Government employee vs. private employee

Career Opportunities & Internships
1

<p>Generally, government positions earn less than their equivalent in the private sector, but what are some of the benefits?</p>

<p>My assumptions are: </p>

<p>-more vacation time, paid sick days
-less work to be completed on a typical basis
-health and retirement packages</p>

<p>Some drawbacks of a government position I'm aware of like:</p>

<p>-a smaller salary
-more paperwork
-a requirement to follow rules and regulations
-less room for creativity and advancement</p>

<p>What are some other drawbacks to becoming employed by the government?</p>

2

<p>I can only answer regarding federal employment, but I think there are a lot more benefits than you list, and not all of the drawbacks apply universally. Conditions of course vary greatly among various agencies, just like they would among private companies. In terms of benefits, not only are the leave, health and retirement benefits among the best, but, for some type of jobs, some agencies may offer recruiting bonuses, forgiveness of federal student loans, funding for additional education, and travel and professional opportunities as good or better than private organizations. And in my experience there is as much variation in the amount of work among private orgs as gov't orgs. In many fields, the work is extremely demanding both technically and time-wise, and creativity may be encouraged and fostered. The work also can be unique--since the gov't does some things not even attempted privately--stimulating, and professionally fulfilling.</p>

<p>Think of working for the government as public service. It can have a major impact on the well-being of people. You will not get rich on the salary, but you can be very comfortable if you are good at your job and fortunate to be in a workplace where that is recognized and rewarded.</p>

3

<p>I must say that was an incredibly well-written response.</p>

4

<p>You also have great job security as a government employee. When I was working for a state agency a few summers back, I was told that if I stayed on for a few more months (completing my one year probation period), they wouldn't be able to fire me or lay me off unless I seriously screw something up. It also helped that I was part of the union.</p>

<p>Of course, this encourages laziness, so it could be a good or bad thing.</p>

5

<p>I live in a Colombia where the private sector pays 10000 times more than the government, I can tell you that there are people who can earn 50,000 dollars a month in onwe the highest charges like the Bavaria president of the commercial sector, while the president of colombia can earn up to 10,000 dollars. There are very little benefits, unless you have a very high place. Definately it depends on the country.</p>