SO/courts jobs | Imamother

MagentaYenta

Thu, Jun 08 2017, 4:22 pm

I'm curious as to why so few East Coast frum women aren't working in the public sector. The two recent posts about jobs in the courts got me to thinking.

As a frum Jewish woman I found public service gratifying. Public sector employers have very clear hiring policies and religious accommodation policies. Salary and benefits, including retirement are much better than a great many similar private sector positions. In some instances you can get paid for tuition if additional training and education can benefit the employer. In many cases public employees are represented by labor unions as well. Depending on where you work in public service and what your job is you may be eligible for a flexible work week. In higher ed where I worked our union contract gave me the option of working 4 ten hour days so I could have Fridays off. It also gave me a variety of ways to receive accommodation for yom tovs so I didn't have to burn all of my personal leave.

Growing up in NJ in the 50's I knew a number of my parents peers who happily worked in the public sector. Not so much now adays.

MagentaYenta

Thu, Jun 08 2017, 5:41 pm

chocolatecake wrote:

Public sector jobs are not so flexible. You cant cut your hours to 9-3. You cant leave for a hour to make your kids chanukah play.....

If the job is full time, no you can't cut your hours to 9-3. And most public work places allow for flexibility with regards to things like school plays. Yea, you'd have to burn an hours leave time or get permission from your supervisor to make up the time, but by and large public employers do give leeway in these areas. Changing a full time job to a part time job simply because it's the desire of the applicant, it's not gonna happen. It's a totally unrealistic expectation.

chocolatecake

Thu, Jun 08 2017, 6:37 pm

MagentaYenta wrote:

Exactly my point about the hours. Myself and most of my friends started off working full time in various offices, some got degrees some not and as the kids came along the hours got shorter. In the private sector especially in the frum world employers will let fulltime workers go part time in order to keep them

samantha87

Thu, Jun 08 2017, 7:41 pm

The salaries generally are not higher than in the private sector, unless you are comparing yeshiva teachers to public school teachers. The benefits and the quality of life are definitely better in the public sector, but these days frum people prioritize money.

MagentaYenta

Thu, Jun 08 2017, 7:53 pm

chocolatecake wrote:

But that doesn't preclude applying for PT jobs in the public sector.

cnc

Thu, Jun 08 2017, 7:56 pm

MagentaYenta wrote:

But that doesn't preclude applying for PT jobs in the public sector.

OOC, can you give examples of part time jobs?

Working in the public sector is very enticing specifically for the excellent benefits- it's just not always compatible with the lifestyle of women in my circle. (Due to the hours ...)

MagentaYenta

Thu, Jun 08 2017, 8:14 pm

cnc wrote:

It's easier to name a few that cannot be part time due to logistics or responsibility, most are higher level mgmt, anything from directors up including program managers. Fiscal analysts, all clericals, and skilled trades are routinely recruited for part time in my state. RNs and other professionally degreed positions from Drs to pharmacists,dentists, professional engineers, stationary engineers, social workers, are all recruited for as less than full time. Actuaries, archivists, librarians many data and fiscal analyst positions. Literally hundreds of positions. When I was a legislative policy analyst, my unit had 153 employees, 49 were full time.

Now this doesn't mean that part time work comes with full time benefits, it would be unreasonable to expect that. Part time benefits are prorated. When I worked for higher ed and my state, I knew a number of individuals who transitioned from full time to job shares. It was a vehicle that worked for the hiring agency and for the employee. An employee could request their position be rewritten as a job share, the employee could work their part time hours and a new employee would get a 1/2 time job.

mille

Thu, Jun 08 2017, 8:25 pm

chocolatecake wrote:

Public sector jobs are not so flexible. You cant cut your hours to 9-3. You cant leave for a hour to make your kids chanukah play.....

Speak for yourself! I used to work in the public sector and it was super duper flexible. I had sooooooo much PTO, hour long lunches, and could extend that with my massive amounts of PTO. I was able to have all of yomim tovim paid plus personal days and sick days plus a vacation yearly!

Now I'm in the private sector and have to stay late if I want to take time off to go to a bris!

Cutting hours to 9-3, well, that makes you part time, not full time, and most places would not be cool with that. I don't know why you think it's is a public sector rigidity thing.

mille

Thu, Jun 08 2017, 8:27 pm

cnc wrote:

An NJ State employee would be eligible for pension at 20+ hours, but no other benefits. PTO is probably dependent on the specific organization but I imagine it'd be prorated if below full time, as it was in my institution. You need to work 35+ hours per week to be eligible for the fantastic medical insurance etc.

I honestly know very few frum women who work part time.