National Park Service Employees
Overview
Introduction
National Park Service (NPS) employees have a wide variety of backgrounds and capabilities and fill a number of different positions. They include law enforcement rangers, interpreters, resource managers, historians, archaeologists, clerical assistants, maintenance workers, and scientists—to name just a few. No matter what their responsibilities, these employees are all dedicated to the mission of the NPS: conserving the natural and cultural resources of America's national parks for the enjoyment, education, and inspiration of the pre...
Quick Facts
Median Salary
Employment Prospects
Minimum Education Level
Experience
Skills
Personality Traits
Earnings
The salaries for National Park Service employees are based on their levels of responsibility and experience. Employees are assigned salary grade levels. As they gain more experience, they are promoted to higher grade levels or to higher salary steps within their grade levels.
The NPS uses two categories of levels. The first, called the General Schedule (GS), applies to professional, admi...
Work Environment
To say there is a wide variety of work environments within the National Park Service is an understatement. For instance, NPS employees might work mainly outdoors at sites like Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona or Denali National Park in Alaska; or mainly indoors at a historical site, such as the Lincoln Home National Historic Site in Springfield, Illinois; or at Independence Hall at Indepen...
Outlook
Although it covers a lot of ground, the National Park Service is a very small government agency. Job opportunities are limited and, although they are not highly lucrative, they are considered very desirable among individuals who love outdoor work and nature. Consequently, competition for NPS jobs is very intense. This is not a situation that is likely to improve, since turnover rates are low an...
