Does being a federal employee have any perks?

[Rufus2012 175]

Perpetually guaranteed employment sounds like a good enough perk already.

[Operator 1,927]

Anyone who receives a paycheck and benefits on a regular basis from the Federal government can be considered a federal employee. This include military personnel. One of the main differences is that military personnel fall under the Uniform Code of Military Justice and civil law where as most civilian federal employees are not bound by the UCMJ.

Now if I were a civilian operations specialist working for say one of the agencies involved in intelligence gathering for our country and I was preparing to deploy to a "hostile" posting I would request expedited processing and see what happened.

If I were an engineer working for US DOT I would let people cut in line in front of me just for being part of the problem. Just kidding..not really.

Edited February 3, 2012 by Operator

[Robert&Karen 264]

As a government employee the only advantage I can say we have for sure is that the pile of forms to fill out looks very small to us. What inundates most civilians to me looks like a walk in the park. It can still be confusing, but it's not THAT much paperwork.

[BocaChicaBabe 6]

I'm a federal employee with a top secret clearance and it neither hurt nor helped my process. I made it through with no issues or delays. I saw no evidence of things moving any faster or slower for me. It seemed to be completed within the normal processing time.

[AmyWrites 593]

I'm a federal employee with a top secret clearance and it neither hurt nor helped my process. I made it through with no issues or delays. I saw no evidence of things moving any faster or slower for me. It seemed to be completed within the normal processing time.

May I ask when did you get your clearance? I'm hoping I don't get any problems with my clearance (not a high one but still) because of my SO.

[Robert&Karen 264]

The worst thing you can do on your clearance paperwork is lie. I answered YES to some of the "HAVE YOU EVER...?" questions but the point is to lay it all out there. The second worst thing you can do is something illegal once you possess a clearance. They are more forgiving before hand.

[Speeds03 16]

Perpetually guaranteed employment sounds like a good enough perk already.

Don't say that too loud, or we will get it cut aswell!

Anyone who receives a paycheck and benefits on a regular basis from the Federal government can be considered a federal employee. This include military personnel. One of the main differences is that military personnel fall under the Uniform Code of Military Justice and civil law where as most civilian federal employees are not bound by the UCMJ.

Now if I were a civilian operations specialist working for say one of the agencies involved in intelligence gathering for our country and I was preparing to deploy to a "hostile" posting I would request expedited processing and see what happened.

If I were an engineer working for US DOT I would let people cut in line in front of me just for being part of the problem. Just kidding..not really.

Lmaooo, Nice!

Edited February 3, 2012 by Speeds03

[Speeds03 16]

I'm a federal employee with a top secret clearance and it neither hurt nor helped my process. I made it through with no issues or delays. I saw no evidence of things moving any faster or slower for me. It seemed to be completed within the normal processing time.

Hmmm... Interesting, I hope it goes as smooth for me aswell!

[thelastpetitioner 218]

Only and only IF you are getting deployed to war zones

[Camo 5]

None, depending on your job it can be a hindrance. If you have some sort of security clearance the process can be slowed as the make sure this person you are intending to marry is OK.

Hello there,

I was wondering why that could be a hindrance. Please, elaborate more.

[Robert&Karen 264]

Hello there,

I was wondering why that could be a hindrance. Please, elaborate more.

They don't want you marrying a spy from another country.

[BocaChicaBabe 6]

May I ask when did you get your clearance? I'm hoping I don't get any problems with my clearance (not a high one but still) because of my SO.

I got my secret clearance in early 2000 and I got my top secret in early 2009. I'm thinking you won't have a problem with your clearance, but you may want to contact your security specialist to make them aware of your relationship/plans if you haven't already done so. When I decided to marry my husband, I contacted my agency's personnel security specialist. She informed me that this type of thing happens more often than I thought and it's never really been a problem before. She did ask specifically which country my husband was from and said it should be even less of an issue since he's not from a country that's a real threat to the US. She also asked about any of his immediate family being in the military. My husband's father is in the army, but he's not a high ranking officer so she said that wasn't an issue. She said dual citizenship is not an option and to not even mention an interest in possibly moving to that country (even after retirement) during my next clearance interview. She also said to speak with my local security specialist to see what all they may need me to provide to them. Local security wanted a written statement of how/when/where we met, when we planned to marry and what our plans were as far as his citizenship after he came to the US. Also, I needed to provide dates of my trips to his country, information about bank accounts I had in his country (joint account for proof during interview), etc so that it can be placed in my file. The information is kept on file so that when I have to renew my clearance and they find that I have a foreign bank account and frequent trips out of the country, it can all be explained to resolve any issues with doubts or suspicion. From talking to security, it really didn't seem like anyone was overly concerned or bent out of shape about my relationship. I wasn't aware of it before, but I found out later that a few other people at my location had married foreign nationals and nobody has mentioned running into problems with their clearance. One gentleman met his German wife while working at a federal agency in Germany. Another met his Japanese wife while working in Japan. Both men have been married to these women for several years, lived in their country with them, and make frequent trips back to their country. Another gentleman has a Russian wife. I'm not sure how they met, but their marriage is fairly new and he got his position after he married his wife.

I hope this helps with any of your concerns. If you have any more questions, feel free to ask.

[Robert&Karen 264]

I have an Army buddy who married a Chinese woman. They pulled his clearance from him until they completely investigated her. Not easy when China is not too forthcoming with information. It can be a career killer if you are not careful.