What is the difference between pfc and spc

In short, the difference between the two E-4 grades is that one is considered a non-commissioned officer while the other is not. The corporal will go to the NCO training school while the specialist might not. In practice, the corporal outranks a specialist and will be treated as an NCO by the soldiers below him or her. The specialist is still an E-4 level expert at his or her MOS.

Army could have written it. He served in the Army from in signals intelligence. Having once been both a specialist and a corporal, he had firsthand knowledge of the difference, which he describes in detail :. That magnificent specimen is the envy of superiors and subordinates alike. The First Noble Truth — Unsatisfactoriness and suffering exist and are universally experienced.

The Second Noble Truth — Desire and attachment are the causes of unsatisfactoriness and suffering. A soldier can live for many years in harmony with his squad and his command if he simply forgets his attachment to promotion.

Privates will be automatically promoted to the rank of PFC after one year of service, or possibly earlier at the discretion of their commanding officer. The primary role of a PFC is to carry out the orders issued by their commanding officers. Upon attaining the rank of PFC, most soldiers will eventually advance to either the the rank of Specialist or Corporal.

A Private First Class is most often promoted from Private Second Class PV2 , although promotion from lower paygrades may occur with sufficient display of leadership and experience. The rank of PFC is attained by all Privates Second Class after a year in service or earlier at the request of superiors as a reward for sustained good performance. Privates attaining this third level of this class are assigned even greater responsibility at the individual level, such as being assigned as a machine gunner or other more complicated weapon systems, and expected to master it and continue to execute orders to the best of their ability.

In formal situations, a Private First Class should always be addressed by their full rank. A Private First Class receives an automatic raise to their basic pay every one to two years. Basic pay is only a small percentage of a Private First Class' final compensation package. In addition to a monthly basic pay salary, a Army Specialist may be eligible for multiple types of allowances and bonus pay including food allowance, hazard pay, and more.

A full table of the Army's current paygrades are available at the Army Pay Chart. To learn more about the Army's rank structure, see our complete list of Army ranks. The Government civilian-employee equivalent of a Specialist is paid under the General Schedule payscale.

For more details, see this Army rank to GS grade conversion table. To see a list of military medals and decorations that can be earned by servicemembers in the Army and other branches of the military, see our list of military decorations and medals.

Civilian Payscales. Military Discounts. Decorations In Order. Decorations By Class.