Pros
Independent Work once you have left the Post Office Building. There are a lot of unsupervised hours during the day, while the associate is delivery the letters and packages. The only way the PO supervisors and post master can track you is by the "pings" entries in the scanner, every time you scan and delivery a package. $17 hourly while training within the first 6 weeks (or 3-4 pay periods). ---After that, if you make it through your 90 working days probation---you are only paid by the route. That is a daily evaluated route time of 8 - 9.5 hours. So if it takes your 11-12 hours, because your still learning to be faster, too bad!
Up front, there is a lot of TRAINING: 2-day orientation to the USPS, 1-day shadow day with a carrier on any route, 1-day LLV (Long-life Vehicle) Training and Certification, withing the first month---4-day Rural Carrier Academy. The academy is a LOT of sit and get classtime, you learn some of the INS and OUTS and the FORMS and how use the Scanner for Parcel Deliveries.
It is exciting to be working in a new position; but VERY naive to think you will be getting proper training or straight answers to your questions, regarding how long it really takes to be up to speed on the job details and when you could make "full-time status"'Career Status.
Many, Many continuous OPENINGS are posted on sites such as "INDEED" and non-career site with the USPS for your city and state.
Very through Postal Exam, $5,000 spent training each new employee, Half the Employees are Career (full-time) and might be helpful; Half the Employees are non-career (part-time).
Cons
Will always be a PART-TIME job with unpredictable hours--not consistent paychecks.
Seniority List for both Non-career (RCAs and CCAs) Employees lets you know the order people were hired in.
For RCA to make full-time career it WILL TAKE AS LITTLE AS 4 YEARS TO AS MUCH AS 10 YEARS.
For CCA to make full-time career it WILL TAKE AS LITTLE AS 1 YEARS TO AS MUCH AS 4 YEARS.
---IT all depends on the age of the work force in that local post office you are in.
There many, many individuals hired that do not make the 90-day work cut. Even if you do RCA work less hours; CCA work more hours--and are paid hourly no matter how long a route takes, but your are also walking 4-10 miles daily or dismounting for apts.
CASING (sorting the mail into their slots at PO) getting Parcels ordered in the right order, and Casing First class mail (letters and business mail) in the LLV on the street at the individual Mail Boxes....all takes time. Your career person has had years to learn it and get faster. The USPS local PO figures it will take you 1 full week by yourself to get the time down and do the same!
It is no for every one. Many of the employees would never earn the salary they do in any other job setting--because many are not college educated and many supervisor do a poor job managing and do not know how to encourage or motivate.
DO NOT WASTE YOUR TIME OR ENERGY APPLY, WORKING,HOPING FOR FULL-TIME EMPLOYMENT WITH THE USPS. THE IS A 30-50 PERCENT TURN-OVER WITHIN 6 MONTHS OR LESS ON NEW HIRES IN ALL POSITIONS
---THE MANAGEMENT WILL NOT TELL ALL OF THESE DETAILS. You as a new hire are expendable!
IF you as a job seeker need reliable full-time paychecks and work - do not apply to these frequently posted RCA and CCA positions!!!! ---All part-time and not reliable employment - you will be disappointed. (NOTE other posts that make similar comments!)
Work all Saturdays and Many "Amazon Sundays and Holidays" - delivery Parcels which people have ordered on line.