Editorial: Kingsport seeking to fill nearly 40 open positions | Editorials

It’s often said that the best jobs are government jobs. But whether that’s true for you depends on your ambition, skills and work ethic. Unless you want to move, you might consider working for local government, and at the moment the city of Kingsport has plenty of open jobs.

According to the Partnership for Public Service, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization, government reimbursement is competitive with the private and nonprofit sectors, and top candidates with work experience and strong academic backgrounds can quickly increase their pay.

Other pros include jobs for nearly every interest and interesting, challenging and often groundbreaking work.

Government service is also a great way to give back and help your community. But be forewarned that, depending on the job, you may not see the immediate results of your work. Typically, working for government involves a complex system of rules and procedures, and depending on the job, government work can be affected by daunting and sometimes conflicting politics.

But what job doesn’t have its pros and cons, right?

If you’re looking for work and want to remain in Kingsport, the city is currently seeking applications for nearly 40 open positions within various departments including electricians, HVAC technician, mechanics and maintenance workers, lifeguards, waste/wastewater positions, secretaries, administrative specialists and summer program leaders.

To see the full list of positions available, visit www.kingsporttn.gov and click on “Jobs” at the top of the screen. New positions are posting daily. Here are some of them and what they pay:

• Aquatic Center, part-time lifeguard, $9/hour.

• Public Works, full-time maintenance worker, $25,625-$28,288 annually.

• Parks and Recreation, full-time assistant manager, $51,152-$57,571 annually.

• Police officer, full-time, $35,318 annually.

• Summer program attendants/leaders, temporary/seasonal, $8-$11 hourly.

• Traffic control technician, full-time, $31,220 annually.

• Public Works, instrumentation and control specialist, full-time, reimbursement depends on qualifications.

• Public Works, water/wastewater plant mechanic, full-time, $37,107 annually.

• Civil engineer, full-time, $57,873-$61,398 annually.

• Custodian, second shift (4 p.m. — 12:30 a.m.), full-time, $24,377 annually.

“If you are looking for job stability, great benefits and a work/life balance, then we are your employer of choice,” says Human Resources Director Tyra Copas.

The city will also be holding a job fair April 14 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Kingsport Farmers Market.

Government work offers a chance to make a personal difference in improving your community.

That can be very satisfying.