I have several year’s experience as a ‘Contract Investigator’. There will be openings this year in my area for a DCSA Agent position.
Has anyone else switched in the last few years and can chime in? It would be a pay-cut at first, as I understand they will only hire at the GG-7 level despite experience, but then there are scheduled raises. That, plus the stability of being a direct-hire vs the contracting instability is what draws me. I don’t need the health insurance, so that’s not a benefit to me.
Pros/cons? What is the take-home car policy? -only to/from work, or can it be used for ‘off-duty’ driving?
Not addressing your questions directly, and this is just my opinion. With all the chaos going on in federal agencies (which may eventually impact contractors) I’d be hard pressed to jump to the federal side. Factor in a pay cut and it would be a hard no for me. IMHO.
I think the Fed side is the only stability in this industry. The pay cut initial would hurt, but then raises are built in and you’re not anticipating another vendor losing a contract…
another big benefit to federal is the PENSION. You will be glad you did this at age 60. Unfortunately most workers do not get a pension, and a 401K for most people cannot match a guaranteed monthly government pension.
I recently switched from contract to fed. The only real pro for me is the federal car. You’re doing the same work but it’s less than what they expected as contractors.
Dropping down to GS7 Fed position is absolutely deplorable and beneath most experienced contractors to be treated so unfairly. Pay the experienced contractors if they become feds at a GS-12 like their experienced federal counterparts that are making those wages as a GS-12.
I wouldn’t work directly for DCSA as a Fed even if I was down to my last penny.
I spent a great amount of time as a contractor and as a fed. As a fed, job stability, no more worrying about re-competes, less work, government car to use strictly for work, potential pay down road, retirement. The pay cut sucks up front, no hiding that but if you do your math and pull out the OPM pay scale chart, you’ll see how many years until you’ll be making sustained paychecks for your life. The fed jobs don’t come around too often so if you see an opportunity, take your shot! Good luck!