National Park Service Rangers

[NYRESCUE]

LOKK IN USA JOBS, for seasonal LE, or PROTETCTION postions .......... we arent going to find the job for you....... there are a lot out there.. good luck

I'm aware of the listings..it was a general statement as to if the parks around here (Northern East Coast) pick up perms often, but thanks for all the replies fellas Any additional information if you come across any would be appreciated.

[Squirrel]

Any additional information if you come across any would be appreciated.

Search really is your friend. I know I've written several very detailed posts on the NPS, hiring, seasonal vs. permanent, transferring within parks and to other agencies, etc., etc., etc., where I've addressed a lot, if not all of the questions you've asked. I'm more than willing to answer questions, but please, for the sake of me not typing my fingers off, see if it's already been answered.

I'll say this: Hiring is complex. Each park is its own individual hiring agency. When there is a vacancy, it can be filled either by internal candidates (laterals or merit promotion), or by external candidates (competitive). They choose whether to fly it is a GL-5, GL-5/7, GL-5/7/9, GL-7, GL-9, etc. Some announcements have selective screen-out factors. The big one is the Level 2 commission. Another big one is EMT, and probably the third most common is wildland firefighter "red card." Sometimes, they fly both merit promotion, and external announcements, but fill their needs from within the NPS and trash the external cert. Of course, when this happens, there's usually a vacancy that opens up somewhere else, to replace the person who transferred -- subject again to everything I mentioned above with regards to grade, qualifications, etc.

The northeast part of the US has a couple big "intake parks" -- that is, parks which are known for hiring lots of folks into entry-level GL-5/7 Ranger spots. The two big ones are Independence National Historical Park (Philly), and Boston NHP. They are urban parks. Rangers like to range, ergo, a lot of Rangers try to get out of the urban parks and go west as soon as possible. Not a lot of Rangers go from, say, Yellowstone, to an urban park. So, to fill their needs, INDE and BOST usually have competitive announcements.

So, to make a long answer short: Do they pick up perms often? It depends on too many factors to give you a clear yes or no. INDE and BOST hire more than most. When will they hire again? No idea.

[2971511]

And keep in mind, with the new NPS EMS Regs, a State EMT-B card may not be good enough, all parks are trying to gettheir people to be Nationally Registered, so if you can get it, DO. Some of the smaller parks may have exemptions because like NYS does not require it, so how are you going toget a sesonal GS-5 EMS person to go out and obtain the NR..... others may say State, and "able to obtain NREMT" within a certain time frame... Whatever the case goo luck keep us updated on how it goes.

[leoiaf]

http://finance.yahoo.com/career-work/article/110370/cant-find-a-job-college-grad-national-park-service-is-hiring

There is at least one bright spot amid this otherwise wretched job market: The National Park Service is hiring!
In an ongoing program, the NPS aggressively recruited college students for summer internships as law enforcement park rangers, positions that could lead to full-time jobs.
More than half of the positions in the Northeastern U.S. could become vacant in the next five years, according to Chief Ranger Jill Hawk. She said that positions in urban parks, like the Statue of Liberty in New York City, Bunker Hill Monument in Boston, and Independence Hall in Philadelphia are difficult to maintain because they run counter to the "myth" of the wilderness ranger.
"The myth of the national park ranger is that they're at Yosemite, they're at the Everglades," she said. "What's not really well known is that there are park rangers in the inner city protecting the national heritage of the U.S."
This summer, the NPS offered its first ProRanger internships to students at Temple University in Philadelphia and at San Antonio College in Texas. The students spend their summers in 12-week programs that pay from $11 to $16 an hour. Eventually, this internship could lead to a full-time job paying up to $50,000 a year as one of the 1,500 armed law enforcement rangers in the national park system.
Hawk said there are 10 positions for law enforcement rangers currently open at Independence National Historical Park, compared to 25 openings in the entire Northeastern region. Positions at the more dramatic wilderness parks, like Glacier National Park in Montana and Olympic National Park in Washington, are far more competitive, she said.
"Urban parks are harder to recruit," said NPS spokeswoman Kathy Kupper. "Many of the people who grow up wanting to be a park ranger are thinking of the ranger on the horse in the back country."
She said the "main idea" behind the ProRanger recruitment drive is "the ability to reach a younger audience and people who maybe never thought of the park service before."
Hawk said the NPS is interested in students in criminal justice, anthropology, sociology and biology "who like the urban environment."
Many of the students spent their internships working at urban locations such as Independence Hall, where they'll learn to deal with urban law enforcement issues like pickpockets, rowdy drunks, and homeless people camping on the site.
"We want people to think broadly, particularly in this economy," said Rachel Brown, director of the Career Center at Temple University. "We get people to think of things that seemed counterintuitive, like park service and urban [environments.]"
Brown said that more than 75% of the graduating students from Temple remain in the Philadelphia area. Recruiting them into the National Park Service could help staff urban locations, but it could also "broaden their horizons" to work elsewhere in the country, she said.
Rangers often spend their first several years working at different parks throughout the country before they acquire enough experience to compete for a job at the more coveted places like Yosemite National Park in California or Acadia National Park in Maine.
Hawk said that recruiting from urban areas will also allow for a more mixed workforce, considering that more than 70% of the law enforcement rangers on the current force are Caucasian.
"You diversify your workplace," she said. "You make it the face of America."

[JadedUSPP]

This is why the USPP may or will be branching out to the urban parks as stated above. DM9 is or soon will be the manual that covers all DOI LE.

[orlandofed5-0]

Only way into INDE or Sandy Hook is with a NPS level II cert. Only place that Ive seen not require it was Thomas Edison Park in West Orange NJ and they just established a list.

[2971511]

This is why the USPP may or will be branching out to the urban parks as stated above. DM9 is or soon will be the manual that covers all DOI LE.

We can not handle what we have, what makes you thinkwe are going t be branching out into more urban parks ??? I have heard NOTHING on this, and I do not think most of the Supt. are in favor of that either, and they would eed to sign off before any moves like that.

[orlandofed5-0]

We can not handle what we have, what makes you thinkwe are going t be branching out into more urban parks ??? I have heard NOTHING on this, and I do not think most of the Supt. are in favor of that either, and they would eed to sign off before any moves like that.

Ive heard the INDE and Boston rumors for the last 10 years. I would believe it when I see it!

[NYRESCUE]

Wow guys all great information!! Needless to say I need to get the certification and speak with the higher ups at school to see where people are needed. I do know before graduation you get a list of every park that needs people and they work to get you in which you choose. I do have a leg up as I applied to to both Philly and Sandy hook when the announcement was out last month.

You guys seem to be spitting off alot of information so dont let me stop you lol...

[Squirrel]

I do know before graduation you get a list of every park that needs people and they work to get you in which you choose...

Okay, first of all, it's not like a police department where you make a wish list, and get placed somewhere. YOU need to be doing the work, as ultimately, YOU are the one responsible for getting YOURSELF a job. The seasonal academy has NOTHING to do with getting you in where you want to be. They can work with you on your resume, and give you some interviewing advice, but ultimately, it's YOUR job to apply to each vacancy you're interested in. You have to make the cert, which, for most of the seasonal jobs, is now handled by HR folks in West Virginia. The hiring park just gets a list of names of eligible people.

If you're applying for seasonal jobs, DO NOT wait until graduation, especially if you're enrolled in a SLETP that ends in the spring. Some parks fly their summer seasonal announcements as early as November and December. I started applying as soon as I was accepted into a seasonal academy.

If you wait, you may find that all the jobs have been snapped up. My advice: Apply to any position that you have an interest in, and the first one that comes along, take it. A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. You might get offers after you take that first one. You can reneg on the first offer, but I don't recommend it. The NPS is a SMALL community, and word spreads quickly. Do a good season at your first park, get invited back, and do another season. Get some experience and good references, and then branch out. If you have rehire status, you've always got a "fallback." I applied to a lot fewer parks my second time around, because I no longer had to worry about finding just any job. I was no longer a beggar, so I could afford to be a chooser.

Oh, and if you applied to the permanent Philly announcement that ran 7/2009 to 7/2010 -- you're not qualified. Level 2 commission required.

[LochRaven]

It doesn't hurt to see if your picked seasonal academy has a state certification attachment. I think some of them do. That way you spend a few extra weeks at the academy, but come out with the level II as well as a local/state certification. So if you have trouble being picked up by what you really want to do in the mean time, you can work elsewhere and gain experience part-time or whatever your prerogative might be.

[ACO88]

Which of those seasonal academies would you recommend?

[2971511]

Just wondering ,,, Do any of the Seasonal academies offer an EMT-Basic ? .. If not there might be some money in theem thinking about doing that, you'd graduate with a level 2 commission and NREMT-B, might up your chances.... just a thought

[2971511]

Which of those seasonal academies would you recommend?

I think they are all certified and each has it's pros and cons. I would suggest finding one closest to your house, unless you talk to someone and the tell you the either stay away from a particular college, or that one is REALLY GREAT.

[JadedUSPP]

By making those LE Rangers there USPP, and more of I hiring blitz that is going on now. No, not a lot of the Superintendents are in favor of this. If it comes from the Secretary's mouth, it will get done. I too will believe it when I see it.