to help them work towards a desired degree or certification, including 100 percent Tuition Assistance (TA) for college courses taken on their own time.
Here is a brief summary of the procedures for using Navy TA:
- Contact your Navy College Office to arrange for educational counseling. This can be done in person, by phone, or via e-mail. With the help of your Navy College Counselor, determine which courses will be requested for TA funding.
- Next, complete a TA Application form. Check with your particular institution to confirm that the courses and fees you list on the application are accurate. Fees that are authorized for funding under TA are:
- Fees that are directly required to sign up for a class may be combined with tuition. The Navy will cover the fees that are published, mandatory, and charged for course enrollment.
- Mandatory, non-reimbursable fees that meet the above criteria may be paid for with TA. However, if a course is canceled, allowing for the refund of tuition, the student is held liable for payment of the non-reimbursable fee.
- Sailors who ask for payment of fees with tuition when applying for TA are responsible for providing correct fee information to their Navy College Office.
- After you have carefully read the second page of the TA Application and the TA Application Agreement carefully, fill in all of the requested information at the bottom of the page. By signing this form, you are indicating that you know the rules relating to TA funding. Finally, you will need to obtain command approval signature for course enrollment.
- Take your command approved TA application to your Navy College Office (or Marine Corps Education Center) for processing.
The Navy Tuition Assistance Form:
- Once your application is received and authorized, your supporting office or center will prepare a TA Authorization Voucher which you will provide to the school you are attending. Be sure to keep a copy for your records.
- TA participants may submit a copy of a grade report which is obtainable through their student account. If you send the report by e-mail (SFLY_TA.NAVY@NAVY.MIL) which is the easiest, wait seven days and then log on to smart.navy.mil to verify that the grade has been received and processed. You can also fax a copy of your grade.
- If you should receive a failing grade (F or N), or an Incomplete (I), you will be asked to repay TA Accounting for the TA funded portion of the course. Or, if you fail to submit your grade(s) within 60 days following the completion of a course, your command will receive a letter stating that unless the grade is faxed, payment will be required for the funded portion. Payment must be in the form of a cashier’s check or money order, made out to the U.S. Treasury.
For more information, or to obtain a Navy Tuition Assistance Request form, log on to: www.navycollege.navy.mil.
*This article is based on publicly-accessible information and has not been reviewed or approved by any military branch.Labels: Military Tuition Assistance, Navy College Counselor, Navy TA, Navy Tuition Assistance, Tuition
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Posted by Allied Blogger Admin @ 2:12 PM •
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Make the most of your service -- the new
military G.I. Bill pays more and lets you transfer benefits. The VA is now accepting applications for the Post-9/11 G.I. Bill. This new educational benefits package, known as Chapter 33, offers additional benefits beyond paying for tuition -- including a new housing stipend.
The Post-9/11 G.I. Bill goes into effect on August 1, 2009. You are eligible if you served a minimum of 90 days on active duty after September 10, 2001. You don't have to pay into this benefit each month; and you can transfer your benefits to your spouse or children.
What You'll Get
- Full tuition and fees
- Monthly housing stipend*
- Money for books and supplies
- Transferability of entitlement
- Kicker -- if you receive it now, you'll still get it with the new benefits
The amount paid under the Post-9/11 G.I. Bill will vary depending on your state of residence, number of units taken, and amount of post-9/11 active-duty service.
Here are the percentages that are available:
Percentage of Payment -- Amount of Military Service
100% -- 36 or more months
100% -- 30 or more consecutive days with disability-related discharge
90% -- 30 total months
80% -- 24 total months
70% -- 18 total months
60% -- 12 total months
50% -- 6 total months
40% -- 90 or more days
The Department of Veterans Affairs started accepting applications on May 1, 2009. If you are already enrolled in the Montgomery G.I. Bill and also meet the criteria for the Post-9/11 G.I. Bill, you have the option to transfer your remaining MGIB benefits to the new program. Although the new bill offers comprehensive benefits, you may find that the original Montgomery G.I. Bill better suits your needs.
One of the biggest additions of the Post-9/11 G.I. Bill is the option for service members to transfer their benefits -- if you are an active-duty service member with at least six years of experience, you can shift your G.I. Bill benefits to your spouse or children if you commit to at least four additional years of service.
You can enroll online at www.gibill.va.gov or call (888) 501-5221 to learn how you can make the most of your new benefits. Your educational options just got better -- enroll in a certificate program without paying anything, plus receive additional benefits.
*Restrictions apply Labels: g.i. bill, military deployment, military education benefit, Military Tuition Assistance, military veteran benefit
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Posted by Heather Brunson @ 3:28 PM •
Friday, January 16, 2009
In 2002, then Army Chief of Staff Gen. Eric K. Shinseki, created a special program called the Army Spouse Employment Partnership to create career opportunities for military spouses. The program is a partnership between the public sector and private corporations; over the last six years more than 41,000 jobs have been created for
military spouses.
One of the latest private corporations to join the program is Converges,
a global leader in relationship management, who announced its plans to help Army wives and husbands find employment.
Convergys human resources will work with the program to reach out to Army spouse at Convergys' 81 contact centers. The company also plans to aggressively use the Web to inform spouses about the job opportunities at the company.
"Hiring military spouses makes good business sense and fits very well into Convergys' commitment to global talent management, and that's why we didn't hesitate to join Army Spouse Employment Partnership," said Clark Handy, Convergys Senior Vice President, Human Resources. "Military spouses represent a talented and diverse workforce of people who are often concentrated on or near US military bases around the world and whose exceptional work ethic and low attrition rate speak volumes about the high quality of work they can provide."
Convergys joins 27 other companies, along with Black & Veatch Corporation, EMC Corporation, Lowe's Corporation and West Corporation who signed up to help this past October. This past year approximately 8,000 Army spouses were helped with jobs, which is a significant contribution as the nation struggles through a recession.
Military spouses, because of the unique circumstances of the military lifestyle, have a harder time in general achieving the kinds of educational and career goals that civilians can. Military spouses, who are enrolled at a school near the base, may have to disrupt or discontinue their schooling when their military spouse is transferred to another duty station of state.
Although congress and state legislators have begun to address the issue, many military spouses who move to a new state are not eligible to receive in-state tuition rates, making the cost of education unaffordable. One important solution already available for military spouses is online education.
The advantage of distance learning for military spouses is that they can enroll in a program, and continue studying no matter where the military family is transferred. Many online training programs are also self-paced, which means that students often have up to one year to complete a course or program.
This would allow, for example, a military spouse to take two months off while he or she moves with their family to a new duty station in another state. As soon as the family is settled in their new home, the spouse can get right back online and resume studies.
In addition to eliminating the whole issue of in-state tuition rates, online education also allows military spouses with children to study without leaving the home. Military spouses can study during nap times, at night or on the weekend; distance learning allows military spouse to be both parents and students. Get military education with military tuition assistance from Allied Schools.com. Labels: Army Spouse, military employement, military online education, Military Spouse, military spouse deployment, military to civilian, Military Tuition Assistance, online training programs
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Posted by Allied Blogger Admin @ 2:36 PM •
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Christmas and the holiday season are a time of great joy for families, but for many military families with loved ones deployed overseas, it can be a time of stress and worry as well.
Marine families at Camp Pendleton and Marine Corps Air Station Miramar in southern California, however, got a boost to their Christmas spirits, when two charitable groups stopped by to distribute free Christmas trees to Marine families.
The "Trees for Troops 2008" organization stopped at MCAS Miramar in San Diego to distribute free trees to Marine Corps families, while at Camp Pendleton, the Christmas Spirit Foundation and FedEx joined forces with the National Christmas Tree Association to give away 1,000 Christmas trees to Marine families on the sprawling West Coast base.
Although it's nice to receive, the Marine Corps also understands it is better to give, and that's why the Marine Corps Reserve's "Toys for Tots Program" will once again be providing donated toys to deserving children across the country.
And when it comes to giving to Marine families, active-duty Marines have the chance to help their wives and husbands by taking advantage of military spouse scholarship programs that help marine spouses get the training and education opportunities they need to compete in a very tight job market.
Although every school's military spouse program is unique, many schools join a service member's enrollment to their military spouse education programs. For example, some schools will provide no-tuition courses to a military spouse when his/her service member spouse enrolls in the institution. This allows both husband and wife to get the training and skills they will both need to compete in today's work world.
Now when an active-duty Marine enrolls in a school using Marine Tuition Assistance, this means that he/she will pay nothing for tuition, and then if the program has a military spouse scholarship program, it's possible that they will both train without spending a dime.
Although many Marines and their spouses choose to work toward a degree, there are a number of vocational schools - many of them with online courses - which prepare military families for a number of career paths.
In the medical field, there are a number of medical office careers, including: medical coding, medical billing, medical administrative assassinating, dental office assisting and medical transcription. Medical transcription is a particularly attractive career for military spouses because it allows people to work from home.
Although the real estate industry is experiencing the pain that nearly every field is, it is inevitable that when the recession ends, real estate will rebound. Military families can get their real estate training now and be ready for the eventual rebound. And there's more to real estate than just selling homes, career paths in real estate also include positions like home inspector, property manager and even licensed contractor.
Solid business training programs like administrative assistant or small business management which train students to become independent business owners or provide support to others.
The good news is that these career training programs can all be found 100% online at schools that specialize in distance learning for service members and their families.Labels: Marine Benefits, marine corp, Marine Spouse, Marines, medical billing, medical coding, medical transcription, Military Tuition Assistance, real estate training
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Posted by Allied Blogger Admin @ 1:56 PM •
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
The Marine Corps is looking to retain a few, good men and they plan to do it by offering reenlistments bonuses of up to $90,000.
The incentives are part of a larger plan to grow the Marine Corps to 202,000 by the completion of fiscal year 2011. Marines looking to reenlist and get the bonuses must do so on or after Oct. 1 of this year; the slots are limited because each MOS will be accepting only a specific number of reenlistments.
Despite the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the Marine Corps had a strong year recruiting new Marines. And while positive signs of security and stability continue to emerge from Baghdad, the fight in Afghanistan appears to be heating up, which has lead to speculation that more Marines will soon be sent there.
This past spring Marine Corps leaders floated the idea of having the Corps withdraw entirely from Iraq and take full responsibility for the war in Afghanistan. The plan was reminiscent of how the service branches split responsibilities in World War II, with the Marines in the Pacific and the Army fighting in Europe. Despite the historical precedence, Secretary of the Defense Robert Gates rejected the proposal.
Some in-demand specialties are also eligible for a "kicker" bonus of up to $25,000. Marines in 18 select MOSs are eligible for the extra bonus, including those in infantry, linguistics as well as a host of combat-related specialties.
Marines who stay in the service will have more time to take advantage of the marine tuition assistance program, which pays up to 100% of a Marine's career training. Marine military benefits such as military tuition assistance can help a marine prepare for a career when he's ready to take off the uniform. Many schools these days also offer military scholarships for marine spouses, as well military dependent scholarships. Marines and their spouses should be sure to check out their accredited military education options.
Allied Schools, www.education4military.com
Labels: Marine Tuition Assistance Program, Marines, Military Tuition Assistance
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Posted by Allied @ 9:01 AM •
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
For service members experiencing their transition from the military this year, it's worth looking at a few of the hiring trends that companies are engaging in this year.
According to a Gannet News Service article by Dana Knight, one of the major keys for companies this year is to hire candidates quickly before competitors can snatch them up.In the past companies might invite candidates back for multiple rounds of interviews - sometimes lasting weeks - many companies now have all the decision makers meet the job candidate at one time. This allows the company to make a quick decision and then make a job offer.
Here are some other trends that service members undergoing their military career transition can expect this year:
Internet Background Search - Companies are increasingly plugging a candidate's name into search engines and seeing what they can find out about someone. Service members should be aware that companies may take a peak at their "My Space" page; military personnel shouldn't post information or photos online that paint a negative picture of them.
Video Resumes - Employers are more open to video resumes; and though this is still a new format, wearing a business suit and keeping your speech conservative and relevant to the potential job is a good bet.
Benefits, More Money - There is a shortage of good job candidates in a lot of fields - that means companies will do more to get you. Many candidates can expect better health care benefits and increased salaries on initial offers.
Military personnel, in addition to understanding the hiring trends of companies, should take advantage of their military education benefits to get as much education and training as possible. Active-duty service members are eligible for US Military Tuition Assistance (TA), which pays up to 100% of tuition and fees for military distance learning courses.
Many service members use their Tuition Assistance at an accredited online school because an online course allows them to study wherever and whenever they have time - even while deployed. When considering an online school, service members should make sure the school is accredited by the Distance Education and Training Council (DETC). Military personnel should also be sure to learn if there is a transition assistance program offered on base by the ESO.Labels: military to civilian, Military Tuition Assistance
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Posted by Allied @ 9:53 AM •
Friday, August 31, 2007
A recent
USA Today article covering The National Guard Association of the United States' General Conference in Puerto Rico highlighted the strain that longer deployments are putting on National Guard soldiers, their families and their civilian careers.
As of August 2007, out of a total of 162,000 U.S. troops serving in Iraq, approximately 30,000 were National Guard soldiers. Some National Guard soldiers now serve on deployments that are as long as 15 months.
"When you're deployed, it's tough on you. It's tough on your family," Col. Steven Bensend of the Wisconsin National Guard told USA Today. "When you get back, you want to separate yourself from military things." Col. Bensend is an agricultural consultant in Wisconsin who returned from a one-year tour in Kuwait to find that he'd lost many of his clients.
For Guard soldiers who want a backup career or are looking to switch into a whole new line of work when they return home, 100% online military courses can help National Guardsmen prepare for civilian careers while they're deployed in Kosovo, Africa, Iraq or any number of places. Military continuing education is a way for Guardsmen to prepare themselves for their military to civilian transition when they return to the States.
In exchange for their service, the National Guard will pay up to 100% of a soldier's military tuition for online courses. It's a chance for Guard soldiers to receive training to become a home inspector, real estate agent, property manager or medical transcriptionist.
As long as Guard soldiers have access to the Internet and a computer, they can take military classes online when they're off duty. U.S. Military Tuition Assistance is a military education benefit that Guard soldiers have earned, and they need to take advantage of it while they're serving on active duty. This is, in effect, a military education grant and soldiers must make sure they use this opportunity for no-cost career training.Labels: Military Online School, Military Tuition Assistance
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Posted by Heather @ 4:08 PM •
Friday, August 24, 2007
Almost all service members, whether they plan to use it or not, have at least heard of the Montgomery GI Bill. For some, going to college and using GI Bill money was the main motivation for joining the service. Then there were others, of course, who joined the military solely to ship out on the fleet or to operate an Abrams tank. So, when it comes to their military to civilian transition, some service members are deciding on quick, vocational training instead of enrolling in a four-year university.
It is informative to look at recent census figures concerning national education levels. The U.S. Census Bureau surveyed Americans in 2006 and discovered that only 28% of the population held a bachelor's degree. You can look at this a number of different ways, but one way of understanding it is that more than 70% of Americans make it with less than a four-year degree.
In the Army, for example, only approximately 4% of enlisted soldiers have a bachelor's degree according to a 2005 Army survey. Some of these soldiers will certainly get out of the service, use their military education benefit, and graduate with a college degree -- but many will not.
Vocational training often makes one think of apprentice welders or carpenters, but the age of the Internet has changed all that, allowing service members to train for careers as medical transcriptionists, medical administrative assistants, real estate agents, home inspectors, or any number of other professions. And the real kicker is that they can do it while deployed anywhere in the world -- it is a truly 100% online program education.
Service members can take advantage of online vocational training by using U.S. Military Tuition Assistance (also known as Federal Tuition Assistance), which is a military education benefit often overshadowed by the GI Bill. FTA allows active-duty military personnel to receive up to 100% military Tuition Assistance for online courses. Labels: Military Tuition Assistance
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Posted by Heather @ 1:39 PM •
Monday, July 9, 2007
With the creation of online job sites, there is a proliferation of job seekers on the Internet. From the recent college graduate to the seasoned professional, there are applicants from every stage of life. Hundreds, even thousands, of people can apply to a single job. How do employers choose from among the qualified applicants?
Today, one of the largest and most highly-trained segments of the available labor pool includes the military population.
Each year more than 250,000 service members leave active duty and make the move into civilian life. In addition, there are spouses and military dependents that go along with them. When you take into account veterans, there are almost one million job seekers from the military community looking for employment every year. That is almost 15% of the available labor pool!
Employers are taking notice of this growing population. With so many strong qualities setting these applicants apart, the military population is becoming the first choice for many available jobs.
The benefits of choosing military personnel include:
Well-educated - All military officers have a college degree or above.
Large skill set - They have also been specifically trained in a wide variety of skills that translate to the civilian workplace -- including telecommunications, information technology (IT), logistics, security, avionics, truck/automotive, etc.
Strong work ethic - They possess a strong sense of loyalty and discipline when it comes to committing to a long-term opportunity and staying on track with their duties.
The best news? The military will pay most, if not all, of the relocation expenses for transitioning service members, so qualified candidates can be recruited from almost any location.
Service members should also remember to take advantage of 100% Military Tuition Assistance while they are still in the service - the one thing that you can never have too much of when looking for work is solid career training. Labels: Military Tuition Assistance
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Posted by aharis @ 2:35 PM •
It probably seems like another lifetime ago when you were a recruit at Basic Training or Boot Camp learning to salute and march in step. No matter what your service agreement was, four years or even six, it seemed like you'd be in uniform for a long time.
But you've now been in a while, and soon you'll be back in civilian life. It's time to think about settling down, buying a house, and starting a career. And you know you've got options: civilian employers like the work ethic, teamwork and discipline that veterans bring to the table. That's not an issue. But are there any sure bets about the future?
A recent study from the U.S. Department of Labor makes one thing clear: if you're looking to get in on a hot industry, then the medical field is for you. And I don't mean you have to go to school for the next four to six years and become a nurse or a doctor. Many jobs in the industry only require several months of training. The Department of Labor predicts medical jobs will grow an amazing 27% from now until 2014. All other industries combined are expected to increase by only 14%. Many of the medical jobs are administrative positions like medical billing, medical coding, medical transcription, medical administrative assistant and medical keyboarding. In the report, for example, the Labor Department projected that medical transcription jobs will increase a whopping 52% over the next seven years.
Whether you're deployed in Iraq at the moment, or in the Fleet somewhere in the Pacific, it's not too early to start training for your place in the medical field. You can take advantage of
100% Tuition Assistance and enroll in an online medical course while you're still serving. All you need is computer access, an Internet connection and a commitment to your own future.
The day isn't far off when you'll put on your civvies for good and count yourself, not a service member any more, but a proud veteran instead.
Labels: Medical Career Training for Military, Military Tuition Assistance
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Posted by aharis @ 2:24 PM •
Thursday, June 7, 2007
When it comes to your transition, you can count on the military to help you reach your goals. You have resources available to you:
Transition Assistance -- There are transition offices available to help you separate from the military in a smooth and easy manner. These offices are available through each branch of the military and offer valuable information and resources to help you move into your new career.
Prepare yourself for life after the military with an easy transition.
Tuition Assistance -- This is a benefit paid to eligible members of the Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force, and Coast Guard. Congress has granted each service the ability to pay up to 100% of the tuition expenses of its members. Check with your branch to determine the criteria for eligibility, obligated service, and application process.
Find out if you are eligible for Tuition Assistance and get 100% of your education costs paid.
Relocation Assistance -- If you are moving to a new area, the military provides information and counseling to assist you in making informed decisions. You will get assistance with determining the job potential, assessing the affordability, researching the community, and planning your move.
Determine where you'd like to live and create an effective plan. Labels: military to civilian, Military Tuition Assistance
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Posted by Heather @ 8:27 AM •
Thursday, May 31, 2007
Did you know that the Army National Guard (ARNG) has state and federal educational benefits? Federal Tuition Assistance pays up to100% of your tuition! Use it in conjunction with the GI Bill and Kicker Programs for maximum coverage. Apply your benefits to an all-inclusive education at Allied Schools.
The ARNG is the only branch that allows you to draw from the GI Bill and Federal Tuition Assistance simultaneously. This allows you to cover your education costs and obtain funding for expenses while attending school. To qualify, you have to be a traditional Army National Guard Soldier in an active drilling status. As an enlisted soldier, you must remain in the ARNG during the entire term of the course.
The ARNG has generous education benefits:
Federal Tuition Assistance (FTA) pays up to 100% of tuition and fees per fiscal year of $4,500.
Funds are awarded on a first come, first-serve basis from completed applications.
Soldiers may use FTA to receive one credential from a certificate program.
FTA can be used with the GI Bill and Kicker Programs.
Get the career skills you need with the largest vocational distance education school in the nation. Allied Schools partners with the Army National Guard (ARNG) to help you build a rewarding high-income career. There are 20+ real estate, medical and business programs available to you. Imagine starting a career as a real estate salesperson, appraiser, home inspector, medical biller, medical coder or small business owner. There is an ARNG department dedicated to your success!
Choose the leader in military-friendly career training programs.
-Personalized LIVE Student Support
-DANTES Approved Distance Education
-Available for all ARNG who qualify
-Job Assistance Available
-Laptop computer included at NO COST
Distance education makes it possible for ARNG members to work at their own pace. There is no need to commute or school or sit in a classroom for countless hours. You can study in the comfort and privacy of your home with a laptop computer that is included with your program. Keep your current job while you train!
Labels: allied schools, Army National Guard Tuition Assistance, Military Tuition Assistance
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Posted by Heather @ 1:58 PM •