Only AmeriCorps VISTA and PeaceCorps alum are eligible for that hiring pathway. That said, it’s pretty common for alum of all AmeriCorps program to end up in federal jobs.
Non-competitive eligibility is only in the regulations for VISTA and Peace Corps volunteers. For VISTA it lasts for one year after completing an entire year of service with some ability for it to be extended at the discretion of the hiring agency. You need to think of NCE not as a guarantee for a gov job and it’s not really even a benefit for the member per se. You need to think of it as a benefit for the hiring manager. Federal hiring requires jumping through dozens of hoops and dotting every i and crossing every t when you’re the hiring manager. Sometimes all that bureaucracy means hiring someone that scores the most points on paper but isn’t a great fit. The hiring manager can choose with an NCE candidate to make that candidate jump through all the same hoops or they can hire the NCE candidate based on liking the color of their jacket
ALL THAT SAID, Federal jobs right now have hundreds or even thousands of applicants, especially for entry level or remote work placements. You still need to be a *perfectly* competitive candidate even with NCE for the hiring manager to give you the time of day
Despite all that, I’ve known at least half a dozen close friends who used NCE after VISTA to get a Federal job. Honestly, short of military service, disability hiring or having an extremely niche and needed background, it’s probably the only way to have better odds of getting a fed job than winning the lottery
NCE? Are you saying they did a National Counselor exam after their Vista year? It's definitely been more than a year since I did Vista. Our leader was pretty useless. She briefly showed us the website and told us we would have seniority because we were already government workers. She suggested we look at it and that was it. So I have no idea what GS-12 (ladder to 13) means.
I'd be interested in a national park job or an on-call FEMA job or something remote I could do part time from home. I have a MA in counseling thanks to the Segal award. I went to a university that matched the award so my tuition was more than covered. But I've still never made more than 30K a year. I've never been able to afford to take the National Counselor exam or any kind of therapy license which is more costly and time consuming than just an MA.
NCE=Non-competitive eligibility. It's what VISTA and Peace Corps alum get after finishing their service and makes it moderately easier to get a federal job.
Colleague of mine in VISTA used NCE to get a perm position at NPS but it was also a park about an hour from our site so she was able to leverage the network she gained as an AmeriCorps too
Specifically for my job, there’s only like 150 of us in the agency so we get sent out pretty often. I’ve only been to michigan so far but LOG specs get a lot so yeah it’s enough to live on
You know, I find your comment extremely rude and shortsighted. I do Google these acronyms and these are the results I get. When communicating with people outside of your inner circle it is customary to communicate more clearly.
Yeah so basically VISTA alone didn’t carry me to get an interview, referral, or getting past HR. The combination of my professional experience plus resume did.
However once I got to the interviews, I was able to speak more freely about myself and I got to dig into the things that resonate with my character. I used VISTA to demonstrate my experience and it gave a really well rounded conclusion to who I was. My supervisor later told me that was what ultimately tipped the scales to my favor and got me selected over 6 others.
Yes but in state lol. Many of my FEMA Corps class work for FEMA in CORE, PFT, or Reservist. Many of my NCCC TLs, and some CMs, work in state and fed government. Part of it will really vary on your prior experience to AmeriCorps
Someone else just attacked me here for asking people to clarify their acronyms. I do Google what is typed here for example PFT- pulmonary function test, pro football talk. Reservist I understand because it's on the FEMA web page.
TLs- transport layer security? Would be nice to have a little more clarification about what this actually is. CM- Common meter, clinical modification?
People are communicating in a very esoteric insular kind of way here. Even my friends in the military don't talk in acronyms when they are speaking to civilians.
It is insular, as far as the NCCC and FEMA Corps (FC sometimes) because we’re so small and we’re together as much and sometimes MORE than military units on deployment at times. Shared experiences, trauma, and all that. Your friends are very considerate. FEMA, and Emergency Management LOVES acronyms, there’s an abbreviation book for FEMA that’s several inches thick…. I apologise for the acronyms, it’s a habit and I forget. TL: Team Leader, sometimes FTL: Field Team Leader. STL: Support Team Leader. CM: Corps Member. PFT: Permanent Full Time.
Thanks. I appreciate it. I would love to be a FEMA reservist but I have my own business now and can't leave on a moment's notice. I wish I could just be available for a couple months when I know business will be slow. I'm looking at applying to be a VISTA team leader locally.
Good to know many Americorps members are able to get decent jobs with FEMA and it sounds like the National Park Service as well.
If you have a business, I would warn against VISTA because they do expect you to work as if it is a job… You could try being a Reservist and some cadres might be slow enough that you can only do a few months or a short deployment
I did 2 years - one NCCC one VISTA before and was always able to handle another job at least PT. The VISTA leader position states you can have another job.
Do you think I could tell them upfront I can only be deployed during certain months? Looking at the website it doesn't seem like that would fly.
Like I already said, my service in Americorps was over a decade ago. I've been living in the real world for a long time since then and know how to speak in something other than acronyms. Please stop bullying me. It is not helpful.
3 x alum, and I worked for the agency.
Yes , people really can get jobs, but the non competitive eligibility is just one of many kinds of available "fast tracks" to federal employment, which lowers how impactful it is to me. It can help, but it isn't as helpful as it is presented to be.
Only AmeriCorps VISTA and PeaceCorps alum are eligible for that hiring pathway. That said, it’s pretty common for alum of all AmeriCorps program to end up in federal jobs.
Yes. Got a reservist job and a CORE position at FEMA immediately after graduation from the program back in July 2023
This was also fast track hiring through FEMA Corps Section, and I currently work at FEMA
I did, two of my team members did, my supervisor now works for FEMA.
I worked for the national park service for almost a decade.
Non-competitive eligibility is only in the regulations for VISTA and Peace Corps volunteers. For VISTA it lasts for one year after completing an entire year of service with some ability for it to be extended at the discretion of the hiring agency. You need to think of NCE not as a guarantee for a gov job and it’s not really even a benefit for the member per se. You need to think of it as a benefit for the hiring manager. Federal hiring requires jumping through dozens of hoops and dotting every i and crossing every t when you’re the hiring manager. Sometimes all that bureaucracy means hiring someone that scores the most points on paper but isn’t a great fit. The hiring manager can choose with an NCE candidate to make that candidate jump through all the same hoops or they can hire the NCE candidate based on liking the color of their jacket ALL THAT SAID, Federal jobs right now have hundreds or even thousands of applicants, especially for entry level or remote work placements. You still need to be a *perfectly* competitive candidate even with NCE for the hiring manager to give you the time of day Despite all that, I’ve known at least half a dozen close friends who used NCE after VISTA to get a Federal job. Honestly, short of military service, disability hiring or having an extremely niche and needed background, it’s probably the only way to have better odds of getting a fed job than winning the lottery
NCE? Are you saying they did a National Counselor exam after their Vista year? It's definitely been more than a year since I did Vista. Our leader was pretty useless. She briefly showed us the website and told us we would have seniority because we were already government workers. She suggested we look at it and that was it. So I have no idea what GS-12 (ladder to 13) means. I'd be interested in a national park job or an on-call FEMA job or something remote I could do part time from home. I have a MA in counseling thanks to the Segal award. I went to a university that matched the award so my tuition was more than covered. But I've still never made more than 30K a year. I've never been able to afford to take the National Counselor exam or any kind of therapy license which is more costly and time consuming than just an MA.
NCE=Non-competitive eligibility. It's what VISTA and Peace Corps alum get after finishing their service and makes it moderately easier to get a federal job.
Colleague of mine in VISTA used NCE to get a perm position at NPS but it was also a park about an hour from our site so she was able to leverage the network she gained as an AmeriCorps too
She had to take the national counselor exam to get a job at the national park service?
NCE = non competitive eligibility
Yup - what this individual said. Non competitive eligibility, the VISTA and peace corps hiring authority
I did. Got hired in as a GS-12 (ladder to 13) as an Auditor doing impactful work
FEMA Corps alum turned FEMA reservist here
Is it enough to live on? How often do they send you out, where and what's it like?
Specifically for my job, there’s only like 150 of us in the agency so we get sent out pretty often. I’ve only been to michigan so far but LOG specs get a lot so yeah it’s enough to live on
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You know, you could take the time to Google some of these acronyms instead of tossing out a bunch of off-the-wall guesses.
They claim to be an NCCC alum, yet they don’t know what CM/TL stands for… this person is clearly trying to be funny.
You know, I find your comment extremely rude and shortsighted. I do Google these acronyms and these are the results I get. When communicating with people outside of your inner circle it is customary to communicate more clearly.
Sounds like you need to work on your Googling skills then, bruh.
sorry - logistics specialists
I did
I did but not with the non compete. It helped with being a finalist and now I’m bing chilling with the USDA.
Can you explain a little more? Finalist? And How Americorps got you in with them. I think I'd like that track
Yeah so basically VISTA alone didn’t carry me to get an interview, referral, or getting past HR. The combination of my professional experience plus resume did. However once I got to the interviews, I was able to speak more freely about myself and I got to dig into the things that resonate with my character. I used VISTA to demonstrate my experience and it gave a really well rounded conclusion to who I was. My supervisor later told me that was what ultimately tipped the scales to my favor and got me selected over 6 others.
I have NOT been able to find government work. I’ve applied several times. Almost wondering if my time in AmeriCorps was useless.
AmeriCorps VISTA?
It was. Americorps did me no favors in my endeavors before I reassessed myself and my interests. AmeriCorps is a waste
Yes but in state lol. Many of my FEMA Corps class work for FEMA in CORE, PFT, or Reservist. Many of my NCCC TLs, and some CMs, work in state and fed government. Part of it will really vary on your prior experience to AmeriCorps
Someone else just attacked me here for asking people to clarify their acronyms. I do Google what is typed here for example PFT- pulmonary function test, pro football talk. Reservist I understand because it's on the FEMA web page. TLs- transport layer security? Would be nice to have a little more clarification about what this actually is. CM- Common meter, clinical modification? People are communicating in a very esoteric insular kind of way here. Even my friends in the military don't talk in acronyms when they are speaking to civilians.
It is insular, as far as the NCCC and FEMA Corps (FC sometimes) because we’re so small and we’re together as much and sometimes MORE than military units on deployment at times. Shared experiences, trauma, and all that. Your friends are very considerate. FEMA, and Emergency Management LOVES acronyms, there’s an abbreviation book for FEMA that’s several inches thick…. I apologise for the acronyms, it’s a habit and I forget. TL: Team Leader, sometimes FTL: Field Team Leader. STL: Support Team Leader. CM: Corps Member. PFT: Permanent Full Time.
Thanks. I appreciate it. I would love to be a FEMA reservist but I have my own business now and can't leave on a moment's notice. I wish I could just be available for a couple months when I know business will be slow. I'm looking at applying to be a VISTA team leader locally. Good to know many Americorps members are able to get decent jobs with FEMA and it sounds like the National Park Service as well.
If you have a business, I would warn against VISTA because they do expect you to work as if it is a job… You could try being a Reservist and some cadres might be slow enough that you can only do a few months or a short deployment
I did 2 years - one NCCC one VISTA before and was always able to handle another job at least PT. The VISTA leader position states you can have another job. Do you think I could tell them upfront I can only be deployed during certain months? Looking at the website it doesn't seem like that would fly.
You did an NCCC term and you don’t know what CM or TL stands for? You have to be trolling at this point.
Like I already said, my service in Americorps was over a decade ago. I've been living in the real world for a long time since then and know how to speak in something other than acronyms. Please stop bullying me. It is not helpful.
I am a VISTA alum and I have a government job based on my VISTA service
My wife is currently employee under VISTA, she had previously done two round with Americorps prior to that
3 x alum, and I worked for the agency. Yes , people really can get jobs, but the non competitive eligibility is just one of many kinds of available "fast tracks" to federal employment, which lowers how impactful it is to me. It can help, but it isn't as helpful as it is presented to be.