May the forth...com ing month be salubrious to your ranger career goals.
Ask your ranger questions in this thread.
GS-12 Chief of Interp here. I'll write a full post tonight, but I think "vary vastly from park to park" is probably more correct than not.
OK, so, I'm the GS-12 Chief of Interpretation at a relatively small, remote National Park, and have been in this position for about six months now.
In terms of day-to-day work, it's a classic middle management job. I'm directly responsible to the Superintendent for the safe and successful operation of a fairly complex interpretive and fee collection program of work, including two visitor centers, cave tours, evening and night sky programs, and more. Including myself, the division has eight permanent positions, with about 15 seasonals and interns added during the summer. I directly supervise three of those permanent employees. In addition, I serve as the park's public affairs officer, and am a member of the park Management Team.
It's my responsibility to develop strategic direction for the interpretive program, in coordination with the Superintendent and park stakeholders. That is, how do we tell the many stories of this park and its resources? Where are we focusing our limited resources as a division? How do we adapt to changing circumstances? What can we do to reach new audiences and tell stories yet untold? I work with our division's staff (and particularly my direct reports) to translate those strategic directions into tactical operations on the ground - and I work with our administrative officer to make sure we've got the budget to keep those operations going.
Work-life balance... well, I'm new to the NPS after 13 years with the USFS, so there has been a steep learning curve and I've been investing a lot of time in coming up to speed. On the flip side, in my previous job my commute involved dodging trucks on I-90 for 55 miles each way every day, which was simply soul-crushing. Here, my drive to work is five miles and a "traffic jam" is two cars at an intersection. That massive reduction in commute time and driving stress translated to vastly better work-life balance, almost overnight. Between having more time to cook and being less tempted by fast food (there ain't none here in the winter), I've lost almost 10 pounds since I started this job - no kidding.
Upward mobility depends on your goals. There are a number of GS-13 Chief of Interpretation positions, but the grade pyramid does, of course, get progressively smaller as you go up. GS-13 Superintendent/Deputy positions are certainly another potential next step. But I have a ton of things to learn and lots of work to do here, so I have no plans to try and climb the ladder anytime soon and really haven't thought much about what that might look like. When I began my career in land management in 2011, I figured I might retire as a 12 - so I feel exceedingly lucky to have made that grade two months after turning 40. Some other folks here may have more thoughts about what the jump to 13 looks like.
Honestly, this level feels like a sweet spot for me right now - high enough to have the authority and responsibility to push for real, positive change; but not so high that I can't find excuses to get out in the field once in awhile. It's probably the highest-level interpretive position where I'll ever be able to find time to give a program.
If I may, six months in, what skills from previous jobs do you think are the most useful in your current position and which do you think helped you get the job?
Follow-up: knowing what you know now, if you could have gained more exp in X or Y what would it have been?
Yes! You are exactly the person I was hoping to reach. Thank you for the detailed response!!! Just a few more questions if you don't mind:
- In the busy months, how often do you work over 40 hours each week?
- And if you do work over 40 hours are you salaried exempt or are you compensated for the OT?
- Are there regular annual pay increases of 3% or more?
I want to make sure I'm not stepping into an equivalent or worse situation. Right now I'm compensated fairly as a supervisor, but I'm burnt out from summer work: late nights, weekends, being on call for hiker assistance, and long hours (50+ hrs a week). I'm the direct supervisor to 25+ seasonal employees and 6 permanent employees. I'm still looking for something challenging, but which won't eat up more than 45 hrs. a week and leave me feeling too drained to support my team.
In the busy months, how often do you work over 40 hours each week?
I'll leave this to snark to talk about the specifics of the chief of interp job. But in my experience in the USFS it can vary wildly depending on circumstance/location. I'm a staff officer on a ranger district and right now I do my 40 and go home. I have plenty of staff and never feel any pressure to work OT. It's the first time in years I've actually been able to sort of feel relaxed at work. My prior district I was working 6 days a week in the summer for months on end because we were so short staffed. Can't speak to the NPS but I imagine they have similar circumstances.
And if you do work over 40 hours are you salaried exempt or are you compensated for the OT?
Yes and no. GS-12s are generally exempt due to their duties, though exceptions exist. Exempt GS employees fall under Title 5 OT rules and can receive OT at a capped rate (not true time and a half) but can be made to take comp time in lieu of OT. This is broad strokes, there are circumstances that can change this.
Are there regular annual pay increases of 3% or more?
Eh, yes and no. The GS scale does have step increases. Steps 1 - 4 are every year, 5-7 are every two years, and 8 - 10 are every 3 years. In terms of COLA raises, those come from congress and are subject to politics. There have been many years where we haven't received any pay raises from congress. This year we received a 5% bump in pay which is the largest we've had in years. Generally, speaking though pay raises have lagged behind equivalent private sector jobs/experience and we are about 27% behind.
Also, there are locality tables that cover the US and however much you are paid depends on where you are working. These generally cover metro areas and large swathes of the country fall under rest of US locality which doesn't come close to covering the true cost of living.
Thank you! This is all great info. I don't really need the OT pay. Comp time would be great too. Mentally it's hard to work over 50 hours and know you won't be making any more $$ or be able to take off extra time later.
For sure. The nice thing about the feds is every hour needs to be compensated for. Higher ups may pressure you to work more but legally you have to be paid in some form.
Is it possible to become a Ranger with no college degree? I currently have my W/EMT and work as a wildland Firefighter for a state agency.
If I did fire for NPS for a few years, is it possible to transition into being a ranger despite not having a degree?
Sure, it’s possible, if you have enough work experience.
Is there any potential job with NPS you would recommend in particular to apply for to get my foot in the door to be a ranger, or is staying in fire probably the smartest option?
What kind of work do you want to do as a ranger? Do you want to enforce laws and patrol the park? Give public programs and work at an information desk? Work at an entrance station and collect fees? Each of these are different pathways to become a particular type of ranger for the NPS.
Unless there are Rangers that deal with fire, Law Enforcement or anything with Search and Rescue, if one particular ranger specialty handles S&R, I would be interested in that.
Hey, Ranger here without a degree, if you wanna do SAR and maybe Fire, PSAR ranger and backcountry ranger jobs are an option. Both require lots of hiking patrols and talking to the public. However, whenever an EMS/SAR incident pops off you are typically one of the first folks on-scene. A lot of parks that hire PSAR/Backcountry rangers will also sponsor you to get recerted on your red card, and even get the opportunity to go on a few fire rolls (depending on what park employs you). Or just have you on standby if something starts burning in your district. It is the path I am going down and I am loving it, allows me to be in emergency response without having to 1.) have a degree 2.) pick up the gun.
This sounds perfect. Should I keep an eye out on USA jobs for PSAR jobs? Or get a different job in NPS and work my way into it?
I would keep an eye out for PSAR jobs when they drop this fall, summer jobs are usually posted around October. Getting your foot in the door through any other division would be just as difficult, just make sure to keep up on your EMT cert, a lot of PSAR jobs require them to be current.
Some PSAR Ranger Jobs are listed as Visitor Service Assistant, which is a catch all job position but some share duties with PSAR.
Oh yeah also some parks like Sequoia/King's Canyon have "trailhead" or "frontcountry" rangers which are essentially like PSAR rangers with a few minor differences.
Additionally, having your EMT and fire experience looks really good for any PSAR/BC Ranger job, Emergency response is a huge part of it. Only blind spot I could see your resume having is making public contacts and issuing/checking permits which is another big part of the job.
That being said, it is easier to teach a new ranger how to issue a permit than it is to teach a new ranger to run a litter/fight a fire/handle an emergent medical. Hope this helps.
Can anyone offer me insight into the housing situation at the North Unit of THRO?
I’d reach out to your supervisor and see if they have more information/can send you pictures.
Can a person with high blood pressure be a ranger? Can they attend ranger school in rangely CO?
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I'm not sure what the formal title is but my spouse is applying to be a forest ranger with a county in CA. He was flagged on his physical for high blood pressure and I'm wondering if that is a rule out? Would he be wasting his time going to a physician to get his blood pressure signed off on or starting a prescription medication etc. what are the LE medical requirements?
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Ok thx
I am looking to become a law Enforcement Ranger as a career, but I am confused on how many different ways there are to become one. Most websites I’ve seen say “4 year degree with a Major in Environmental Science or related fields” some say you should just Volunteer summer after summer until you eventually find something, some say keep getting seasonal jobs and you will eventually find an all year job, and some say a mix. I just wanted to know how necessary a degree, or some extra type of schooling ( For Law enforcement rangers) is/ required to get a job. I should also include in going into this field raw with no background in law enforcement, and I hope to work in a big park.
What agency do you want to be a LE ranger with?
Preferably the NPS or USFS
LE has a very specific path you have to follow. NPS is now doing Direct-to-FLETC where you get hired on as a permanent employee and go straight to training. There are a lot of posts on this sub with details if you search. The catch is that everyone getting hired is either a veteran or has significant seasonal LE experience. Seasonal LE jobs require you to go to PRLEA, which you have to pay for yourself (I think the cheapest one is like 10k) and doesn’t guarantee a job. After a few years of seasonal employment you may be picked up for the direct to FLETC. I believe you don’t get a choice in where you get placed and you’d have to wait a few years to move.
Not sure what USFS is doing these days.
What National Park sites have noncommissioned backcountry ranger programs? I've already got my foot in the door with the park service and public land management with ten seasons under my belt. That being said I am currently working my first season as a BC ranger for NPS, and just want to see what other options I should be considering come next hiring season.
What FS units have good Wilderness Ranger programs?
Are there any units anywhere with winter BC ranger positions or something similar?
Can I work at national parks as a foreigner?
As a park ranger for the National Park Service? No. Those are only open to US Citizens.
However, many of the hotels and concessions in the national parks do hire foreigners on temporary work visas to work in the parks.
Hey everyone. I'm a current NPS employee in a permanent position who was originally hired as a seasonal, completed my 24 months, and last worked in a temporary appointment three years ago. In future job postings can I continue to use my LMWFA eligibility to receive more "points" towards competitive merit promotion?
I was previously under the impression that my eligibility expired two years after my last temporary appointment, but the questionnaire on a current posting I'm applying for asks:
"Are you a current or former employee of a land management agency (Forest Service; Bureau of Land Management; National Park Service; Fish and Wildlife Service; Bureau of Indian Affairs; or Bureau of Reclamation) who:
- was originally hired to a time-limited position under a competitive appointment; and,
- served one or more time-limited appointments at a land management agency for a period totaling more than 24 months without a break in service of two or more years; and,
- performed at an acceptable level of service during each period of service; and,
- if no longer employed by the land management agency, have been separated for no more than two years, and departed that position in good standing."
Strictly speaking, all of these points are true, but they don't take into account that my temporary service was over two years ago.
Has anyone successfully used LMWFA eligibility after getting into a permanent position?
TLDNR: Does LMWFA eligibility expire strictly two years after last temporary appointment ends or can it still be used later if you have continued to serve in the same agency in a permanent position?
(Tried adding this as its own post, but was automatically removed for some reason.)
The LMWFA eligibility doesn't impact your 'rating' so to speak, it just allows you to apply to jobs easier if you don't have a permanent position. Since you're already in permanent federal service, you've got the best possible route to apply by being a current federal employee. Your question really indicates you think it is like veteran's preference on a hiring list when in reality it just means it is possible for you to get on the list without being a permanent employee.
AFAIK, the 2-year rule still applies, so my best guess is that your LMWFA eligibility has expired, but you should have status enough now (you said you've been perm for 3 years) to apply as a (internal) merit promotion candidate for jobs.
I appreciate the response! Unfortunately, I'm trying to go from a GS5 technical series into a GS7-9 professional series, so I don't qualify for noncompetitive merit promotion. Federal hiring is great!
this is not a park guide to park ranger situation, is it?
Sure is...
Check out my post here:
https://www.reddit.com/r/ParkRangers/s/hW5AQddwEL
In recent experience SER has allowed park guide GS05 experience to be qualifying SE for GS 07 park ranger.
After a bit of a fight with NER they allowed it as well.
My new supervisor just came from IMR and said they allow GS05 park guide exp to be specialized exp for GS07 park ranger 0025 but have a procedure in place for reviewing an applicant going from park guide to park ranger.
PWR is the biggest stick in the mud about it in my experience and is saying for any single grade position, that experience will never be qualifying experience for a two grade position. All wrong according to OPM and internal NPS memo that you can see in my post.
There is (or should be) a formal reconsideration process and you should request it if they tell you your one grade interval experience as a GS05 park guide is not qualifying specialized experience for a GS 07 park ranger 0025.
OPM is crystal clear that one grade interval experience may be qualifying specialized experience for a two grade interval position.
And OPM qualifications for park ranger series lists park guide experience as qualifying specialized experience.
Do you mind if I send you a DM? I can send some documents over.
That would be great!
Interested in learning more about how I can donate towards NPS SaR efforts. I understand efforts sometimes include the partnership of outside SaR companies, sometimes it’s done internally. I’m not a ranger, I’m just a park visitor & enthusiast. Correct me if I’m wrong - but I feel like this is often overlooked. It must be extremely costly, and it’s clearly important work. Does anyone know how or where I could learn more?
SAR is funded through visitor and resource protection. It's not really in any worse shape than any other part of the NPS budget. Helicopter flights are frequently done by the military or the local sheriff's department, not that many parks actually have helitack crews available for rescue ops. Parks can't take donations directly, it has to be done through nonprofit partner organizations. If there's a specific park you're interested in, see if they have a Friends group you can do a directed donation to. If you're looking at agencywide donations, your best option is probably National Parks Foundation.
LF Park Rangers (CA)
Hey all,
My project will have an opening, possibly two within the next month. We have a whole new management staff in place so some of the holdover rangers are moving on. Ideally we would be looking for someone who would like to make a career as a ranger or stick around for a while. We have a great team in place and would like to build on that.
As rangers you will be expected to work nights, weekends, and holidays. If we can get someone who prefers the night shift (+ night differential) even better. Also these are permanent gs5/7/9 positions.
Please note, this is not a job announcement as we currently have no vacancies at the time of writing.
Message me directly if interested at all for more details.
USACE, SRP?
I'll be finishing college this winter with a BA in biology and minors in history/sociology. Do most people get offered a seasonal position when applying after graduation, or has anyone had to wait for a later season for an opening to come?
You can’t apply at will for positions. Gotta wait for the correct certificate to be posted to usajobs and follow the steps. Additionally those certs open up at specific times during the year, especially for seasonal gigs, since we’re just getting underway with training for the summer season of 2024 you won’t see a whole lot for this summer. And if you do it won’t start for months and months and months. I’d recommend you really hone in on what and where you want to work in and tailor your resume for that spot.
Seasonal jobs for the feds usually go up early- starting in October of the year before and running through December. Some stragglers might post jobs in the spring but your best shot is going to be applying in the first round in the fall.
State and local parks tend to post positions a little later but everywhere is different.
Any advice about becoming a Michigan State Park Ranger
And what advice are you looking for?
Does anyone have insight or advice regarding GS12 Park Ranger positions with NPS (Chief of Interp)? What's the work/life balance like? What would upward mobility be like? Would the answers to this vary vastly from park to park?