The reason I pose this question isn't (solely) for video fodder but to kind of get a handle on this country I barely studied for four years. I was heavily interested in government structures and systems, whenever I'd look at the US I'd always get this picture of 50 states each with their own bureaucratic quirks but no cohesive national civil service structure. There isn't a Ministry of Culture analogue, to get into working on Congress since Newt Gingrich neutered the CRA and other Congress-level offices you basically need to know the Rep or Senator's staff already or have interned with them heavily while in college. Even then, you're not an employee of the institution but what amounts to a... private office worker?... Working in the Foreign Service is literally the closest thing anyone I've spoken with can give me as an example. Meanwhile I come from a family where before the Iron Curtain fell everyone worked in one Ministrry or another..
Am I just thinking about this wrong? I'm used to looking at governments that are not immune to doing what governments do.. The US seems incapable or just unwilling to make a true civil service system. AmeriCorps is a federal program but afaik doesn't fall under a specific agency.
Hi to all fellow preppers!
Since most of the posts in this forum are dealing with typical US scenarios, I just want to ask You about gear suggestions for Central/East Europe city. Scenarios that come to mind right now are:
- blackout
- Russia vs Ukraine turmoil
- civil unrest
I'm living in Poland, in big city, in typical block of flats. I already have some prepper gear and food stockpile ready to bug myself in for about week or two. As our oven / stove is electric, I've about 10 cartouches of propane, portable stove, some mylar to block out heat escaping trough windows, 10 foldable 10l water bottles, 21W solar powerbank etc. When it comes to food I've full pantry of cans, some mre and I'm quite sure that I+2 will be able to survive for a week (maybe two) in case of blackout.
In worst case scenario we can move to in-laws. They have proper country house that can be heated with wood (and there is plenty of it in nearby woods). They live 20km outside of city, and I don't need to move trough city centre - we can take car, bikes or just walk there without going trough densely populated area that could be prone to riots.
What I might be missing? Any suggestions?
I've read a lot of books that talk about observers during Russo Japanese war, but very little in the US for the CW. I understand it happened quite earlier, but the lessons could of been applied to WW1 just the same. If not moreso.
Things like the diminished offensive capability of cavalry. Defensive weaponry and the strength of hastily built fortifications.
So were there a lot of observers, if so what did they learn? If not, how come?
While we are here I've been meaning to ask what the Europeans, at the time the masters of modern warfare, thought about US generals. People sometimes discuss whether or not Robert E. Lee is was a great general. Did Europeans think he was? Did they think Grant was? What about Sherman's march, was it considered a legit and quality military operation, or something else.
I seem to remember at least Prussian officers observing that the conduct of American soldiers, especially the stage of destroying the retreating enemy with relentless pursuit was lacking.
Were there such observations during the Russian Civil War? Or was it just way too chaotic/ Red forces too anganostic to outsiders? I'm especially curious if any observations were incorporated into planning for Operation Barbarossa.
So I've been in the civil service less than a year after being made redundant in the private sector. I took a bit of a pay cut to be here but within a couple of years I should be able to get to the next grade up in my team, meaning I earn more than I used too
Because of my previous experience I've pretty much been headhunted for a role. When I knew I was being made redundant I was putting my CV on a few sites and I never took it down. So just before Christmas I was approached by someone asking if I was interested in a role. I updated my CV, my subsequent roles add a but of relevant experience too. The new job would pay in the range of £32-35k.
But to be honest I don't know if I want the job. I currently earn about £26k and that'll go up by about £5k in about two years if I stick in this team and progress. Basically everyone can progress if they want too and the next grade up is only available to us already in the team due to needing specific training.
My current team is lovely. But obviously it's the civil service so people progress and move and new people join so in 2 years time the team might be different. The main thing I dislike about my job is that I have to work nights and weekends. I don't see myself in this team for another 40 years but I'm happy here for now, especially as I don't have kids yet.
At the moment I'm operational so rarely have meetings and don't have many emails to deal with. Overtime is optional and paid. The new role has that dreaded clause saying you may be required to do overtime to fulfill the needs of the role and overtime isn't paid! The new role involves some travel, so basically if it takes you three hours to get to a client, you don't get paid for those extra hours of travel that day, just petrol money. And sometimes I'll be going to the over end of the country and staying overnight. They also explained that the time is split about 50/50 between being in meetings/conferences Vs reading and writing material.
Hello,
I'm a civil servant on £58,000 and with an Alpha career average pension. I'm considering going into contracting. I expect to earn about £500-600 per day. Hopefully outside IR35, though could be inside.
Contractorcalculator.co.uk say this would give me a salary equivalent to a perm emploo on between £90,000 and 140,000 depending on the rate and IR35 status.
Given how good civil service pensions are, would this move be financially sensible? 90k sounds like a lot of money but I'm aware that I'm giving up a lot in losing the pension.
Thanks!
Someone posted here a while back about Clerical Officer positions being open for applicants. I applied and got 184 in my county in order of merit.
Can anyone help me out on what this means exactly? Am I in place 184 for the position should it come available? Should I re-apply next year?
Any advice is welcomed.
I'm looking to join NYS. How frequent are civil service exams? Someone told me you could have to wait 3-5 years... Is this true? Is it different for internal vs external? Thank you.
Applications for Clerical Officer 2022 positions open tomorrow. For anyone who is just out of school/ college or is just stuck in a rutt working a dead end job like I was at 30 years of age GET YOUR APPLICATION IN!!! Probably the best decision I ever made. In 2 years time you could be earning 30k a year at EO level (not bad for someone in their early 20s). I would fully recommend!!!
www.publicjobs.ie
https://www.publicjobs.ie/en/information-hub/our-recruitment-process/test-advice
I've been thinking about this for a while and I'm interested in getting other's opinions.
I'd start off with the NCA officers who work on child sexual exploitation as an extreme example of difficult jobs.
I'm always curious what everyone's dream job is and whether they think they'll ever get it? How far away from your dream job are you? Are there any lucky people who already have the role for them?
As civil servants we are entitled to a life, yes we work silly hours mostly, yes we work from home, yes we have silly deadlines, yes we are far from perfect. However civil servants do give up their weekends and evenings for deadlines and important issues most of the time for no benefit whether that be overtime (it’s not exactly easy to get approval for overtime in my experience) and nor is it fair to expect us to do it for free, we are still people with families and lives.
As an institution we receive attacks from ministers regarding our peloton bikes and working from home and our incompetence from the opposition without a platform to defend ourselves (hello Reddit).
As civil servants especially throughout the pandemic we have continued to serve the government throughout its policy implementation and the added stress and workload of the pandemic, we have seen no payrise, claps on Thursdays, or support.
Throughout this past 18 months government has stressed a healthy work life balance for its workers, when this doesn’t work in the public eye they feel the need to attack it.
(This is a rant and a vent please don’t take it as biblical) please do discuss your views
Did you guys review before the exam? And if you did, did you find the questions difficult?
I know their significance to the history of East Asia, but I’m curious what exactly they asked and how they were assessed.
I’ve just found out this exists and have no idea what to think. What is it? Are any of you members? It’s only £50 for an annual private members club? What do people do there?
Somewhat weirdly fascinated, no one I work with has ever mentioned this!
https://www.civilserviceclub.org.uk/Home
Seriously having such a fragmented supply chain is so bad for the environment, costs 27 postal hqs etc.
Der europäische Bürgerkrieg, 1917–1945: Nationalsozialismus und Bolschewismus is Ernst Nolte's magnum opus of 20th century history. Together with his article "Die Vergangenheit, die nicht vergehen will," published the previous year, it kicked off the Historikerstreit or "Historians' Dispute" which engulfed German academia and media in the late 1980s. At the time, political scientist Eckhard Jesse described the book as before its time and said that it would take generations for historians to appreciate just what Nolte had accomplished. However, it has only been translated once: into French, in 2000.
Two Twitter anons, Publius Agrippa and Russian Cosmist, have apparently taken it upon themselves to translate The European Civil War, 1917-1945 into English for the first time, serialized on Substack. I intend to use this thread as a public mirror to my personal tracker, updating it frequently with links to English-language chapters as they are released. While the book was published in 1987 and therefore doesn't quite qualify as "Slow History," I'm posting here because I expect it will be of interest to readers — and frankly, I can't think of any subreddit that would be a better fit.
The chapters are listed below in order of release by the translators, which I believe (but cannot verify) reflects the order in the book.
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Final point and Prelude 1933: The anti-Marxist seizure of power in Germany
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The emergence of the Communist Party of Germany from the World War and the Russian Revolution
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(pending)
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[“World Revolution” or “National Government” in
I have training for 8 weeks and wondering if I have to dress formal, or formal casual or just casual. I am going to be an EO... Can I wear denim jeans and a jumper?
EDIT: Department - DWP
Profession - EO
General Location - Outer London/National payscale
Whether you'd prefer to wear blouses and dresses or trousers and shirts - trousers and shirts/blouses
Hi all - I am trying to work out what % the CS Alpha pension is worth in terms of a TC figure for comparison purposes for private sector jobs. The accrual rate is 2.32% of salary (for a 5.45% employee contribution), so for example somebody earning £50k would accrue £1160 for that year of work. That £1160 is adjusted for inflation by the time of retirement at 68.
Based on 4% withdrawal which seems to be the ‘go to’ number, you would need to have £29k in a pension pot in order to receive this same amount per year at retirement. Would I be correct in saying that, if inflation averages 2% over 40 years and we assume a 4% growth in a DC pension, the ‘value’ of that years contributions would need to be £13,133 (26.3%). What’s interesting is that that is based on 40 years until retirement, which suggests that percentage figure for the CS pension is actually a sliding scale, getting more valuable the older you get?
Grateful for thoughts / corrections!
Thinking it’s time for me to move from the civil service to the private sector, been keeping an eye out for jobs, don’t get me wrong the civil service has some great benefits such as flexi time and a great pension but just feels kinda same old same old at times, what’s the private sector like nowadays it’s been a few years since I’ve been there?
Anyone done it and had regrets and is trying to get back into the civil service?
