The first comparison to be examined is the pay for the military. The military wages are based on a pay scale issued by the Defense Finance and Accounting Service (DFAS) grouped by time in grade and time in service (or their rank and how long that service member has been in). A Marine’s pay can fluctuate depending on numerous factors to include how many dependents they have, the cost of living where the Marine is stationed, and if the Marine is deployed to a combat zone. An example of this fluctuation is Marine Sergeant A of four years will make a base pay of $2,487 dollars while a Marine Sergeant B of ten years will make a base pay of $2,995. This increase in base pay is due to the Marine A being in for only four years while, Marine B is in for 10 years. This is how the pay scale is used by time in service. A pay raise in the military can come in two ways. The first way, according military.com, a pay raise is awarded as an annual pay raise issued by the House Armed Services Committee, which for the 2012 Fiscal Year was 1.6 percent. The second way a Marine can achieve a pay raise is through promotion to another grade (or rank). Using the above example in the case of the 10 year Sergeant with a base pay of 2,995 gets promoted to the rank of Staff Sergeant his pay will increase from that 2,995 to $3,243.
The comparison of the civilian pay is not as extensive as the military in the determination of pay. The civilian business sector determines pay or salary during the interview process. This means the pay an employee starts with begins early in the employment process. Government contractors
References: 2012 Military Pay Charts. (n.d.). Military.com Benefits & Resources. Retrieved from http://www.military.com/military/benefits/0,15465,2012-1pt6-Pct-Military-Pay,00.html Defense Finance and Accounting Services. (2012, January 10). Retrieved October 13, 2012, from http://www.dfas.mil/militarymembers.html TRICARE Prime Overview. (n.d.). Military.com Benefits. Retrieved October 13, 2012, from http://www.military.com/benefits/tricare/prime/tricare-prime-overview.html