Right now The Pony is in his wheelhouse. I, myself, prefer the catbird's seat. But The Pony is spending three days in a classroom, hearing lectures and viewing PowerPoints and watching propaganda training films about workplace safety and defensive driving. There are few people better at sitting in a classroom than The Pony...
He has three days of orientation down in Casino Town, then a day of
driving instruction in a city 20 miles south of Bill-Paying Town, then one day of
job shadowing at his home office over in Sis-Town (must be done before next Tuesday), then four days of City Carrier
training in Springfield. It looks like he will be "earning" 32 hours (at least) of pay for this week and also next.
Here's the thing: The Pony said that before the new hires can fill out their hours to submit for payment, they need a special code number. Which will be MAILED TO THEM!
Heh, heh!
"Um. Good luck with THAT! Maybe you'll get it within 10 days. Maybe not."
"I know. Of all things. But we ARE the post office."
"I'm pretty sure this would be classified as IRONY."
"Yes. Yes it would."
The Pony will have to pay for his three overnights in Springfield. He has a letter with a code for tax-free, and to get the corporate rate. But he'll have to be reimbursed after he gets that code for the online paperwork.
The Pony will be fine. He has us as a safety net if needed. And he has enough money in his account that receives a monthly allowance out of the unused money allotted for his college expenses. It's the other new people I worry about! Just like when we teachers were only paid once a month, and the new hires right out of college might be working for five or six weeks before a payday! They had to prepare their classrooms, you know, and get a suitable professional wardrobe, and pay first and last month's rent if they were relocating, and it really didn't seem fair.
Anyhoo... The Pony said there are either 10 or 12 people in his "class." Five of them are from the Sis-Town main post office like him. The instructor said the last class was only six people, but ALL for the Sis-Town facility. That's it's not exactly classified as municipal, but it might as well be, due to the amount of mail and the size of the distribution area. And that this office is extremely understaffed. So it looks like The Pony will probably "get" to work full-time hours.
The Pony let his Droll Flag fly during the hat-ordering segment.
"I don't know what size hat I wear. I figure a medium would fit, but I ordered a large. I told them, 'My half-brother has a head so big that it took the Army two years to find a helmet that fit him.' The instructor is ex-Navy, and a guy at my office who is going to be a mechanic is ex-Air Force. They looked at each other and had a good laugh."
"Well, I guess so! They know how the government works!"
Also, City Carriers must wear a uniform. They must order them from approved vendors. You guessed it. They can't to that until they get the magic code number in the mail.
The Pony seems excited about his new adventure. He's leaving at 5:30 a.m. on Tuesday morning, because the start time has been moved up to 8:00. You never know what road hazards might await. It's school bus time in rural Hillmomba, and rush hour time down in Casino Town. Plus, that McDonald's sausage biscuit meal isn't going to eat itself.
3 comments:
I know a couple of people who have worked for the USPS for decades. They say the benefits are great, and I'm assuming the pay is decent.`
The Pony might be entering a pasture he's going to spend the rest of his life in.
Strnger things have happened...
I'm glad it is all going well so far, but I think kit is ridiculous for the code number to get mailed out. Just e-mail it, or hand out sealed envelopes to each newbie with their code inside.
Sioux,
It will take two years minimum before The Pony could get his own route, and move from ASSISTANT to City Carrier. He has insurance, but no retirement benefits until then. HOWEVER... as Farmer H pointed out to him, this is a job that could conceivably let him transfer to other parts of the country.
What I like about a government job is the job security. Genius is making big bucks, but he's on his third company. The Pony has his eye on engineer jobs within the USPS. I haven't looked them up, but I think there are four classifications. Probably not what The Pony knows how to do, but he's got a foot in the door for now.
***
River,
Yeah, that seems odd to me, too. The Pony will be making his overnight reservations tomorrow, for the 4-night hotel stay. They have been cautioned to use the phone for booking, NOT online. They get the government rate, which will save about $30 per night. Even though they'll be reimbursed for it later anyway.
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