Working For The Government: remote and onsite jobs

What is Government Job?

Civil service or government job is also known as public service. The work is about serving the nation’s general people at local, state, or federal levels. It is related to the work of an organization or an agency that is controlled by the government. It is funded by the money collected by the taxpayers and is known as the public sector.

Millions of people worldwide are currently doing public sector jobs. It ranges from schools, emergency services to research, and scientific posts. The best part is you can do offline and online jobs in this sector with the possibility of flexible jobs, telecommuting, and working remotely.

Remote government jobs: which government agencies offer remote positions? (In the US)

One of the important things every job seeker must do before browsing the internet is to go on governmental websites. According to your location, you may have all the information to start your journey as a successful remote worker, find an on-site job, or even work online from home for the government.

Most people want to work from home, especially in these uncertain times of COVID-19. A lot of people think that the last decade is the era when remote working got a boost, but that’s not completely right. Domesticity has remained the focus of work for centuries. Nowadays, multiple enterprises and even governmental institutions are offering to work from home.

The federal government started offering work from home in the 1990s, and that laid the foundation of virtual federal jobs in the USA. Two prominent departments of the federal government, named General Services Administration (GSA) and Office of Personnel Management (OPM), began an extensive pilot program for federal workers.

USAJOBS: A Gateway to Fully Remote Jobs       

Visit USAJOBS‘s official website to find remote jobs in your concerned department either in GSA, USPS, OPM, CIA, or any field of your desire and expertise. In the keyword labeled box, insert your’ job title, department, occupation, agency, or series’.

Once done, then you can add locations, but as we are looking for telework government jobs so won’t fill anything in it. Now they have tons of filters to optimize your results. So, if you are looking for government jobs open to the public, then check the ‘open to the public box.’

At the bottom of these filters, you can choose your desired department, let’s say GSA. It will open all the jobs offered by General Administration Services, and if you have inserted the keyword of your concerned job, then it will further concise the results for you. 

As we are looking for remote jobs, then click on the ‘More filters’ and check the ‘Offer Telework’ box, so it will show all jobs in this category that are available for teleworking.

USA jobs open to Public

USAJOBS is the special website launched by the United States government, which is the center of all government jobs. No matter either you are looking for home-based government jobs or office-based jobs, this website has everything for you. Before we start the discussion on telework government jobs, let’s first understand the website a little bit so we can apply comfortably.

USAJOBS Sign In

Before you apply for any job, it is mandatory for everyone to sign in. if you have previously built your account, then you can directly sign in to find any federal telework jobs. In case you haven’t created your account, then create a new one by clicking here. It only needs your email id and preferred language. If you are a government employee, then simply inserting your employee ID or PIV/CAC will serve the purpose.

USAJOBS Resume Builder

This easy to work website show your account and resume to concerned recruiters, which increases your chances of getting a job. So, it’s mandatory to upload your resume with the latest information. In case you don’t have one, then you can build a new one instantly by clicking here.

Firstly make sure to sign in and then go to the document section. There you can build your resume by clicking on ‘build resume’. Name your resume and click ‘next.’

Once you have clicked next, then add your work experiences, education, and references. These all will make you stand out from your fellow applicants. You can add as many of them as you want, but for better results, don’t overstuff it with information. You can always create a new resume, later on, so be focused on one job only.

You can also add your additional skills, as these are extremely useful when you are applying for federal government jobs. Add other languages you know, your publications or any other information that you think will be required for any particular job. Simply press ‘finish’ and then review your resume.

It’s always a good gesture to update your profile whenever you are applying for a new job. But USAJOBS doesn’t automatically update your resume with the updated information, so you need to create a new resume for every job category. It’s a good practice to keep multiple resumes for varying jobs. Let’s search for some fully remote government jobs.

LinkedIn USA Jobs

In recent years, LinkedIn has appeared as one of the most efficient and reliable hubs for job seekers and even recruiters. Go to the job section of LinkedIn and search for the company or sector you want to join, or you can simply insert your job title, and all relevant searches will appear. Now tune the location filter to ‘United States’ and then click on the ‘Company’ filter where you can choose your concerned dream organization.

Lastly, click the ‘Remote’ to get all telework options available for you. Then, simply open that job and apply. You can also browse and choose to join one of the LinkedIn groups related to finding government jobs.

Work from home Government Jobs in various Federal Departments

US Department of Interior

For finding any online home based government job in any department, there are two options:

• Either apply via the department’s official website
• Or apply via USAJOBS
• Or by LinkedIn, Indeed, Glassdoor, Flexjobs, Lensa, and other such platforms

DOI employees people in more than 300 occupations. Simply visit their website’s career area and find your desired job. You can add keywords according to your choice and requirement. For example, if you are looking for a job ‘Cartographer,’ simply place it in the search bar. You can add filters according to your requirements of experience and the work nature you want to prefer.

Once you have got your desired job, click on it, and all the details relevant to the job will open up. For time being, we are only focusing on the job search via the official websites of federal departments, but in the end, we will suggest to you the most efficient ways to find your dream virtual federal jobs with very few clicks. 

Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)

If you are looking for work from home government jobs in VA’s department, then visit their career page on their official website. There are multiple options to choose from; either you can go for private jobs or apply for federal jobs.

Just click on your concerned field, but make sure to check for the sub-department of VA like Veteran Health Administration and many more like these.

So, depending upon your specialties, you can apply for the concerned jobs, but finding a special work from a home government job is a bit tough via their official website. Shortly, I will be explaining an easy way of doing it.      

General Services Administration (GSA)

GAS has recently ranked among the best places to work in the federal government. General Services Administration works for the construction, management, and preservation of governmental buildings. It also works for leasing and managing commercial real estate. They also collaborate with the private sector by providing them with professional services, supplies, and equipment.

If you are looking to apply for remote jobs, then the most appropriate way is to apply via USAJOBS.

Office of Personnel Management (OPM)

OPM serves as the major Human Resources Agency and also personnel policy manager for the federal government. It mainly provides support to federal agencies and also provides human resources management. In addition, the Office of Personnel Management manages healthcare and insurance programs, administers retirement benefits, and assists in civil services hiring.

OPM basically the central agency for all types of job-related works. USAJOBS’s website is managed by OPM. If you are looking for OPM remote work, then visit USAJOBS to start your career.  

Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)

CIA is the backbone of the American defense system. The premier intelligence agency of the world gathers and analyzes foreign intelligence and conducts covert actions. All the key decisions taken by the President of the United States and other policymakers are based on the information provided by Central Intelligence Agency.

You can find your desired career in FIA by visiting their official website; for federal telework jobs in the CIA, USAJOBS is a much better place to find your jobs.

Pathway Programs- Remote Jobs

Pathway programs are three specialized civil services paid programs:

• Pathway Internship Programs
• Recent Graduate Programs
• PMF or Presidential Management Fellows Program

OPM is the main body that proposes regulations for these programs. Job postings are regularly updated as soon as a vacancy is available, but there isn’t a proper filter to search for remote jobs. OS, you need to search it manually from the ‘available jobs,’ or you can visit USAJOBS for more refined searches.

For alumni that considering a career with the federal government, the Recent Graduates Program can help you reach your goal in one or two years. After completing the training, you may be eligible for permanent employment in the civil service. 

United States Postal Services (USPS)

If you are looking to work for one of the top-notch postal services in the world in these extraordinary times, the United States Postal Services has opened its doors for you. Go to their career section to find your desired jobs.

Now we are going to discuss all in one USAJOBS platform run by the Office of Personnel Management, where you can find entry-level government jobs, full-time telework federal government jobs, remote government contract jobs, and a bunch of other options.

10 most common Government Jobs in the World

Following is a list of some famous public sector job posts common to have in any country around the world;

1) Police Officer – One who has the responsibility to keep the community safe.

2) School Teacher – A person who is responsible for shaping the future of the children.

3) Linguist – A person who can translate and interpret the message from one language to another. The job responsibility even includes transcribing text or audio.

4) Civil Engineer – A professional who can help the government to shape the infrastructure. It includes many responsibilities, like planning construction projects and roads.

5) Firefighter – The main job is to make people aware of fire safety and offer help in case of any emergency.

6) Economist – One who can help the government and the public manage and plan well to use and gain economy.

7) Database Admin – A technology expert who can manage and ensure the security of public and government data.

8) Treasurer – The post demands many different roles to manage funds and cash flows performed at different levels of government.

9) Healthcare personnel – It includes various duties essential to maintain the health of the public. It can be a doctor, nurse, or any other role.

10) Criminal investigator – A law enforcement officer who investigates illegal activity and crime.

What is the Average Salary of Government Workers?

You might be wondering if a public service might not help you earn much compared to doing the job in a private sector. Here is a bar chart presenting the data taken from the PayScale research report. It depicts a comparison of six countries based on the average yearly salary of their government employees (average yearly income of government workers);

Now after getting an idea of how much people of such nations can earn, let us briefly look at the benefits that they get as perks!

What are the Benefits of Government Jobs? [Benefits as per Different Countries]

The list of facilities and support provided by the government of any nation is very similar. Still, you can go through the following points regarding each of them to get more insights. So let us check out them one by one;

Benefits of working for the government in the USA and Canada

• Higher compensation for doing the same work as compared to the private sector.
• In some regions, state and federal government workers do not need to pay state income taxes for whatever they earn in retirement.
• Some government employers offer health insurance facilities for their retired employees.
• Public servants can retire earlier with full benefits as opposed to the maximum percentage of private workers.

• Both local and state government employees are getting a double number of paid personal days. Additionally, there are opportunities for other kinds of paid time off as compared to private-sector workers.
• Superior job security with three times lesser possibility of any involuntary termination.
• Public employees get more generous holidays and vacations as compared to private sector personnel.
• On average, federal workers get more generous non-wage fringe paid benefits from their employers.

Benefits associated with government jobs in the United Kingdom

• A typical result has been confirmed after some financial studies based on public service in the UK. It states that government employees get more than 14% of profits than their private-sector counterparts.
• Public sector employers keep on encouraging and enhancing the potential of their staff. It is possible by regularly organizing training programs. Thus, their employees gain external qualifications or develop skills for more career opportunities.

• A report has proven the fact that government staff earns 30% more. It is possible that too by working about nine years less than private workers in their lifetime.
• The working atmosphere in a government organization is stress-free and less demanding than related to one of the private sector.
• A job that gives workers the feeling of serving and helping their nation or their local community for some good cause by working for them.

Australian public services employee benefits

• As per the recent statement of Bernard Salt, an Australian columnist, the population rate has increased in the past one to two decades. Hence, it enhances the need for a government sector workforce.

• The public sector is known for offering flexible working environments for a long time ago. So many are offering shorter working weeks of about 35-40 hours on average.
• A government job provides a better balance between work and personal life. It is due to the possibility of flexible job leaves and more as compared to private workers.

Government of Canada employee benefits

• The Canadian government provides both assurance and flexibility in a job. An employee can benefit from working remotely or through the home, compressed working weeks, and flex-work hours.
• Public sector employers in Canada are very responsible for providing a healthy and safe working environment for their staff. They meet the work conditions norms. They even help some of their disabled workers by offering technical aids and accommodations, as per need.

• If any public sector worker wants to relocate, then the government supports this by offering employment mobility. It can be either due to personal, family, or career advancement reasons.
• A public service employee can take the benefit of more leave and vacation packages to enjoy life with work.
• One can avail of the facility of different healthcare plans and profits, even in case of death.
• Workplace diversity.
• There are job openings in most sectors and industries.
• A better job security.
• Public employee pension plans are usually more generous than those of the private sector.

New Zealand public sector jobs benefits

• The government can allow its employer’s special parental leave to take better care of their child with leave payments.
• They are offering both sick and annual paid leaves. Also, there are possibilities for an alternative holiday or day in lieu.

Benefits of working for the government in Ireland

• There are many opportunities to switch jobs between different departments within a firm to progress the career quickly.
• Some government firms are offering incentive schemes to hire talented individuals for their job positions.

Similarly, not only above but doing public or civil service in any other country is to ease your life with less possibility of fiscal issues! Most of the civil services jobs require only graduation from the applicants as freshers. Also, for some posts, the experience of working with a private firm is accepted. So the possibilities are many to find different roles of public service on many popular online job portals.

Where to find government jobs in different countries

Here is a list of websites where you can find more information about public services jobs according to the country.

• Australia –> find a job on the Australian government website
• Canada –> visit the official website of the government of Canada
• Ireland –> gov.ie website
• New Zealand –> New Zealand Government website
• United Kingdom: –> GOV.UK
• United States –>  USAJOBS

If you don’t know the laws of your country, then you can’t build a long-term and successful business. We really suggest that you allocate some time to go on the government websites and learn what you need to create your business: how to file your taxes, health insurance, your company type, and more.

Federal Telework Policy

During these unpredictable times of COVID-19, most people are thinking of switching to teleworking instead of going to offices and interacting with other people. Federal telework policy basically allows employees of federal institutions such as the Office of Personnel Management, Postal Services, Central Intelligence Agency, and many more.

That telework can be in multiple forms like working within regular hours, paid hours, or performing duty on an alternate worksite.  So, all agencies are required to develop their telework policies before allowing work from home. That’s why federal institutions are also looking at Telework Enactment Act to devise their policies appropriately. Let’s first discuss the key points of this act before proceeding further.

Telework Enactment Act

Teleworking is a viable option only if it doesn’t affect the overall performance of the agency or institution. There are some duties that can’t allow their workers to work from home, like police, while there are a few that can allow their workers for some time to telework.

Even a few can allow their employees to work completely from home, like software houses or call centers, but it all depends on how the organization works.

Enactment act passed under the watch of Obama’s administration in 2010 defines rules and regulations to allow remote jobs. Here are a few key aspects of this act for better understanding:

• Each agency is required to develop a policy under which their employers can work from home or from any other authorized site
• It’s applicable to all federal executive agencies
• It gives a statuary elaboration of the term telework
• This act requires every executive agency to incorporate telework into their COOP plans
• It needs a document to be signed by both manager and employee as a condition of participation in telework

This act allows employees to establish a healthy work-life balance. It also facilitates agencies in the framework formation to leverage technological use to enhance the efficiency of telework.

Collaboration with OPM under Enactment Act

OPM or Office of Personnel Management plays a vital role in telework under the enactment act. Firstly, this act makes the Office of Personnel Management establish a website. The enactment act also makes it compulsory for executive agencies to collaborate with OPM to fulfill their reporting and data collection requirements.

Does Long-term telework in government the future?

By 2020 the world faces a new challenge: how to keep working while staying safe at home. The US government and many others had to take drastic measures to ensure that the economy does not collapse. They invest massively in new technology like videoconferencing software and have adopted new working habits. 

Telework is becoming the new normal for a vast number of US government workers. Now that elected officials begin to realize that working remotely has many benefits, federal agencies and states plan to perpetuate teleworking in some sectors.

If you get a government job, you will be eligible for long-term benefits, job satisfaction with stable work, a pension scheme, and much more. And most importantly, it guarantees job security to be prepared for any bad times like Corona. 

You can definitely try some government organizations’ job roles either at local, state, or federal levels. They are offering job positions based on flexible jobs, telecommuting, and working remotely.

So you can serve your locality, state, or nation by being a Manager, IT specialist, Garda, Administrator, Economist, Nurse, or Teacher. The list of job roles also includes work areas like Defense & law, Health, Policy, Education, Politics, and Conservation. 

The best part is the governance of different nations is making it easy for job seekers to apply for the desired position. Today all thanks to digital advancements, one can search for work and fill forms and do telecommuting or online jobs with ease.

The longer you work as a government employee, the more chances of career opportunities and promotions with a well-settled life. After all, we all want to do a less hectic job, wish for more holidays & facilities, and an added advantage is the respect of being in a position or a power.

As long as the public is there, the government also be there. Hence, there will be an endless possibility of jobs in the public sector. One or another industry in the public sector is always growing with funding!

The whole world is facing a pandemic situation due to the COVID-19 virus! It has left not only positive but negative impacts on our life. On one side, it helps us learn and care for our good health more than before and has proven beneficial for nature.

In a different scenario, it has completely changed our daily life and has significant impacts on jobs. We need to follow lockdown protocols to be safe in our homes as per the current situation. So, we need to prepare ourselves to start working from our homes, online jobs, or work remotely!

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