A Job in Junior ROTC
Continue serving the country by serving its youth.
D.A. Barsotti is a freelance writer from Franklinville, N.J.

For all of those in uniform, the time will come, as it did for Col. Robert Familetti, usa-Ret., to leave the military. Behind him were 32 years in the military, in both active and reserve service. Heading into a high school would put him in quite a different environment than at his previous position at the Army War College in Carlisle, Pa. But that didn't deter him from joining the Junior ROTC as an instructor.

"This was something I thought I might like to do," Familetti recalls. "I would still be affiliated with the military. I could still wear the uniform."

Junior ROTC is undergoing an expansion, bringing a new wave of opportunity for transitioning officers who aren't quite ready to hang up their uniforms. More than 450,000 students are enrolled in Junior ROTC programs located at 2,900 secondary schools, with more than 750 schools on waiting lists and more applying.

Familetti found a good fit in the program. His military experience had given him the management, logistical, and interpersonal skills and physical fitness required in his new role, while the military flavor of a Junior ROTC program was comfortably familiar.

A Junior ROTC position can be compared to active duty, Familetti warns. Events frequently take up holidays, weekends, and evenings. There are competitions and summer camps. And because Junior ROTC instructors are part of a high school faculty, there's also bus duty, cafeteria duty, and other nonteaching responsibilities. But there also are key differences between active duty service and a Junior ROTC position.

"There is still a chain of command in the high school, but it's different," Familetti says. "You are given a lot of direction from the Army, and you have to meet its standards. But at the same time, you work for the school. Balance needs to be found."

There are other adjustments. Familetti quickly learned that the Junior ROTC program isn't for every student. "Some of the cadets let you down," he says. "The students don't respond the same way as privates in the Army. It was an interesting ad-justment for me. Structure and accountability are key issues in the military. In a school district, there's an awful lot of fuzziness in terms of disciplinary codes."

Despite these hurdles, a position with the Junior ROTC can bring personal and financial rewards. Junior ROTC instructors are employees of a school district, and their compensation is negotiated with the school board. An instructor's salary comes from a combination of retirement pay and the additional pays and allowances that would be accrued if the instructor were recalled to active duty at that particular location, in the grade level achieved at retirement. The military insists on this minimum compensation and contributes 50 percent of the sum to the school.

Benefits offered to Junior ROTC instructors vary among school districts. Ask a few key questions: What kind of health insurance is provided? What kinds of retirement plans are offered? (It is possible for a Junior ROTC instructor to earn a second retirement in the school district.) If school teachers are compensated for additional or extracurricular duties, will Junior ROTC instructors be awarded the same compensation?

If a position as a Junior ROTC instructor sounds appealing, research the requirements to obtain a Junior ROTC certification. (Guidelines for application may depend on the time remaining before your actual retirement.) Finally, visit a Junior ROTC unit. Network with other instructors to learn about their experiences with a certain school or district.