Expert: William A. McKelligott - 4/5/2008

Question
How long do you have to work in a civil service poistion to be able to transfer to another state?

Answer
Hi, Carolyn

Thanks for your e-mail.  Assuming that your question is related to the federal civil service, I am not aware of any across-the-board timeframe carved in stone for transferring from one state to another.  Having said that, perhaps some agencies have an in-house policy for when an employee can be considered for an assignment in another geographic location.  

Overall, the focus of a job can change with location because positions in headquarters may have a different spin that those located in other places.  For instance, if your area of interest or expertise is child welfare, a position in WASH DC may have a policy spin and you may find yourself tracking legislation or conducting reviews of the main programs nationwide, whereas in the field (i.e., outside the beltway) the jobs may be more geared towards service delivery and or oversight.

I hope this helps.