MARINE CORPS AIR STATION IWAKUNI, Japan -- Some people need to stay busy; some just need extra cash. That’s why Marine Corps Community Services offers jobs to active duty Marines any time of the year.
Currently, approximately eight active duty Marines aboard Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan, have second jobs working for the Marine Corps Exchange under a “flex” position, according to Andrew D. Chung, senior division sales manager for the MCX.
A “flex” position is a work schedule that isn’t considered a regular part-time or full-time position.
“The main positions Marines would work are cashiers, (identification) checkers or a stocker,” said Chung. “Those are for our locations: the southside Marine Mart, the MCX and the northside Marine Mart. Where they work all depends on where they live, and we balance it out from there.”
Chung said the two main reasons he sees Marines apply for second jobs are “extra cash and something to do.”
Cpl. Dereck M. Toomer, an aviation supply specialist with Marine Aviation Logistics Squadron 12, also works for the MCX and encourages those who need a second job to work there as well.
“At the very least, you’re getting extra money,” said Toomer. “Granted, as Marines we get paid on the first and the fifteenth, but at the same time, who doesn’t like extra money.”
For Marines who worry about having a second job interfering with their primary mission, Chung reiterated that he knows being a Marine comes first.
“We are MCCS, we are the Marine Corps Exchange and our employees are part of the military and the community,” said Chung. “Therefore, if they have (temporary additional duty), or deployments, we just work with them. We just ask for a copy of the orders and when they are coming back, then we will take them off the schedule and they can resume when they return. No problems. No harm, no foul.”
Chung also said if an active duty Marine is working for MCCS and decides to get out of the Corps, he can stay in his current location and be converted over to a full-time MCCS position.
The application process for an MCX position can be done online at https://www.mccsiwakuni.com, and once the application is processed, the employers will contact the applicant.