Field Representative

Part-time work available.
If you enjoy meeting people, can use extra earnings each month, and are not looking for a full-time job, read on. . .

The U.S. Census Bureau is referred to as the "Fact Finder for the Nation." We employ thousands of field representatives in selected areas throughout the United States to collect social and economic data needed by the Federal Government, American business and industry, and public and private interest groups.

Our surveys cover a wide range of topics, such as population trends, unemployment estimates, construction activity, crime, income, health, housing, and business.

Field representatives are supervised by a full-time staff and, for most surveys, work in areas near their homes. Some surveys, however, require occasional overnight travel to more distant areas.

Qualifications
To qualify for employment as a Census Bureau field representative, you must:

• Be a citizen of the United States, and present proof of identity and employment eligibility.
• Be at least 18 years old.
• Pass a test demonstrating ability to read, follow written instructions, do simple arithmetic, and read maps.
• Be a resident of the county or city in which the major part of the assignment is located.
• Have a valid driver's license and car to use in completing assignments, if necessary.
• Be able to read small type.
• Have the ability to speak and hear normal conversation.
• Be in good physical condition for driving, walking, climbing stairs, and standing.
• Be able to attend occasional training sessions, often away from home, requiring one or more nights of lodging.
• Have a non-cordless private line home telephone.
• Be available for day, evening, and weekend work.

You cannot:

• Engage in partisan political activity during any 24-hour period in which work is performed.
• Be currently employed as a tax assessor, tax collector, or law enforcement officer.

Hours, Work, and Pay

The number of hours you work each month may vary from 16 to 120 or more, depending on the workload in an assignment area. To meet deadlines, you must be available to work when respondents are at home. Usually, the best time to interview is during the evening and on weekends. The irregular hours mean that it is difficult to hold a full-time job or to carry a heavy workload as a student in addition to census work.

Field representatives are usually eligible for promotion after a year or more of successful service. In addition, there are periodic salary increases if the quality of your work is fully successful. Field representatives are reimbursed for using their automobiles and telephones for official business and are paid expense allowances for overnight travel.

Civil Service and Postal Service retirees must have their salaries reduced by the amount of their annuities and may not find it financially beneficial to work as a field representative.

2009 Salary Rates are as follows:

Dallas/Fort Worth, TX
GS-3 / $12.37 per hour

Houston - Galveston - Brazoria, TX
GS-3 / $13.23 per hour

Rest of the Region
GS-3 / $11.74 per hour

Mileage Reimbursement Rate
55 cents per mile

Duties and Responsibilities

If hired, your job is to interview households or persons at addresses scientifically selected in advance. In the city, this could mean working in a part of town where you might feel uncomfortable. In rural areas, the sample households might be far apart requiring a lot of driving. Also, interviewing must be done and deadlines met regardless of the weather.

At times, you may be asked to work on a special survey or do additional work in your area. You are expected to be available for work even though you may not have planned or been scheduled to work during a specific period.

A large part of you job is meeting and dealing with the public. While you will find that most people are quite cooperative, a certain percentage will require you to be a skilled "salesperson" - to sell them on the importance of the survey and to convince them to participate. We have found that a person who enjoys meeting and talking to new people will more likely be a successful census field representative.

Speed, accuracy, and thoroughness are very important, and most surveys have quality and production standards to meet. Supervisors observe field representatives periodically to make sure quality standards are met. Also, we reinterview some households to make sure you recorded the responses accurately.

It is important for you to be aware of these situations so that if you accept the job, you will be happy and stay with it. It is a rewarding job if you enjoy meeting people and appreciate the diversity and independence of interviewing.

Information obtained in surveys is kept in confidence. Field representatives take an oath not to reveal informtion collected to anyone other than an authorized Census Bureau employee.

Training

The Census Bureau invests a lot of time and money in training field representatives. Initial training may take from 2 to 3 days (up to 5 days for some surveys), usually at a regional office. A supervisor accompanies a field representative on the first assignment. Later, training includes home study, observations, and group training sessions. Trainees are paid for time spent in training and receive an allowance for travel.

Application Procedures

If you are interested in a field representative job, write or call the regional office listed.

U.S. Bureau of the Census
Dallas Regional Office
8585 N. Stemmons Freeway, Suite 800 S
Dallas, Texas 75247-3836

Phone: (214) 253-4400
E-mail: dallas.recruiting@census.gov

Telephone inquiries can be made Monday thru Friday, 7:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m., central time.

U.S. Census Bureau is an Equal Opportunity Employer