salary for federal gov't

[Anonymous]

I am negotiating my salary for a gov't attorney job and not sure how the grades/steps work. i was told my someone that GS-9 is what you get with a J.D. with no bar passage, and then once you pass the bar, you jump up to GS-11. One year of exp, GS-12, Two years- GS-13. Is that right? what about GS-10?

And what are the steps in between? Are they for yearly COLA increases if you remain in the same grade? Thanks.

[Anonymous]

I don't know the exact answer to your question re: GS-10. But I would say that before you come on board the steps are negotiable. So you could be hired as a GS13-Step 10. That is a huge difference in salary compared to a GS13-Step 1 for example. Also, you should ask about a recruiting incentive. I was able to get one which was 25% of my salary. It was part of my first paycheck. Finally, if you have other offers that can help too.

[Anonymous]

you skip the 10. 10 is for administrative jobs.

If you apply for a job that is a 9/11, you start at the 9 and automatically progress to the 11 after 52 weeks. You'd have to competitively apply for the 12 and 13 jobs.

If you apply for a job that is 9/13, you will annually progress annually to 11, then 12, then 13. Steps come after you hit the top of your promotion potential, and are not COLA.

[Anonymous]

Just to clarify, there is a yearly COLA in addition to step increases. The steps go up one a year for the first several years and then slow down.

[Anonymous]

Op here. So did I have it correct?
no exp with bar: gs-11
one year of exp: gs-12
2 years of exp: gs-13... and so on...

thanks!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am negotiating my salary for a gov't attorney job and not sure how the grades/steps work. i was told my someone that GS-9 is what you get with a J.D. with no bar passage, and then once you pass the bar, you jump up to GS-11. One year of exp, GS-12, Two years- GS-13. Is that right? what about GS-10?

And what are the steps in between? Are they for yearly COLA increases if you remain in the same grade? Thanks.

You have an offer for a federal government attorney job. However the negotations work out, make sure you accept. You lucky devil.

[Anonymous]

Totally depends on the agency. I started as atty w/ no bar at an 11, step 9. Then automatically went to a 12-5, the followng year. Went to a clerkship where I was a 13-2, and then 13-3.
Then I started a new job at a new fed agency and even with 4 yrs experience, they start all their attys at the same GS 11-1. I took a HUGE $30K+ salary cut, but this job has other benefits (flex schedule, work from home, etc).

The point is that every agency will start their attys where they feel appropriate and there are no hard rules.

[Anonymous]

Sometimes there are hard rules. I encountered that. OPM has a rule that the agency can bump up your step if you have a recent pay check from the private sector that shows significantly more earnings. Has to be within the last 6 months. I took off more than 6 months in between jobs to be at home, and they couldn't use the old paycheck. It was a $25,000 salary difference. But I was able to get a recruitment incentive.

Agree, though, that it varies by office and when I was interviewing it was clear I would be hired at different grades for different jobs (even though all Fed atty jobs).