Postal Letter - Is U.S. Postal Service a good career move?

Is U.S. Postal Service a good career move?

My fiance' currently works as a pipefitter in a shipyard... he had an interview for mail carrier with the U.S. Postal service.. he already took the test and did wonderful on it... If he took the job he would take a slight pay cut at first.. about a buck and hour.. but iv heard you get alot of raises there and pretty quickly.. the shipyard is tough work and i think he would enjoy being a mail carrier better.... what do you guys think, i would like to hear from people who have worked for the US postal service...

Public Comments

the post office is great. the medical and dental benefits are excellent. first u start as a floater doing different routes. after you accumulate senority, then bid a permanent route of your own. this is if you are a mail carrier. there are other excellent jobs inside. such as clerks, I mail carry, but am interested in a clerk job - better weather conditions. that would be ideal. I say that because this is in Arizona - gets very hot outside.
pay cut of a dollar an hour will result in $ 2,080 decrease in a yearly income ($1 x 40hours x 52weeks= $2,080) If he is 1. comfortable with decrease in initial income 2. able to live on less money and 3. likes this job better then sure why not
Well : it's very important that he must work for" U.S Postal Serivce in which they do deliver Mail towards each 1 Community & the Career pays good benifits yes if hired full time great choice visit http://www.us.postalservice.careers.com "
My dad has been a mail carrier for thirty years and as far as I can tell, he likes it. I mean of course it is a job, so there will be some annoying aspects, but overall a civil service job has very good benefits and a lot of mobility and decent pay. The hours are a little insane though. My dad rises before 5 everyday. One thing that you should remember is that even if the weather is really crappy, he is going to have to schlep the mail no matter what, but according to my dad, its not as bad as it seems.
Many excellent answers above. I have been a letter carrier for 14 years during 2 different stints with the postal service. It is a nice job. I currently get 5 weeks vacation every year, and you can build up your 13 sick days every year to unlimited amounts. Pay raises are steady, although the first step increase takes 96 weeks. (In relation to a remark above concerning clerk jobs...clerk positions are dwindling due to increased automation. Carrier positions are increasing due to the number of delivery points increasing) Check out the National Association of Letter Carriers website for more info http://nalc.org/
All good answers so far, but I have one downside to add. Career postal employees (except clerks) start as part-time flexibles. The exception for clerks just came with the new contract, but the carriers have a separate contract and I think they still fall under the old system. A part-time flexible means that you may work less than 40 hours a week or more. In some areas (for instance here in Des Moines) most PTF carriers work more than 40 hours a week and can be moved around the city. Once you make regular you have guaranteed hours and days off. You can work up to 5 weeks of vacation, and other benefits are nice. A lot of people like carrying mail if they like people. You get to see the same people day after day and they become your friends. The downside is lugging the bag and the bad weather, but more and more routes are becoming mounted routes -- meaning you drive them and the mailbox is on the curb. So in that case you aren't walking through the snow or rain and you don't actually have to carry the mail bag. But, if your fiance is a pipefitter than the physical part should be easy. Plus side it's hard to get fired or laid off once you have some time in. I recommend the PO. I have worked for the PO for 12 years.
start out volenteering and then you should get paid the pay is very good
Absolutely, I have friend who works for them and he loves it, benefits are excellent and the pay is even better than that, I've been trying to get on for a while but its difficult b/c so many peolpe want it, so be sure to have your qualifications up to parr
It depends upon your appetite
My mother has been a USPS rural letter carrier for over 25 years now. When considering aking this position, your fiance' should take into account a few things... the heat, the long hours, and although there certainly is the potential for raises- the opposite is also true. They can re-evealuate your route at any time, add to/ take from/or change it, and give you a pay cut- even though you may be doing a great job! And will the post office be providing him a vehicle? They don't here, so you'd either have to purchase a vehicle with the steering wheel on the passenger side, or do as my mom does- sits in the passenger seat, and reaches her arm and leg across the seat to drive. (can't be too comfortable, but she's great at it, let me tell you.)