I admit working for good ol' Uncle Sam has its advantages. I do receive approx 10 federal holidays a year which can equate to many 3 day weekends. Job stability at NARA is priceless. I can take off whenever I want as long as I have the leave. I receive 4 hours of sick leave every pay period and 6 hours of annual leave for the same. I find it hard to see receiving such benefits so quickly anywhere else. For 2007 alone we have the following paid holidays:
Monday, January 1
New Year's Day
Monday, January 15
Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr.
Monday, February 19*
Washington’s Birthday
Monday, May 28
Memorial Day
Wednesday, July 4
Independence Day
Monday, September 3
Labor Day
Monday, October 8
Columbus Day
Monday, November 12**
Veterans Day
Thursday, November 22
Thanksgiving Day
Tuesday, December 25
Christmas Day
The only downside is the pay. Government worker salaries are really not reknown for their generosity in pay. What we do here in the public sector a private sector employee can be paid double or triple that amount.
Yet, there are still some who think we civil servants have cash coming out of our a$$. HAH...do not think so. I pay quite a bit for my health insurance and taxed. Ironic in some aspects because those taxes also pay my salary.
It depends on where you fall on the GS pay scale. Of course GS9's and higher do have a nicer salary and we have our steps. Check out this website for those curious as to how we US federal employees are paid: http://www.opm.gov/oca/07tables/html/RUS.asp (mind you this is for the St. Louis region and certain areas of the USA.)
All in all, I do love the job security and hope that in time I can move up to a higher level position if not in NARA then another government agency where I can retire in peace.
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2 comments:
That's the downside of government jobs in pretty much every civilized country. You have security and days off, but the pay is crap. Only in the Middle East you get security, days off AND pay is good. But of course you have to be local :P
Yes, I have heard of WASTA. A nightmare. You need it from getting your electric put on at a decent time to finding a job. I read this one post from a gal in Libya who says that the way they pay their phone bill there is that the phone company turns off their phone the day it is due and you have to go in to pay it????
A friend of mine who is from Oman told me this and man...what a pain in the ass to go through.
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