I just learned that there may be possible part-time and full-time temporary opportunities with the Census Bureau as they ramp up for the 2010 census. We are going to look into this and call our local office on Monday to see if some part-time work is available. Looks to be a good little short term extra income opportunity. Who knows? It's worth a shot right?
***Update: We took the exam, here is our review / what to expect
Anyone participate in one before?
U.S. Census Bureau 2010 jobs website
Here is some information regarding the type of work.
The 2010 Census – A Great Way to Earn Extra Money
The U.S. Census Bureau is recruiting temporary part-time census takers for the 2010 Census. The pay is good, the hours are flexible, and the work is close to home.
Census taker jobs are excellent for retirees, college students, persons who want to work part-time, persons who are between jobs, or just about anyone who wants to earn extra money while performing an important service for their community.
What Are the Duties of a Census Taker?
Census takers usually work in their own neighborhoods or communities. They work varied hours, normally 20 to 40 hours per week. Assignments can last up to several weeks.
Census takers perform two main kinds of work: Updating address lists and conducting interviews. Applicants who apply for a census job will be considered for both types of work.
Updating Address Lists
The main address list updating operation is called Address Canvassing, which will take place in spring 2009. During the Address Canvassing operation, census takers visit all the places where people live or could live. The census taker must knock on each resident's door and if someone answers explain that he or she is verifying the correct address for a short census questionnaire that will be mailed in 2010.
Conducting Interviews
The Census Bureau conducts several field operations that are aimed at counting people. Interviewing operations will take place in the spring and summer of 2010. These operations involve knocking on doors and conducting interviews with residents. The largest interviewing operation is called Non-Response Follow-up. Non-Response Follow-up is performed to get responses from people who have not returned the mail-delivered Census form.
What other jobs are available?
Besides census takers, some people will work as Crew Leaders or Crew Leader Assistants. These positions each coordinate the schedules and work of a team of census takers and meet with each census taker on a daily basis. Others will perform office work at Local Census Offices.
What is the work schedule?
Work schedules for census takers typically include from 20 to 40 hours of work per week. Some census operations (such as Address Canvassing) require you to work during daylight hours. For interviewing operations such as Non-Response Follow-up, you must be available to work when people are usually at home, such as in the evening and on weekends. Hours for office jobs are less variable but can involve shift work.
How much do census takers earn?
The pay census takers receive is quite attractive, especially for temporary, part-time work. In addition, census takers are reimbursed for authorized mileage and related expenses.
While the official census website does not list an actual dollar figure, several news and forum sites list the work from $8-$20 an hour.
How often do census takers get paid?
As a census taker, you will be paid on a weekly basis.
Do census takers get paid for training?
Yes. Each census taker receives up to 4 days of paid training.
You may qualify to be a census taker if…
- You are able to read, write, and speak English.
- You are a U.S. citizen.
- You are a legal permanent resident, or non-citizen with an appropriate work visa, and you possess a bilingual skill for which there are no available qualified citizens.
- You are at least 18 years old.
- You have a valid Social Security number.
- You take a written test of basic skills.
- You have a valid driver's license (for field jobs only).
- You pass a background check.
- You commit to 4 days of training. You will be paid for these days at your regular hourly rate. Training can be held either during daytime hours or during evening and weekend hours.
Note: Males born after December 31, 1959 must be registered with Selective Service.
***Update: We took the exam, here is our review / what to expect
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