is GS-14 high?

[Ameesh]

the government rating, i don't know much about it and i was curious. thanks

 

[woodie1]

It is fairly high. Can pay a good salary depending on level. I no longer have the GS tables so someone else will have to fill in more details.

 

[AvesPKS]

It's generally about as high as you can go before you need to be a manager (there are exceptions). This is all relative to DC, though. Grades are generally lower out in the field.

 

[Fausto]

Originally posted by: woodie1
It is fairly high. Can pay a good salary depending on level. I no longer have the GS tables so someone else will have to fill in more details.

Actually, that's quite high. You'd need a PhD here at the CDC to even be considered for that level.

 

[bunker]

GS-14 ranges from $76k to $99k.

*edit - That's just the general range. Depending on where you are in the country it can be higher or lower.

 

[Cerebus451]

GS-15 is the highest grade you can attain, though there are also 15 (IIRC) steps within each grade. To go above GS-15 you have to go into SES (Senior Executive Series).

When I left the government about 5 years ago, a GS-15 step 15 was around 100k per year in salary, in the D.C. pay area. A GS-14 is probably around the 70k area for D.C. I would guess (I was a 13 step 3 making 58k 5 years ago).

 

[Ameesh]

Originally posted by: Fausto1

Originally posted by: woodie1
It is fairly high. Can pay a good salary depending on level. I no longer have the GS tables so someone else will have to fill in more details.

Actually, that's quite high. You'd need a PhD here at the CDC to even be considered for that level.

you serious?

 

[nord1899]

Doesn't the GS ratings top out at 15 or 16? After that, you become more of an appointed position or something like that.

Anyway, my dad was a GS-15 and my mom is a GS-14 if I remember correctly. Its pretty high.

 

[MajesticMoose]

my dad is a 12 or 14 i think and he makes good money.

 

[Ameesh]

Originally posted by: Cerebus451
GS-15 is the highest grade you can attain, though there are also 15 (IIRC) steps within each grade. To go above GS-15 you have to go into SES (Senior Executive Series).

When I left the government about 5 years ago, a GS-15 step 15 was around 100k per year in salary, in the D.C. pay area. A GS-14 is probably around the 70k area for D.C. I would guess (I was a 13 step 3 making 58k 5 years ago).

what are steps?

 

[woodie1]

Federal Pay

 

[bunker]

Originally posted by: Ameesh

Originally posted by: Cerebus451
GS-15 is the highest grade you can attain, though there are also 15 (IIRC) steps within each grade. To go above GS-15 you have to go into SES (Senior Executive Series).

When I left the government about 5 years ago, a GS-15 step 15 was around 100k per year in salary, in the D.C. pay area. A GS-14 is probably around the 70k area for D.C. I would guess (I was a 13 step 3 making 58k 5 years ago).

what are steps?

For a GS-14 there are 10 steps. That range I spoke of above, the 76k is for a step 1 and the 99k is for a step 10. It's basically ranks within a rank. Used for raises.

 

[bunker]

Originally posted by: woodie1
nm

heh...saw your post before you edited it!

 

[cmdavid]

yep.. GS-14 is pretty high...
btw, steps are usually done by the year... each year you get 1 more step, generally....

 

[Cerebus451]

Originally posted by: Ameesh

Originally posted by: Cerebus451
GS-15 is the highest grade you can attain, though there are also 15 (IIRC) steps within each grade. To go above GS-15 you have to go into SES (Senior Executive Series).

When I left the government about 5 years ago, a GS-15 step 15 was around 100k per year in salary, in the D.C. pay area. A GS-14 is probably around the 70k area for D.C. I would guess (I was a 13 step 3 making 58k 5 years ago).

what are steps?

Built-in pay increases. When you get promoted to a new grade, you generally start at step 1. After 1 year in step 1, you move to step 2, and so on to step 5. Then it takes 2 years to move a step up to 10. Then I think it is 3 years between moves up to step 15. The pay increases are fairly small compared to a grade increase.

Also, most technical positions in the government are career ladder 12. That means you can't go above a GS-12 in that position. You have to move to another position (usually managerial) to get to 13, 14, and 15. However, in some areas (D.C. especially) there are technical positions that will go above grade 12. You usually have to have an advanced degree to get into one of these positions, but they will make exceptions where they need to allow higher grades to match pay in the private sector.

 

[woodie1]

Originally posted by: bunker

Originally posted by: woodie1
nm

heh...saw your post before you edited it!

Check it out now.

 

[cmdavid]

pay scales for GS rankings...

 

[Cerebus451]

Originally posted by: sandigga
pay scales for GS rankings...

Wow, pay has really increased since I left just 5 years ago. Around 12k increase for a GS-13 step 2 in the D.C. area. If I had known they were gonna jump like that I might have stuck around (NOT!).

Also, I guess there are just 10 steps, not 15. It is probably 1 year between steps 1-3, 2 years between steps 3-6 and 3 years the rest of the way.

 

[Don Vito Corleone]

For those with military experience, a GS-14 is essentially equivalent to an O-5 (Lt Col in the Army, AF, or Marines, or Commander in the Navy). The breakout is basically:

SES 1-4 = 1-4 star general
GS-15 = O-6
GS-14 = O-5
GS-13 = O-4
GS-12 = O-3
GS-11 = O-2
GS-10 = O-1

 

[Jimbo]

GS-15 is as HIGH as you go in the GS ranking

 

[HomeBrewerDude]

its pretty high.

 

[Ameesh]

do you think its reasonable to ask to be placed into a higher gs or a higher step? what kind of negotiating can you do with the government?

 

[MrBond]

Originally posted by: Ameesh
do you think its reasonable to ask to be placed into a higher gs or a higher step? what kind of negotiating can you do with the government?

I dunno if all government agencies are this bad, but I interviewed for a job with the EPA, they never called me back. I actually thought I interviewed pretty well, but apparently not well enough to earn a return call.

I'm glad they didn't call back anyway. I'm now working for a company that's 100x better then that EPA job would have been, plus I make more money and wouldn't have to sell my soul to the devil. I don't have to feel so bad about dumping used oil into the creek out back either

 

[Don Vito Corleone]

Originally posted by: Ameesh
do you think its reasonable to ask to be placed into a higher gs or a higher step? what kind of negotiating can you do with the government?

It's not exactly negotiating, but in some jobs they will hire you at a higher GS level based on your experience. Others are hard-coded at a particular level.

 

[cmdavid]

seniority takes precedence in government jobs 95% of the time...
edit: i say this becaue if you're trying to get a GS-14 entering you're not likely to get it because they don't create the positions, they open up, and usually seniority will get chosen for the job before some "new guy"... not saying it wont happen but good luck...