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Discussion

Salary offer

I was offered a salary for a .9 position. I was under the assumption that, that was the amount I would be getting. Apparently that's the amount for a 1.0 FTE and my salary will be prorated. Any experience with this? It was NEVER explained to me by HR.

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    • Featured Replies

    • Experts

    .9 means 36 hours per week (3-12's). I assume your rate is hourly and you will get paid what you work. Or, it is a listed salary and you will get whatever is offered for working 36 hours per week.

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    • Author

    It's listed as salary: xxx

    Hours per pay: 72 hours

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    • Experts

    That sounds like it's up for negotiation. You should research some valid salary benchmarks and bring those to the hiring authority, such as what you got paid in your last job (if it's a comparable position) or what other people working that job make in your area.

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    • Moderator

    FYI, if this is for a GS position, you cannot negotiate your step (salary) if you have already accepted the job offer. You must negotiate prior to acceptance after you receive the first offer!! A friend of mine got stuck as a GS-11, step 1 rather than the step 4 he should have been because he accepted, then tried to negotiate. Good luck!

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    Red flag. Get it in writing.

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    Red flag. Get it in writing.

    It is in writing, GS salary pay scale is posted (Salary and per hour) based on a 40 hr work week. Same GS level could be an office worker M-F 9-5 (1.0 FTE). You can't expect to be paid the same for working .9 FTE as a 1.0 FTE person.

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    • Author

    so what you are saying is even though its on my offer letter, they can pay me 10% less than what is on the offer letter?

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    Yes, the offer is based on a 80 hour pay period or 1 FTE and you will be paid for 72 hours or 0.9 FTE.

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    • Moderator

    If you worked 40 hours/week, then they would pay you that full amount - that is the rate for 1.0 FTE. Really, they are offering a job with fewer hours (not money) at 0.9 FTE. If you don't like it, decline it and move on. But be aware that government salaries are typically fixed and this is how they are presented. The only thing you can usually negotiate is your step within each grade, and that is often by virtue of job-related experience, degrees, and certifications.

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    • Author

    That's really deceiving of them

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    • Moderator
    That's really deceiving of them

    Be sure to give them that feedback. It's the norm for GS jobs, so it might not occur to them that someone coming from the civilian world would not arrive with that knowledge.

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    Agreed ccmunurse, deceiving. Unfortunately that's just how government runs its business, everything is clear as mud. I too was quoted the 1.0 FTE salary but was then given a 0.5 FTE position which I was completely confused about until AFTER my third paycheck. My first two paychecks were 80 hours because of new employee orientation (NEO) so I did not see the part-time hours pay immediately. It was only after my third paycheck, off orientation, did I realize that although my offer letter stated a full-time salary I would only be paid half of that amount. Luckily, I have been able to pick up nearly enough shifts to get me to full-time hours, however my insurance is prorated and I don't earn as much annual leave or sick leave as 1.0 FTE employees. Make sure you find out how your benefits will be affected, at what point you earn OT, if your holiday pay is affected, and how/if your promotion possibilities are affected. Also, because I am considered a part-time employee I am not eligible for tuition reimbursement which stinks because I am already in my master's program. I have been in the 0.5 FTE position for 8 months and have been requesting a 1.0 FTE position in my unit for 3 months to no avail. Sadly, I have now begun applying for full-time positions in other units. I LOVE what I do and caring for veterans, but working for a government entity has been extremely challenging.

    Good luck!

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