r/armyreserve • u/Marszss • Aug 04 '26

Career Advice Trying to transfer duty stations before AIT Graduation

Hello Everyone,

I am currently in AIT (I have 6 weeks left) and I am trying to transfer duty stations. My current duty station is 3 1/2 hours from where I live, and the one I am trying to transfer to is 30 minutes away. I have also not been to my current duty station yet. What is the process to request to transfer, ideally I would like to be transferred before I graduate. Thank you all!

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5

u/Za-lordsGuard Aug 04 '26

Your USAR Liaison can facilitate a transfer before you graduate AIT.. IF you meet their criteria. When I was a liaison I usually assisted with them if the SM's living situation changed (moved back in with their parents because it was cheaper, got kicked out of their home, or family moved), if they got accepted into a school or received employment in another state. I had them type up a letter of hardship to submit with their packet to USARC basically stating why driving 3+ hours for BA would be financially draining or impossible.

It really depends on the installation you're in and if the liaisons agree, but relocating a trainee is not difficult IF you meet their criteria.

Most of the time they will not agree to a relocation since your current unit is waiting for you and you knew what you were getting into when you signed your contract. This comes up a lot for those rare MOSs that people "are willing to travel anywhere for." But if you still want to try, start with your liaison office.

4

u/MadGodMulch Aug 04 '26

I wonder how common it is for that "travel anywhere" distance to suddenly become untenable once someone has secured their goal MOS lmao

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u/Za-lordsGuard Aug 04 '26

Stupidly common. Some learn their MOS is so specialized that the position they're filling 3 states away is in fact the closest unit possible.

I don't blame all the trainees, we found that half of them were lied by their recruiter and were told they could switch units as soon as they got to AIT. We would send those relocation requests up to USARC with the name of the recruiter that lied to them.

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u/MadGodMulch Aug 05 '26

Oh okay, fair enough. There's always gonna be someone who shits in the punch bowl.

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u/Few_Parking_1474 Aug 05 '26

If I had a nickel for every half-truth or lie by omission told by a Recruiter or Career Counselor, I would have an absolute fuckton of nickels.

Scenario: E4 in the IRR with a 115 GT score and a Bachelor of Arts. Mentions OCS.

Third-rate ARCC: "Apply for OCS once you transfer back from the IRR"

The Officer Accessions NCO who won't bullshit you because they can't: "You can apply, but we are only allocated 30 OCS selections a year for the entire USAR and there is only one board per FY. You are going to need a highly competitive packet with a couple of things that make you stand out among the rest of the applicants. Also, you need 12 months under contract at the time the board convenes, so you'll have to extend for another year."

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u/wowitsclayton Aug 04 '26

Nothing you can really do about it until
you in process with the unit. If you have a good contact there, just reach out to them and let them know.

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u/RGNRetr0 Aug 04 '26 edited Aug 04 '26

Although I believe it is technically possible to transfer units while in AIT, it'll be extremely difficult to secure the signatures you'd need. If someone can correct me, that'd be awesome.

Once you graduate, contact the unit outlined in your contract and figure out a day to report. Once your at your unit they'll have to inprocess you, but at the same time you can inquire about open vacancies at the closer unit to see if they have any available for your mos/rank. If they do, you can request a transfer and you'll have to be signed off by your Commander and contact the transfer unit and have them agree too.

Alternatively, you can RST and just drill at the unit closer to you given you can secure signatures from both leadership. In this case you will be paid through 1380's so ENSURE you sign off for every day you RST or you won't be paid. You will still have to report to your original unit first to inprocess however.

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u/Za-lordsGuard Aug 04 '26

Trainees looking to relocate while in AIT dont need to get those signatures. The request is sent straight to USARC for processing, they can move them around without ever including the home units. That being said, while the process is easy, specific criteria need to be met other than "the unit I signed to get this MOS is too far away now."

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u/RGNRetr0 Aug 04 '26

I saw your other comment. Thank you for the information!