TS/SCI Security Clearance

Couple questions regarding this clearance, does it really take 4 months to get? (120 days)?

Does it cost anything?

What if the job I want no longer is open?

Would i have a better chance of getting a job w/ a TS/SCI security clearance?

Also what if i don't remember every job I have had in the past 7 years and i miss a day or two (or month) would that deny me access? If i had this information, i'm pretty confident that I could obtain clearance...

also the job i want to apply for says the candidate must have an active clearance, does this mean the company is being cheap, does it really cost someone 3k?

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Comments

missy2014

I can't check his bank accounts he hides everything. Says he does everything online. I've asked to see them as well as credit card bills but he just keeps saying hell get it but never does.

missy2014

His full time job is as a manager of a store till around 6 pm each night then he goes to the "lab" for 1-6 hours.

the_Grinch

There are government facilities where you can't bring in your cell phone. I doubt he works at one of them, but they do exist. Divorce itself isn't an instant disqualification on a background, but you really have to go through every detail because they'll get both sides of the story and if you broke up on bad terms there will be issues. Yup don't know what a TS1+ is...gotta agree must be G-14 classified haha

jvrlopez

I've worked in facilities where you can't take in any portable electronics (usb drives, cell phones, PDAs, etc).

My wife has to call my desk phone if she tries to reach me.

To be honest, I don't think this type of discussion belongs here.

shodown

I worked in these type of areas all my adult life until about 2011. IMHO its just not worth it. Nobody here has said anything that is to far from the truth. With the poly they are no longer allowed to ask questions that are outside of whats documented on some other forms. Now if you answer incorrectly(non truthful) they can dig deeper. With the Lifestyle poly you can fail it a few times and come back. The salary for cleared positions have been dropping across the board. I still get calls cause I had to renew my clearance at my last job (even though I was working in the cleared arena anymore)and when we talk dollars they are way lower than they use to be. For someone with my skill set I use to see salaries as high as 160-180K and now they are down to 120-130 and I'm talking TS and above. Think carefully about that, the clearances don't provide the job security they provided 10 years ago. That ship has sailed and the wars are winding down.

colemic

missy2014 wrote: »

His full time job is as a manager of a store till around 6 pm each night then he goes to the "lab" for 1-6 hours.

It's up to you what you believe, but it's not holding a lot of water, IMO.

MrAgent

shodown wrote: »

I worked in these type of areas all my adult life until about 2011. IMHO its just not worth it. Nobody here has said anything that is to far from the truth. With the poly they are no longer allowed to ask questions that are outside of whats documented on some other forms. Now if you answer incorrectly(non truthful) they can dig deeper. With the Lifestyle poly you can fail it a few times and come back. The salary for cleared positions have been dropping across the board. I still get calls cause I had to renew my clearance at my last job (even though I was working in the cleared arena anymore)and when we talk dollars they are way lower than they use to be. For someone with my skill set I use to see salaries as high as 160-180K and now they are down to 120-130 and I'm talking TS and above. Think carefully about that, the clearances don't provide the job security they provided 10 years ago. That ship has sailed and the wars are winding down.

I think this all depends on where you live. I get calls everyday because of my clearance. As of this post, I have received 3 emails for 3 different positions, and 1 phone call. Having a clearance in this area certainly makes it MUCH easier to find a job. Hell I just had to decide which offer I was going to take a couple of weeks ago when I had 3 offers come in at once.

shodown

we live in the same area

MSP-IT

So what would be the best way to achieve clearance? Is it safe to assume that taking a job with the Fed is more of a clearance assurance than a contractor? What is usually done in the interim while one waits for clearance?

MrAgent

I got my clearance while I was in the military. If you were to apply and land a job as a GS in the DoD, that would also be a way to get a clearance. I am not sure how people get them without having been in the military, as most companies don't want to wait the time that it takes to get someone cleared.

MSP-IT

I've been looking around at the INFOSEC jobs on usajobs.gov, those postings normally say that you only need to be eligible for clearance. I'm thinking about relocating to NoVA/DC/MD in the next year or two. I'm hoping to try and wiggle my way into IS for the FTC/Treasury or something related to the financial industry, as that is where my current experience is.

shodown

if your not cleared now, the best way to do it is to get a job with a lower clearance. That way you can start working with an interim. After a few years you can start applying for higher cleared jobs. Now of course if you have an insanse skill set that's rare apply directly for jobs with TS/SCI FSP and yo may get lucky.

jvrlopez

MrAgent wrote: »

I got my clearance while I was in the military. If you were to apply and land a job as a GS in the DoD, that would also be a way to get a clearance. I am not sure how people get them without having been in the military, as most companies don't want to wait the time that it takes to get someone cleared.

Outside of military service, I've seen clearances gained through landing a GS job and/or internships.

missy2014

jvrlopez wrote: »

I've worked in facilities where you can't take in any portable electronics (usb drives, cell phones, PDAs, etc).

My wife has to call my desk phone if she tries to reach me.

To be honest, I don't think this type of discussion belongs here.

I get it. I came across this site and I've asked these questions hoping that someone who does his type of work could shed some light on the validity of his story. I'm not here to out anyone but after miscarrying my first baby to him two years of secrets I just want some answers. Thanks!

missy2014

G-14 classified....haha? What's that supposed to mean?

tprice5

This got weird ...

shodown wrote: »

I worked in these type of areas all my adult life until about 2011. IMHO its just not worth it. Nobody here has said anything that is to far from the truth. With the poly they are no longer allowed to ask questions that are outside of whats documented on some other forms. Now if you answer incorrectly(non truthful) they can dig deeper. With the Lifestyle poly you can fail it a few times and come back. The salary for cleared positions have been dropping across the board. I still get calls cause I had to renew my clearance at my last job (even though I was working in the cleared arena anymore)and when we talk dollars they are way lower than they use to be. For someone with my skill set I use to see salaries as high as 160-180K and now they are down to 120-130 and I'm talking TS and above. Think carefully about that, the clearances don't provide the job security they provided 10 years ago. That ship has sailed and the wars are winding down.

I disagree. The salary may in fact be lower, but there will always be a demand for cleared professionals, war or not. Having a clearance will never be a bad thing and exposes you to an entirely different sector of job opprtunities. The DC area looks especially promising at the moment. I get leads from recruiters filling positions in the area all the time. If the corporate world would offer me an equivalent salary, I'd be happy to jump ship, but, as it stands, the pool of candidates with clearances is a much smaller subset of the total IT profession. As a result, the competition is much easier.

CCNTrainee

Can't believe you guys reply to the new user post with "Relationship" problems... Lol

Anyways, I just found out something recent about TS Clearances that other people may want to know. So my TS expires some time soon and my current position has knocked me down to a Secert until I can get my renewal approved. I found out that even if your TS expires due to not being able to renew it, you still have an active Secert clearance since they are good for 10 years. This may be helpful for the ones that are getting out of the Military and aren't able to renew their TS in time.

jvrlopez

Yes, a TS is good for 5, a Secret for 10, so obviously the secret would last beyond the expiration of the TS. They're independent of each other.

CCNTrainee

Yeah, I have never known that, this applies to others as well in my old shop... I thought when your TS expired your Clearance was gone all together, I didn't know that Secert would still be active when my TS was no longer active.

tprice5

jvrlopez wrote: »

Yes, a TS is good for 5, a Secret for 10, so obviously the secret would last beyond the expiration of the TS. They're independent of each other.

Obviously? I don't think it is obvious at all. A lot of times when you get a TS people say, "My secret is being upgrading to a TS". The symantics would make you think that your clearance has transitioned in some way, and not that you have been issued a new clearance. There is little that is obvious when it comes to government clearances, though it may seem obvious if you work in a government shop.