Jo Prabhu ⋅ San Rafael, CA International Services Group ⋅ 20 years experience

Hello Colonel,

Thanks for your dedicated service to our great country! We would love to help out. Send us a line, if you agree to be featured on our Home Page, we can let the world know you are looking.

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Lee Steele ⋅ Milton, FL U.S. Navy, Captain ⋅ 29 years served

Col,

Consult the JAG lawyers, regulations are pretty specific. If you are working for McDonalds or some other company not doing work for Federal government then above answers are ok, however if you plan on working for a DOD contractor then the regs state that you cannot represent the Company to the Government while on Terminal Leave, that means in practical terms you can't call them, email them, attend meetings with USG personnel (on or off post) basically no contact. which is fair, after all you are still active duty at that point and drawing a salary. The good news is you can still work for the company and you will look smart pointing out the regs to the DOD company (keeping them out of trouble) and during the breakin period there is plenty for you to do/learn without being the Company rep to DOD. Completely different story for Enlisted personnel, they are free to work on terminal leave on post representing the Company to Gov. Warrant Officers in a bit of a grey area, I hired one to teach a course on Terminal leave and I went to the Contract Officer to get in writing their permission to cover my company and my employee. Hope that helps

ANGEL HARRISON ⋅ Gretna, LA U.S. Navy, Chief Petty Officer ⋅ 24 years served

August 1, 2016 - possibly sooner

Kelly Thrasher ⋅ Denver, PA Accolade ⋅ 20 years experience

Patrick, Congrats! Depending on the job, you can start as soon as you have no obligations to the service. So on terminal leave if you want. Then again, PAID vacation is also a great deal. I say depending on the job since if you are a DOD contractor, there may be a conflict of interest. I took my leave then started. Whatever you decide make sure you look at the benefits of the company to make the best decisions. And of course anything to do with the VA or DOD takes time........

Taube Weiner ⋅ Dedham, MA TransitionsbyTaube.com ⋅ 30 years experience

Hi Patrick,
I am a career coach and can help you put together a resume. I can also help you decide what areas of expertise you have and how to find the positions you're looking for. Every answer I saw is totally correct. It takes time to put everything together and to know how to "sell" your skills.

If you're interested in my help, let me know.

I've been working with ACP for several years. You can look me up on my website. TransitionsbyTaube.com.

Best,
Taube Weiner (pronounced Toby)

Walt Overfield ⋅ Virginia Beach, VA United Healthcare ⋅ 15 years experience

Patrick,
When I retired from the Navy, I started work while on terminal leave.
Of course, you have a lot of work to do before you start work. First, you need to figure out what kind of work you want to do. I believe you could do any kind of work but most jobs won't meet your needs. Have you and your family chosen where you prefer to live? Everybody in the immediate family gets a vote so include their input in your planning process. If you know what you want to do, have you written an effective civilian style resume that presents your skills and experience in an effective manner? Have you built up a network of people in your new line of business? Professional organizations are a great place to meet people and learn the inside information you will need to get your foot in the door. The hiring process can take a lot of time so it's never too early to start. If you are looking for a great job, expect a lot of competition and some failed attempts. For most jobs, there are multiple candidates, so make sure you stay in the learning mode. My first job as a civilian was directly related to what I did in the Navy. It took me many career changes to find a line of work that met all my needs and that I totally enjoy.
Good Luck!
Walt

THIEN HUYNH ⋅ Baldwin Park, CA Westfield Corporate US ⋅ 1 years experience

Hi Patrick,

Officially, if you are on terminal leave, you are able to work "as of" the day you are on terminal leave. Exception are availible depending on your chain of command. I know a few commands would allow you to work up to 90 days prior of your EAS, which they are only required to call in for morning accountability (State-side EAS).
Please discuss your plans with your chain of command.

-Thien

David Dickens ⋅ Forney, TX AT&T ⋅ 35 years experience

Hello Sir,

There is absolutely no problem at all. You earned your time and how you use it is nobody's business. I retired from the Navy in 1998 and maintained my direct deposit to the same bank and moved from Virginia to Texas to start my new job. There were no problems with any part of it. Congratulations and thank you for your service.

Regards, Dave Dickens MMC(SW) Retired

Drew Schildwächter ⋅ Wilmington, NC Salesforce ⋅ 8 years experience

To my knowledge, there is no reason that you would be prevented from beginning a new job during PTAD unless there's some conflict of interest. Check out this guide from military.com for a fairly decent break-down of it: http://www.military.com/military-transition/employment-and-career-planning/employment-restrictions.html

Lots of people begin working private sector jobs during terminal leave, PTAD, etc...