Frequently Asked Questions Employment

OPM does not publish qualification standards for positions in the Excepted Service. Therefore agencies have the option of (1) developing their own qualification standards or (2) using OPM competitive service qualification standards. If an agency chooses option (1), it may develop its own standards or adopt or modify the former Schedule B student trainee qualification standard as their own. If an agency chooses option (2), it may use the competitive service qualification standard for the target position, or the competitive service student trainee qualification standards. See 5 CFR § 213.3202(a)(12) and 213.3202(b)(15).

OPM has delegated most of its examining authority for competitive service positions to agencies. This authority includes making qualification determinations for agency jobs. The hiring agency evaluates your application against OPM-issued minimum qualification requirements (e.g., related work experience, education, licensure, if required) to determine your eligibility for the advertised position.

For white-collar employees, basic pay is usually set under the General Schedule (GS), which is adjusted annually. Employees in GS positions in the continental United States also receive locality pay (there are 32 defined locality pay areas). Employees outside the continental United States in non-foreign areas (i.e., Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, Guam, and the U.S. Virgin Islands) do not receive locality rates, but rather receive cost-of-living allowances. Vacancy announcements include pay ranges for the advertised positions. The current salary tables for the GS and locality pay areas are available at http://www.opm.gov/oca/06tables/index.asp. For blue-collar employees, basic pay is set under the Federal Wage System (FWS). There are 132 appropriated fund and 125 non-appropriated fund local wage areas. For current FWS rates, please visit http://www.opm.gov/oca/wage/Wagesch.asp and select a state and county for the corresponding wage schedule. White-collar and blue-collar employees in certain occupations and/or geographic areas may receive special rates. Special rates are higher rates of pay than GS and locality rates. Some agencies have statutory authority to administer their own pay systems. Employees in these agencies are compensated through alternative pay systems established by their employing agency.

Yes. Students in both programs are eligible for promotion. However, the Nature of Action Code (NOAC) for students in the Student Temporary Employment Program is actually a conversion to a new appointment (at the higher grade level) while keeping the current NTE date. Even though the actual nature of the action is a conversion to a new appointment, a GS employee is entitled to an increase in pay of at least two steps (about 6 percent) upon placement in a higher graded position without a break in service. A WG employee is entitled to an increase in pay of at least one step (about 4 percent). See 5 CFR § 213.3202(a)(12) and 213.3202(b)(15).

Yes. An individual participating in the Student Career Experience Program who otherwise meets the program requirements for conversion (i.e., work hours, satisfactory performance, educational requirements, etc.) may be converted to a position that has an established career ladder. For instance, a SCEP GS-0201-04 Human Resources Trainee may be noncompetitively converted to a GS-0201-05/7/9/11 Human Resources Specialist career ladder position. See 5 CFR § 213.3202(b)(11).

Students in the Student Temporary Employment Program, provided they have completed one year of current continuous service, are in tenure group 3; Students in the Student Career Experience Program are in tenure group 2. See 5 CFR § 351.502, 5 CFR § 213.3202(a)(14) and 5 CFR § 213.3202(b)(19).

The area of consideration describes the individuals from whom the agency will accept applications to compete for the position. It may be a broad or a limited group of individuals. The area of consideration may also be referred to as “Who May Apply” within the vacancy announcement. If you are not within the area of consideration and you are not eligible for a non-competitive or special hiring authority, the agency will not consider your application.

Students are appointed under Schedule B, 5 CFR § 213.3202. This is the appointment authority regardless of the type of academic program.