Permanent jobs for any government position are hard to come by, especially with the forest service; most of the positions are seasonal (1039 hours per season). I currently work on the uinta-wasatch-cache national forest in Utah. The job itself is amazing, and for the most part, stress free; I clean toilets, install signs and other recreation related things, clean up camp sites, report fires, and, if needed, right citations for misdemeanors on forest service land.
The downsides to working with the forest service:
1- relocation: if you don’t live in an area with any land management agency (I’m originally from Illinois), you will have to move
2- hiring process: the forest service HR center is centralized in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Your bosses will have no initial contact with you unless you pass pre-screening by HR. I learned this year from my district ranger that the average turnover for HR people in Albuquerque is 8 months, so you will generally have someone who doesn’t understand the requirements of the job deciding if you are able to do that job or not
3- pay: last season, as a GS4, I made $13.42 an hour, working 10 hour shifts. This season as a GS5, I make $13.84, working 8 hour shifts. I have a BA in anthropology; youth conservation corps high school kids are making $15.
4- Lack of advancement: in order to land a permanent year round job with the forest service, you need at least a college degree and time served in grade (example- work 1 full year, or 2 years as a seasonal gs5, to qualify for any gs6 position). However, veterans and any person with a disability get first pick for any job. If you want to qualify as a land management employee, you need 2 full years (or 4 seasonal positions) to try to get hired that route.
5- no funding: Forest Service is severally limited in what it can buy for its employees. Last season, we couldn’t buy or fix anything for the month of September because we had no money
In conclusion, if you want to work for a land management agency, stick out a shitty job/hiring process for 4 years, or go work for the Bureau of Land Management- they pay more and you advance faster.
Pay is set by the forest service and congress, so I wish those can directly appeal to their bosses for raises to do so. You all deserve it.
My job is great, my bosses are hands off, and I’m out in nature all day. Only qualms are pay, hiring process, and bullshit requirements for a job that doesn’t need those requirements