Working for The Government — What You Need to Know About Civil Service Employment

Civil service employees form an essential part of the US government and play a key role in law enforcement, education, information technology, and finance. They’re in charge of a rich menu of core government activities that make America what it is.

To compensate the employees for the magnitude of their responsibilities, the government also takes care of the personnel needs well.
Here’s what it’s like to work for the civil service:

Benefits

Unlike organizations in the private sector, the civil service pay scale is government-regulated. This ensures that each government employee receives substantially equal pay for equal work carried out in a defined local pay area. However, in each case, the employee’s professional experience and level of education is the key determinant of their pay grade.
Most of the employees are compensated using the General Security (GS) pay scale. Whereas, the remuneration for foreign employees is based on the Foreign Service (FS) pay scale. Even the locally employed staff receives pay that’s competitive with other local compensation scales. In most cases, the locally employed staff is compensated in the host country’s currency. However, if the prevailing local practice is to compensate them in US dollars, then that’s followed.
The total compensation package also includes other benefits, such as health insurance, life insurance, paid holidays, medical allowances, annual and sick leaves, and health benefit plans.

Career planning

The US Department of State believes in fostering diplomatic, leadership, managerial, and technical skills. To ensure that the employees go through the right kind of professional development, the Foreign Service Institute offers several professional training courses. If any civil service personnel have to transition into an overseas assignment, the FSI also trains their eligible family members.

Training is an integral part of a government employee's life throughout their careers. The US Department of State has developed a training continuum to ensure that the employees have the right skill set for each stage of their service. This includes both personal development and professional training. The CDRC has been set to provide confidential counseling and career development assistance to civil service employees. 
Other than that, employees can also complete a free post-graduate intelligence program conducted by The Joint Military Intelligence College (JMIC). These classes take place after working hours and include courses like strategic intelligence, National Security Structure, Policy, and International Security, and a lot more.

Amenities

To make work life easier for the employees, the Department of State has set up multiple amenity centers in Washington, DC. Two child care centers in Arlington are sponsored by the Department exclusively for the civil service employees. If the employee's family is not large, the Department also provides up to 50% subsidies for childcare expenses. 
The employees can travel between Main State and State annexes using the Department's transportation—as long as they have a valid building pass. For fitness and recreation, the Department has set up a private, nonprofit organization called The Foreign Affairs Recreation Association (FARA). The center itself is located in The Foggy Bottom and is open for the employees 24 hours a day. The fee structure is very nominal.
You're one step away from realizing your dream of working for the civil service. Civil Service Success helps prepare candidates for civil service exams in New York, including Suffolk County Police, Nassau County police officer, and NYS court officer. 

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