GAME COMMISSION RECRUITS 29TH WCO CLASS

[R.W.J]

GAME COMMISSION RECRUITS 29TH WCO CLASS

HARRISBURG - Pennsylvania Game Commission Executive Director Carl G. Roe
today announced that the agency is preparing to recruit applicants for its
29th Class of Wildlife Conservation Officer Cadets, which is slated to begin
in March of 2012.

The application process is set to run from March 9, 2011 to April 7, 2011,
or until 1,000 applications are received, whichever occurs first. Online
applications may be submitted via the State Civil Service Commission's
website (www.scsc.state.pa.us). However, no applications will be accepted
until the test announcement is issued from the Civil Service Commission.
Announcements may be viewed on the Civil Service Commission's website, click
on "Job Seekers," then select "Law Enforcement, Investigation and Safety,"
and scroll down to the listing for "Wildlife Conservation Officer Cadet."
For additional information regarding the recruitment process, life as a
Cadet and duties of a Wildlife Conservation Officer, please visit the Game
Commission's website (www.pgc.state.pa.us).

Wildlife Conservation Officers are covered by the Civil Service Act of
Pennsylvania. Applicants for these positions must be in excellent physical
condition, have knowledge of hunting and outdoor activities, and be able to
maintain an effective working relationship with associates and the general
public.

Employees in this classification are selected and appointed following a
competitive examination conducted by the Civil Service Commission. Officers
begin their careers as Cadets assigned to the Ross Leffler School of
Conservation, the Game Commission's in-service training school located in
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Wildlife Conservation Officer Cadet classes are
periodically recruited as necessary to maintain the complement of field
personnel.

Applicants must be: a resident of Pennsylvania; have a high school diploma
or G.E.D. equivalency; at least 21 years of age by March 1, 2012; possess a
valid Pennsylvania driver's license; and pass competitive written and oral
examinations administered by the Civil Service Commission. Those interested
in enrolling also must have possessed a hunting or furtaking license for two
license years as of March 2011.

Any offer of employment is conditional upon successful completion of
medical, vision, hearing, physical, strength, stress, agility and swimming
tests, which include swimming for 100 yards and treading water for five
minutes.

A confidential pre-employment background and character investigation will be
completed on all applicants considered for appointment.

After being accepted for employment, Wildlife Conservation Officer Cadets
are required to complete an intensive 50-week training program conducted at
the Training School.

Currently, Cadets are paid $1161.60 bi-weekly and receive a standard
Commonwealth employee benefits package. Lodging and meals are provided at
the Training School at no charge.

During weekdays, Cadets are required to reside at the school. Weekends are
generally free of duty. On duty-free weekends Cadets must vacate the
training school. Housing accommodations for the families of Cadets are not
available. Absences may be granted only under emergency conditions or as the
training schedule may permit.

Major subject areas of instruction include: wildlife management; law
enforcement; principles and methods; wildlife laws and regulations; land
management practices; public relations and conservation education; firearms
training and unarmed self-defense; and agency administrative procedures. In
addition to classroom studies, the training program includes temporary field
assignments with experienced officers. Field training provides Cadets with
practical experience in law enforcement and other duties performed by
Wildlife Conservation Officers. Cadets are reimbursed for authorized
expenses incurred on these assignments.

Upon successfully completing the training program, Cadets are promoted to
the position of Wildlife Conservation Officer and are assigned to fill
vacancies throughout the Commonwealth. The current annual starting salary
for a Wildlife Conservation Officer is $38,995. Wildlife Conservation
Officers are responsible for administering a wide variety of Commission
programs within an assigned district of about 350 square miles. Primary
duties include law enforcement, responding to wildlife conflicts,
conservation education, and administration of the Hunter-Trapper Education
program. Officers also are responsible for directing and training part-time
Deputy Wildlife Conservation Officers.

The Game Commission provides all necessary equipment for Wildlife
Conservation Officers to perform their duties; uniforms, firearms, a
fully-equipped automobile, personal computer and office furnishings.
Officers work from their residences and are subsidized for rental of office
space.

Wildlife Conservation Officers work under the supervision of a Regional
Director and supervisory staff. Officers generally work 40 hours per week
and are eligible for overtime under certain conditions. Hours of work vary
and often include nights, weekends and holidays.

The Pennsylvania Game Commission is an equal opportunity employer.

Facts from the Pennsylvania Game Commission: In 1930, Ross Leffler, the
then-president of the Pennsylvania Board of Game Commissioners, proposed the
establishment of a training school for "Game Protectors," as they were
called at that time. When the training school opened its doors in Brockway,
Jefferson County, in 1932, it was the first such conservation officer
training school in the world and served as a model for other states. From
1932 until 1935, the Ross Leffler School of Conservation offered in-service
training for Game Protectors. The Commission voted to make the school a
permanent facility and enrolled its first class of Cadets in 1936, and
continued training new classes at this facility until 1986. In 1987, the
training school was moved to the Harrisburg headquarters, which had just
opened the doors to its current facility in Susquehanna Township, Dauphin
County.

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[Swarner793]

I love the requirement that the applicant had to possess a License for two seasons. That is cool.

Be safe (and make sense).

Scott

[RandomTask]

I hate the requirement of "have a high school diploma
or G.E.D. equivalency."

Think a candidate should have 2 years of college.

[Dredly]

isn't there a max age? like you have to be able to get in 20 years of service before you turn 65 or is that state police?

[R.W.J]

no max age, one of the current Cadets is 51

[ReconLdr]

I would love to do this.... Just don't think I could afford it. I think my wife would object to the cut in pay.... I think I am going to apply for the part-time WCO job when I retire from the National Guard.

[smithwessn]

I would definitely enjoy a job like that, and have considered it in the past. I've had a hunting license every year since I was 12 years old. I love spending time in the outdoors. The initial pay cut would be a substantial one, but at least I would enjoy my job. The 100 yard swim would kill me though. I love scuba diving, but hate to swim. Could have something to do with the fact that I was never good at it.

With my luck, I'd be assigned to the opposite end of the state anyway.

Best of luck to those who apply.

Stay safe out there.