We are having a daughter in March and I'm shutting down my company for something with no more than 40 hours a week.  I'm schedualed to take an exam for rural carrier which is all that's available right now and it's part time to start.  Any warnings or advice?

We have the FATTEST mail man and I can't understand why.  The dude is literally 5'9" 330+. He must walk 10 miles a day.  All of the mailboxes in my area are attached to the house, so he has to park at one end of the street walk house to house like a door to door salesman.  Gets to the end of the street, crosses and walks down the other isle.  Kinda like stocking a giant supermarket.

His mail truck must be littered with pop and pork rinds.  

Your company must be doing pretty damned bad to consider a job with the Post Office.

I dad was a mail carrier until he retired, but not a rural carrier though.  He walked alot, 4 hrs everyday, and the other 4hrs is for sorting inside.  He said that was the toughest job he had in his life, even more than his 15 yrs in the army.  The reason is that they push you for maximum efficiency everyday, there is never any down time.  After a while it gets to him.  He said that even though his time in the army was tough, but there was also plenty of r&r or slow time.  With the postal carrier job it was just constant grinding.  In addition there is alot of office politic with the union and all.  He hated the union guys.

I think rural carrier does not do any walking, or very little.

ETA:  My dad retired 4 years ago.  I don't how much has changed since.

Charles Bukowski wrote a great book about working for the post office.

You may not get many hours. It can take years to get to a full time slot with some of rural carrier sub/part time gigs.

I've done it for 2 yrs and see no full time coming up for probably years.
I know a guy in another office who has been waiting 17 yrs, and he does want a full time slot.

Your area may be better, but look into it carefully.

I don't regret doing it, but I am starting to look for something better.

I was a seasonal employee for the USPS years ago as a second job.  The pay was great - my hourly rate was a lot more than I made from my main job, plus you got lots of overtime, and extra money for all hours worked after 6 PM (and most of my hours were after 6 PM).  I also took the postal exam and was offered a job - I ended up turning it down.

Unless things have changed, and I haven't heard that they have, jobs with the USPS go by seniority.  Yeah, you think of the mail guy out delivering the mail all day, but the reality is that most postal jobs are night jobs.  During the day people man the offices and deliver the mail, but all the processing, sorting, and moving the mail from where it's sent to where it's bound for is all done at night.  The job I was offered was on second shift, from 4-12:30 every day.  It was called PTF for "part time, flexible", but the reality was that I had full benefits and generally worked overtime.  I was told that I could expect there to be a 10 year or so wait before I could hope for any kind of day job at full time because everyone wants them.  I turned it down because just working nights for 6 weeks was really hurting my marriage, I knew I'd never make it through 10 years.

Thanks for the input.  I'm just tired of working 60 hours a week at a thankless job and since I've got a kid on the way would like to go back to 40 hours a week.  Trouble is my take home is about 50K right now, not bad for my area of the country.  

I'm looking to cut my business by 75% and do it all myself again.  I'll supplement that with another part time job.

my mom works as a rural carrier. makes pretty decent money too.

Quoted: Your company must be doing pretty damned bad to consider a job with the Post Office. i119.photobucket.com/albums/o150/PAS48329/Halloween1996-1.jpg

That right there's funny.  The photo needs gold paint!

My job is working on USPS mail processing equipment. I don't work for USPS I am a contractor. The way I see it, USPS is job security. I don't see any other company that can do 1st class mail. Parcels is another story. I've talked to lots of Mail handlers who bust their ass on OT. They are making over 100k a year. They seem happy in what they do.

Lots of Vietnam War Vets in their maintenance department. Cool people

Maybe some day I'll apply

Best paying part-time job you will probably find.
Hardest work in a part-time job you will probably find.
Unless you will be in an office with high turnover, you'll be waiting a really long time.
Catch is, You don't want to work in an office with high turnover, it's probably unbearable.
If you deside to go for it, Try to hire in as an RCA, as opposed to TRC.
You'll certainly get less than 40 hours per week. LOL, you'll be working only Saturdays for a good while anyway.
If you hire in as a regular carrier, you'll be a rare bird.

Quoted: Thanks for the input.  I'm just tired of working 60 hours a week at a thankless job and since I've got a kid on the way would like to go back to 40 hours a week.  Trouble is my take home is about 50K right now, not bad for my area of the country.   I'm looking to cut my business by 75% and do it all myself again.  I'll supplement that with another part time job.

I put in 20 years with the USPS. The wife has 19 years.
Being a new rural carrier means you will work saturdays only and whenever the regular guy goes on vacation.
The only way to get your own rural route is if there was a vacant route.
You have to wait for someone to retire, quit or die.
If you become a city carrier (the guys that drive the Postal trucks and wear uniforms)
from the start you will more than likely work 60+ hours a week like it or not.
Post Office is understaffed by design and labor mgt. relations get worse and worse every year.
Rural carrier is great if you get your own route otherwise you will be starving.
PO is a decent, steady pay check and nothing more.
If I had to do it all over again I would not have gone Postal.
BTW I was management for 6 years and craft for 14.
Good luck to you.

Quoted: We are having a daughter in March and I'm shutting down my company for something with no more than 40 hours a week.  I'm schedualed to take an exam for rural carrier which is all that's available right now and it's part time to start.  Any warnings or advice?

RUN FOREST, RUN!!!

I've been an RCA,  which is what you're most likely appying for,  since 2001.  You will work when the regular has/wants a day off.   I doubt that you will get 40hrs a week on any kind of regular basis.

The way it works:  You have a probation period of 1 year,  or 90 days worked.  You will be at the bottom of the seniority list.  
As routes open up they go to the senior sub.  Depending on the # of routes & time of service of others, it may be a long time before you get your own route.

All that being said,  I average 25K per year from a part time job.

You may like the job,  or you may find it really sucks.  Some days it sucks big time.
You are paid based on the route 'evaluation.'  If the route is eval'd @ 8 hrs & you get done in 6,  good for you.  2 free hours.  If it takes you 11hrs,  too bad.  You gave the USPS 3hrs of your time.

You are expected to drop everything & get to to work when called in.  No matter what.  Not show up too many times & you're out the door.  You are expected to go out no matter what the weather.  If you have an accident it's your fault.  No matter how it happens,  they say it's your fault.

You will also be required to provide a vehicle.  You will get to be on a first name basis with your mechanic.  Trust me on that.  The job will eat parts like you won't believe.

"You will also be required to provide a vehicle. You will get to be on a first name basis with your mechanic. Trust me on that. The job will eat parts like you won't believe."

And you don't get an allowance for basic maintenance. I am still waiting (2 years) for a regular opening and I am a veteran. I just gave up hope on them and got a job with the city. Better move for me.  

Like the above post. Sometimes you will have a route and sometimes you will have to cover someone else's.

I know a lot of people that have left because of the irregularities with the job. You are not going to be permanent so if looking for a fixed 40hr week, look somewhere else.

Good luck.

Quoted: We have the FATTEST mail man and I can't understand why.  The dude is literally 5'9" 330+. He must walk 10 miles a day.  All of the mailboxes in my area are attached to the house, so he has to park at one end of the street walk house to house like a door to door salesman.  Gets to the end of the street, crosses and walks down the other isle.  Kinda like stocking a giant supermarket. His mail truck must be littered with pop and pork rinds.

You know all those cookies ma sent in the mail?