4. What Kind of Experience do I Need to Qualify for a Nonprofessional 

 Job in the Forest Service? 



A. TECHXICIAX. — Technicians usually begin working at the 



GS— t grade level. Job titles include fire control technician, 

 fire prevention technician, range technician, forestry tech- 

 nician, engineering and surve^'ing technician. Candidates for 

 technician positions must have a minimum of I14 years of 

 general experience and 6 months of specialized experience — a 

 total of 2 years. 



An example of acceptable general experience for the position of fire 

 control technician would be experience gained in any field of forestry, 

 or related field, that shows the applicant has acquired, and can use, the 

 basic knowledges and skills needed for fire control work. 



Substituting high school or other education for parts of the general 

 and specialized experience requirements is permitted. The exact 

 amount of substitution allowed is determined by the nature and length 

 of the subjects studied. 



B. AID. — GS-2 or GS-3 are the beginning grades for fire control 



aids, fire prevention aids, range aids, forestry aids, engineer- 

 ing aids, and surveying aids. Candidates for aid positions 

 must have at least one-half year of general experience for the 

 GS-2 grade, and 1 year of general experience for the GS-3 

 grade. In some cases, high school graduation may be sub- 

 stituted for the one-half year of general experience. 



The example of general experience shown above for fire 

 control technician would also apply for fire control aid. 



C. CLERK. — For Grade GS-2, 6 months of general office experi- 



ence or graduation from high school is required. For grade 

 GS-3, 1 year of general office experience or 1 academic year 

 of business or secretarial school, junior college, or college 

 which is in addition to graduation from high school, is re- 

 quired. Applicants must pass tests covering verbal abilities 

 and aptitude for clerical tasks. 



