Employment with Lee County (health insurance, condo, homes)

[Charlja]

Hi,

Recently I applied for a position in Lee county government. I am not currently a resident of Florida, but would love to be. My husband is retired from state government in WI and drawing a pension. We need health insurance to afford to live. I currently love my work but we dream of palm trees and beaches.

I'd be giving up seniority and pay with my current secure employment.

Is Florida & Lee county employment secure? Enjoyable? Flexible or rigid?

Any feedback on FL government work and wages/security would be much appreciated.

Thanks - J

[RMD3819]

I can give you my opinion from Collier County, which is directly south of Lee.

Employment is not as secure as it used to be. We have had recent layoffs. I would not leave a secure well paying job right now just to get into the sunshine. The job market is too unstable here.

Search New Press for layoffs in the governments in Lee County.

Wages-This information is available on their websites. Depending on your standard of living this may or may not be satisfactory. In general, wages are lower in Florida across all sectors.

Flexible-Depends. I have heard of flex-time and other customized schedules but this all depends on what you do and who you work for.

It sounds like you need a job primarily for health insurance. Have you looked at the hospitals?

[Charlja]

Yes, at one point I did check with the hospitals. Those wages were significantly lower, and insurance premiums higher. It's hard to know about county wages because there is a really broad payrange listed on the job announcement.

It is going to be -15 below tomorrow morning. At least the sun shines when its cold tho. Haha.

We had layoffs five years ago. Not a good thing for anyone. It was gut wrenching giving people "pink slips" then and dont know if I could go through that again. Seeing their pain was very difficult.

Guess I am just really curious about the climate. I'm wondering if you have to "know somebody" to get contacted for an interview because I am very highly qualified for the position I applied for and have heard absolutely nothing. It seems very strange.

I guess when it's meant to be it will happen. I know we'll end up there some day. Seems like paradise to me to live in such a gorgeous climate.

Thanks much for your input.

[RMD3819]

Payranges-You can bet you will be hired at the minimum unless you have some skillset that is very, very much in demand. There is little negotiation since the next person will take the lower salary. With this economy I would bet there are a ton of applicants for each position.

Knowing someone can help but Lee County is probably in a hiring freeze, or at least they hire only for very specific positions. Is the position you applied for still advertised? How long ago did you apply?

[Charlja]

Yes, I called Lee county HR yesterday and was told that the positions on the website WILL be filled. It makes sense, regarding the minimums of the pay ranges if there are that many applicants. Benefits are a very big deal to most people.

I applied around Thanksgiving time. I need to make a call to the Traffic Department tomorrow to find out more specifics regarding where the hire is in the process. My resume is outstanding with 12 years closely related experience. Just hard to believe that I wasn't contacted. Maybe they think i'm over qualified??? Would really love a chance to interview.

[RMD3819]

The wheels of government turn slowly down here.

I would find out the department director and email them. Give a brief bio and say that you have applied and would like to interview. Also state you WILL be relocating and will travel for the interview at your expense.

[Charlja]

That is great advice for the future. Will do. The position was filled but that is ok. There will be others. I"ll just keep trying. When it's meant to be it will happen.

I do have enough points on my AMEX to get a flight down there to interview once offered the opportunity.

We plan to live in a 55+ manufactured home development or else buy a condo. Depends on what we find out about how the newer homes withstand hurricanes. That is a concern. I believe condo lrices are really low right now so that is also an option. Guess we"ll need to do more research on that.

Thanks so much for the great advice!!!

[hiknapster]

I could be very wrong, and anything is possible, but they are going to know darned well what you make up north and probably won't consider you. They don't want to get through the entire hiring process and then have you drop dead on them when they tell you the pay rate.

Go to Lee County if you want to retire but not if you have to work. Things are VERY bad there.

[TANaples]

Don't they post the salaries next to the open positions? I know Collier does that. I work for the school district in Collier. They post on their website the pay ranges from minimum to maximum.

This is not a very good time to be looking for a job. I know the school district is only giving 1 year contracts to new hires. If a position opens up, first preference will be given to current employees. I would imagine it would be the same with county employees.

I applied for my job online while still out of state. Yes, they contacted me right away. I sent the required paperwork in and then heard nothing. A neighbor in our condo worked for the county. When I told him nothing was happening with my resume, he said he would make a few phone calls. I was contacted almost immediately. I suppose it never hurts to "know" someone.

[Charlja]

I was actually doing some research on getting certified to teach. I had heard that there is a program in FL where you can be hired and earn credentials for certification with ANY bachelor's degree. That is another possibility. I used to teach part- time for a local technical college. I taught computer business applications courses. Microsoft expert through beginning levels.

The hubby is retired but I have a lot to offer to an employer for at least ten years. I don't mind working if it is rewarding and makes a difference to others.