Quote:
Originally Posted by lee
Hello to everyone in Georgia,
I wonder if anyone out there may be able to give us some advice regarding our move to Georgia.
I have just one more question, the one job I would like to d in the States is that of a postman because I enjoy working outside and meeting people and it would be great to get paid for doing just that but people have said that it is notoriously difficult to get jobs with US Mail does anyone know if this is the case?
Many thanks for any help or advice anyone can offer us on relocating to your beautiful State.
Lee
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As far as employment with the U.S. Postal Service, there 2 different hiring tracks when it comes to the customer service side of the agency (not working within the mail-processing "factories" or in the transportation portion).
One track is the rural mail carrier job, where application periods are open quite often in individual areas. But the problem is, you start as a substitute that typically works only on the carrier's day off, or his vacation ("holiday" to you), or on any period he may be sick. Needless to say, unless you are self-employed in a way that lets you drop all of your activities at a moment's notice, this is a difficult track. Being on a rural route and confined within your own vehicle to deliver the mail, you do not have a lot of encounters with the public. And it may take a few years before your seniority allows an opening for you to obtain your own regular route.
Another track is on the "city carrier" and "sales and service associate" (clerk) side. These application and exam periods are open only once every two years or so in a particular area (approximate 50-mile radius). Again, if hired, you start out on a part-time, non-regularly-scheduled basis, and it may take you a few years of seniority-earnings to get your own city route or to obtain your regular clerk's schedule.
A private company that may be easier to obtain employment with, is UPS. They are a parcel delivery service (the one with the brown uniforms and the big brown trucks). You would probably not want to work for any of their transportation, logistical, or processing centers (although that may have to be a starting point). They do have their own "stores", or retail outlets, that would give you face-to-face transactions with the public if you were clerking there. If you drive the parcel trucks, you would have a lot of exposure to the public, but not so much door-to-door like the mail carrier. It tends to be 90% delivery to businesses, rather.
Other private delivery companies are FedEx and DHL. These delivery personnel seem to almost exclusively be contract-basis, so that, if you are willing to invest the money to start your own small business, you can be a driver with them. But, of course, you will need to be familiar with what your expenses will be before you enter into a contract. Otherwise, you stand to lose your own money. Again, these couriers tend to deliver packages to predominantly businesses and to the few households which may be receiving a package for any given day.
One suggestion I might give you is to consider opening your own retail store that would give you interaction with the public. As you know, the U.S. is very consumption-driven, and, if you have a decent product or service, individuals seem very willing to part with their dollars or to enter into debt to obtain what you are offering. This idea lets you have the public come to you in the role of "shopkeeper"! A quaint, historic downtown typically has a few antiques dealers and merchants. And a few restaurateurs or delicatessen owners.
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Emigrating to Georgia
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