Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps is a college program run by the branches of the military. It is modeled on the ROTC run in colleges and has many of the sames goals, such as training young citizens in leadership, community service, responsibility, as well technical skills. JROTC classes are taught by retired and reserve officers. The salary of JROTC instructors is primarily based on a military formula, according to rank and retirement pay.

Military Retirement Pay Determination

The Defense Finance Accounting Service determines retirement salary based on government military pay tables for the current year. DFAS provides payment services for all branches of the US Department of Defense. All branches base JROTC instructor salaries on the military’s Minimum Instructor Pay formula. MIP is the difference between the pay of a retired army personnel and the pay that an instructor would receive if he were on active duty, minus extra compensation for hazardous duty and incentives.

Army JROTC

In addition to receiving pay based on the MIP, schools must provide Army JROTC instructors with guaranteed contracts for 10, 11 or 12 months. The Army helps schools cover the costs of instructors and reimburses them for half of the MIP. Instructors receive the "Army JROTC Instructor Monthly Statement" with detailed information on their MIP and other salary details.

Navy JROTC

The Navy also bases JROTC instructor salaries on the MIP formula. The Navy provides an online calculator for instructors to find out their exact pay on the NJROTC website. The salary for a NAVY JROTC instructor changes two times per year, based on factors such as changes in the branch’s retired Consumer Price Index, changes in active duty pay and allowances and other factors. The Navy Service Training Command provides written notification to instructors when changes occur.

Air Force JROTC

In addition to using the standard MIP formula to determine JROTC instructor pay, the Air Force also compensates instructors with a clothing allowance. Instructors can figure out their pay using a worksheet on the Air Force JROTC website.

Marines JROTC

The Marines also uses the MIP and has additional requirements in order to grant JROTC instructor status. Retired personnel must apply for certification to teach JROTC via the "Instructor Certification Course." Certification must be renewed every four years. The Marines has two levels of instructors: Senior Marine Instructor and Marine Instructor. SMIs generally manage programs at high schools while MIs handle more teaching and training duties. SMIs must have at least 20 years of active duty experience.

Retirement and JROTC Pay Calculations

While each branch of the military may add bonuses and other types of additional pay specific to their branch, retirement pay is uniform across the branches. The lowest end of the retirement salary scale includes those with 20 years of less of retirement at a pay grade of E1, the minimum rank for a retiree. At the low end, a retired military enlistee just one year out of the military would receive a minimum of approximately $719 per month as of 2011. The minimum salary for someone at that level while on active duty would be $1,644 as of 2011. JROTC minimum pay would be approximately $925 per month. An mid-ranked enlisted service person with at least 20 years of experience would receive a monthly retirement salary of at least $2,180. The minimum salary for someone on active duty at that level would be $4,538 per month. A JROTC instructor at that level would receive $2,358 per month. A high-ranking enlisted personnel with at least 20 years of experience would receive at least $2,406 per month. The minimum salary for someone on active duty at that level would be $5,988 per month. A JROTC instructor at that level would receive $3,582 per month.