Question for those who work for the government ~

[Home'scool]

I have always worked for private companies but just interviewed for a position with the health department for my local town.

 

What are the pros and cons of working for a town government? Is there even enough of a difference to make a difference?

 

Thanks for any input!

[almondbutterandjelly]

Our city government doesn't pay very well and likes to put freezes on pay raises for several years in a row.  YMMV.

 

They did have decent benefits and job security.  Next to impossible to get fired.  The people were mostly nice.

 

I would choose federal government work over city government work, by far.  I guess health department is city?  Actually, I think it is county where I live, now that I think about it.  No experience with them.

 

 

[mamaraby]

Depending on what state you live in (and whether your governor sees being governor as a stepping stone to greater and better things), you may become the great big boogey man (lazy, overpaid, slackers, etc) which doesn't really help your morale. It's also really stressful when you don't know exactly how big the paycut will be or what will happen next. Which, since you're not a state employee, may not always directly impact you, but will come into play when state funding levels change.

 

Low morale and greater uncertainty translates into high turnover rates creating vacancies that they may not fill (for one reason or another) which means more work when you have to pick up the slack. This will also drag morale down creating more turnover.

 

Know your state/county/city government climate before going in. If it's fairly stable you can probably go for it. If not? You either have to really love what you do or be flexible enough to go elsewhere when the political winds change.

[Tsuga]

I have always worked for private companies but just interviewed for a position with the health department for my local town.

 

What are the pros and cons of working for a town government? Is there even enough of a difference to make a difference?

 

Thanks for any input!

 

1. People talk about government waste all the time. Basically, when you hear about your job in the news, you will be referred to as "waste". This is extremely demoralizing even for people who like their jobs and who believe in moderate government programs such as community colleges and waste management and so on, because, ya know, nobody's going to pick up the trash for free but whatever.

 

2. Some states actually are really corrupt! And so are some towns. The town where I grew up actually is corrupt and wasteful because people there are so anti-government they keep electing businessmen who are in it for a profit. Ugh. I've heard it's absolutely horrible to work for them. However, I work for a really great state and great system and I am proud of the work we do.

 

3. The entire government is simultaneously told to keep costs and bureaucracy down, while being held to insanely high standards of documenting everything because of corruption fears. I spend about half my time in my government job proving we are not wasting anything. Yes, there's a huge, comical irony there. Someday I'm going to write a book about it.

 

4. Is there a union? Unions can be great for the group but as an individual you may have to pay dues and they may not help him in particular if their focus is on rights for disabled workers and they take up to 1% of your salary in dues. OTOH they got us all these nice benefits.

 

5. People work for the government until they die. See (4). So, you work with a lot of old people. So. Many. Old. People. This surprised me the most about the government, vs. non-profits / private sector.

 

That said, you are usually allowed to work on the side doing consulting if it's not related to your day gig, so having those great health and dental and other benefits, plus a steady salary, means that if you're willing to put in 60 hour weeks, you can really make a living in spite of a 40-hour work week with little chance for major advancement until all the baby boomers are dead (not that I want anyone to die, just saying, nobody will ever retire and the government is shrinking so how does advancement work in this scenario). I have excellent vacation benefits, excellent health care, union protection if I needed it, etc. Doing extra stuff internationally on the side means I also can make money.

 

It really depends on what you want for a career, honestly.

 

Some consulting firms love to hire people with connections in government. However, it's not always for the right reasons. :~/

[mom2samlibby]

1. People talk about government waste all the time. Basically, when you hear about your job in the news, you will be referred to as "waste". This is extremely demoralizing even for people who like their jobs and who believe in moderate government programs such as community colleges and waste management and so on, because, ya know, nobody's going to pick up the trash for free but whatever.

 

2. Some states actually are really corrupt! And so are some towns. The town where I grew up actually is corrupt and wasteful because people there are so anti-government they keep electing businessmen who are in it for a profit. Ugh. I've heard it's absolutely horrible to work for them. However, I work for a really great state and great system and I am proud of the work we do.

 

3. The entire government is simultaneously told to keep costs and bureaucracy down, while being held to insanely high standards of documenting everything because of corruption fears. I spend about half my time in my government job proving we are not wasting anything. Yes, there's a huge, comical irony there. Someday I'm going to write a book about it.

 

4. Is there a union? Unions can be great for the group but as an individual you may have to pay dues and they may not help him in particular if their focus is on rights for disabled workers and they take up to 1% of your salary in dues. OTOH they got us all these nice benefits.

 

5. People work for the government until they die. See (4). So, you work with a lot of old people. So. Many. Old. People. This surprised me the most about the government, vs. non-profits / private sector.

 

That said, you are usually allowed to work on the side doing consulting if it's not related to your day gig, so having those great health and dental and other benefits, plus a steady salary, means that if you're willing to put in 60 hour weeks, you can really make a living in spite of a 40-hour work week with little chance for major advancement until all the baby boomers are dead (not that I want anyone to die, just saying, nobody will ever retire and the government is shrinking so how does advancement work in this scenario). I have excellent vacation benefits, excellent health care, union protection if I needed it, etc. Doing extra stuff internationally on the side means I also can make money.

 

It really depends on what you want for a career, honestly.

 

Some consulting firms love to hire people with connections in government. However, it's not always for the right reasons. :~/

Wow.  :(

 

My husband works for our city.  He's been there for 8 years and he's pretty high up now.  It's been a great job for him.  The city jobs in our town are in demand because they pay well and benefits are good.  He was in the private sector before he got this job and it's so much better.  The hours are better, pay is better, benefits are better.  

 

When they have openings at his job location, he usually receives around 150 applications because people know that these are good jobs.

 

If I were you, I'd consider the position.

[Tsuga]

Wow.   :(

 

My husband works for our city.  He's been there for 8 years and he's pretty high up now.  It's been a great job for him.  The city jobs in our town are in demand because they pay well and benefits are good.  He was in the private sector before he got this job and it's so much better.  The hours are better, pay is better, benefits are better.  

 

When they have openings at his job location, he usually receives around 150 applications because people know that these are good jobs.

 

If I were you, I'd consider the position.

 

I have to wonder what field he is in. In our state, outside researchers and coaches for the universities, most salaries in the government are at least 10% - 50% below those in the private sector, particularly in IT and medicine. For example an OB will get paid $250k in a private hospital as base pay, but the absolute top paid medical professionals in our entire state get paid under $250k.

 

This doesn't include college football which is funded by endowments and based on profits and which is not really a state salary, per se, but our top state salary is of course the football coach at the university. The state does not pay that. Endowments pay that. But his job is managed by the state, funded by private givers.

[Home'scool]

The job is in a small, but affluent town. About 22,000 people. It is a nice pay raise from what I am making now and from what I have seen out there. I interviewed with the whole staff (4 people) and they all said they love their jobs and have been there for at least 10 years. The woman I would be replacing is moving up, not leaving. She said she would never leave she is so happy. 

 

I am looking for a nice work environment that keeps me busy. I am bored bored bored at my current job! They said they issue about 1000 permits a year for a variety of things as well as other things that they do. The town hall is very nice also - looks like it was recently redone.

 

 

[Tsuga]

If they will pay you well and people are happy, why not?

 

My job doesn't pay well but it offers flexibility and people are great.

 

I think it depends on the area and the department no matter what. It sounds like you may have a chance at a great position. I'm sure it will be different but if you think you're getting paid fairly, go for it.