by guest007 » Mon Apr 12, 2021 12:13 pm
Negotiating on the front end is definitely not a binding agreement as a lot can change in the next two years before you graduate. Depending on the SF, your boss/ hiring manager could change, you could have a change of circumstances/ heart, etc. What I would recommend doing is asking specific questions on your Site Visit and see how they handle hiring. The purpose of the SIte Visit is to learn everything you can about the site, people, job description, and salary should be included in that. You should not leave your visit without a semi-clear answer for what you can expect your salary to be, but keep in mind this is not even close to a binding agreement. As an MS grad, you'd likely start as a GS-9 and could try and negotiate for a higher step but negotiations with the government aren't really as logical as the private sector where your experience and GPA are taken seriously. After the Site Visit, you could run some numbers with your own situation and figure out if the hassle and lower pay are worth the stipend and tuition, or if you'd rather take your chances to make more money later. PM me if you have more specific questions.
Negotiating on the front end is definitely not a binding agreement as a lot can change in the next two years before you graduate. Depending on the SF, your boss/ hiring manager could change, you could have a change of circumstances/ heart, etc. What I would recommend doing is asking specific questions on your Site Visit and see how they handle hiring. The purpose of the SIte Visit is to learn everything you can about the site, people, job description, and salary should be included in that. You should not leave your visit without a semi-clear answer for what you can expect your salary to be, but keep in mind this is not even close to a binding agreement. As an MS grad, you'd likely start as a GS-9 and could try and negotiate for a higher step but negotiations with the government aren't really as logical as the private sector where your experience and GPA are taken seriously. After the Site Visit, you could run some numbers with your own situation and figure out if the hassle and lower pay are worth the stipend and tuition, or if you'd rather take your chances to make more money later. PM me if you have more specific questions.