The Unofficial SMART Scholarship Forum

Hi guys,

I just got my job offer and the starting pay is a little lower than I would like. I would like to get an idea of what others are starting at. Remember, you can share anonymously!

I'll be starting at $34,000.

If people want to do this, it may be more valuable if there is other demographic information such as whether you're on the GS scale or Demo scale and what your education level is. Though that may make it a little less anonymous...

Nebraska, $45k.

Did anyone turn down other job offers? I turned one down for $70k. Oh well...

Op here. Please, just say your base pay. They salary from the first post is just the base pay for GS7.

empty wrote:If people want to do this, it may be more valuable if there is other demographic information such as whether you're on the GS scale or Demo scale and what your education level is. Though that may make it a little less anonymous...

It's not that hard...

If you have a BS (and you're a SMART student), you get GS-7. This is because BS typically gets GS-5 unless they have good academic credentials (GPA) which gets them a GS-7. To be eligible for SMART, you have to have the minimum academic credentials to get a GS-7.

If you have an MS, you get GS-9. If you have a PhD, you get GS-11.

For research positions (AFRL, ARL, NRL), you get GS-11 with MS and GS-12 with PhD.

Simple. But both are still ridiculously below some of the worst private industry pay rates. I wonder how good SMART's Phase II retention ends up being...

Everyone I know with a PhD in SMART has been offered GS-12.

Guest wrote: It's not that hard...

If you have a BS (and you're a SMART student), you get GS-7. This is because BS typically gets GS-5 unless they have good academic credentials (GPA) which gets them a GS-7. To be eligible for SMART, you have to have the minimum academic credentials to get a GS-7.

If you have an MS, you get GS-9. If you have a PhD, you get GS-11.

For research positions (AFRL, ARL, NRL), you get GS-11 with MS and GS-12 with PhD.

Simple. But both are still ridiculously below some of the worst private industry pay rates. I wonder how good SMART's Phase II retention ends up being...

However, this only accounts for the GS scale and assumes that these are hard and fast rules. The DEMO scale is quite a bit wonkier as SFs have room to place you in a "band" anywhere they really want to. For instance, DEMO-II could include GS 5-8, DEMO-III GS 9-11, etc. They will normally drop you in a band based on your degree yes (DEMO-II = BS, DEMO-III = MS), but where they actually pay you in that band varies. At any rate, I was picked up as a DEMO-II top of band with $48,917 not including locality bonus. It’s about half what I would be getting in an equivalent civilian position, but at least I’m debt free with a degree. The work blows, and they’re about to cut 20% of my pay (furloughs). Hindsight being what it is, I probably wouldn’t have accepted this funding unless I had no alternative. Also, I definitely won’t be staying here beyond my commitment. SMART really doesn’t seem to give a crap either. These SFs don’t have a clue what to do with most of the cohorts. They just shove them in as seat heaters and hope something useful accidently gets done.

Guest wrote:

empty wrote:If people want to do this, it may be more valuable if there is other demographic information such as whether you're on the GS scale or Demo scale and what your education level is. Though that may make it a little less anonymous...

It's not that hard...

If you have a BS (and you're a SMART student), you get GS-7. This is because BS typically gets GS-5 unless they have good academic credentials (GPA) which gets them a GS-7. To be eligible for SMART, you have to have the minimum academic credentials to get a GS-7.

If you have an MS, you get GS-9. If you have a PhD, you get GS-11.

For research positions (AFRL, ARL, NRL), you get GS-11 with MS and GS-12 with PhD.

Simple. But both are still ridiculously below some of the worst private industry pay rates. I wonder how good SMART's Phase II retention ends up being...

I agree that the salary is pretty low if you just look at how much you are getting paid. But, factor in how much a year SMART paid you in tuition, stipends, and support payments, and then count how much you are getting from this program. SMART gave me $150,000 for my two years. That is $150,000 that I would not have without the program. Divide and add that to the two years I am working for my SF, and I am making over 110K a year. Not too bad.

The starting for a BS is GS-5?!? I'm a GS-5 right now as a student hire for DoD, as a Sophomore in my undergrad. That seems so incredibly low for having completed a degree...

I was lucky to get in under NSPS + a 27% locality increase while living in the middle of nowhere. Your salaries make me want to cry. Was making $65k with a BS.

Well, if you're an engineer or scientist, you're on a different (adjusted) pay scale. So, for a computer scientist (me) gs 7 starts at $45K. My place we start at gs 7 step 4 on the adjusted pay scale so around $50k.

More info available at http://apps.opm.gov/SpecialRates/2012/Index.aspx

Guest wrote:Well, if you're an engineer or scientist, you're on a different (adjusted) pay scale. So, for a computer scientist (me) gs 7 starts at $45K. My place we start at gs 7 step 4 on the adjusted pay scale so around $50k.

More info available at http://apps.opm.gov/SpecialRates/2012/Index.aspx

Not at all SFs... Some SFs hire scientists and engineers and put them on the exact same pay scale as a clerical position.

PhD - Engineering
Licensed PE

Offered:
Research Engineer Position
DB04 (GS-12 step 7-8 ish) $83000 + moving expenses

Starting salary for assistant professors Tier 1 universities is about 90k.
Tier 2 $80k.

Not that low after all.

Was hired with no problem through SMART exception to hiring freeze BTW. They wanted me to start way sooner than I wanted...I took 3 weeks between. No hiring problems here.

http://thesmartforum.org/viewtopic.php? ... 5fb6#p3562

Check out the posts here. After I had finished my degree they were going to give me GS 9 Step 4 but I "negotiated" myself up to a 6 because I was at 11 months of internship experience and they told me to find a way to turn it into 12 months to bump up to the 6. I had a M.S. Degree in Mechanical Engineering from Georgia Tech.