CITY CORRECTION JOBS OFFERED UNTIL NOV. 15

Starting Salary $30,705; 550 Hirings in '07; Written Test Feb. 3; Need College or Military Duty

The Department of Citywide Administrative Services is accepting applications for an exam leading to Correction Officer jobs.

Applications must be submitted by Nov. 15 for the latest round of filing. Individuals who file by then will be eligible for the Feb. 3, 2007 written exam.

Start Hiring in April

Candidates who score high enough to be near the top of the eligible list can expect to be hired by April, said Alan Vengersky, the Correction Department's Assistant Commissioner of Personnel. The department is looking to hire 550 officers by July 1, a department spokesman added. Roughly 500 individuals have applied so far, according to the department.

Based on the most recent collective-bargaining agreement that was negotiated in September 2005, the starting annual salary is $30,705 and top pay is $63,309 after 5-1/2 years on the job. The beginning pay reflects a rate of $26,667 that rises to $34,742 after six months of training.

Candidates must have completed 39 college credits or two years of full-time U.S. military service, and must have a high school diploma or GED by the time they enter the training academy. Individuals with a high school diploma who have two years of experience as a city, state, or Federal law-enforcement officer may also qualify. To be appointed, candidates must be at least 21 years old. Applicants must be 17-1/2 by the end of the filing period to take the exam. Appointees need to have a state driver's license and must be residents of New York City or Nassau, Suffolk, Westchester, Orange, Rockland, or Putnam counties.

What Test Covers

The multiple-choice exam will test candidates' abilities in written comprehension and expression, problem identification, basic arithmetic, and deductive and inductive reasoning. It will also gauge candidates' abilities to order information, determine where they are in relation to an object, and visualize how something will look after it is moved or changed.

In addition, candidates must pass a background check, a psychological evaluation, a physical exam, and a drug and alcohol screening. A $75 fee for fingerprint screening is required for the background investigation. Appointees will have probationary status for 24 months and must complete a training course. Correction Officers have to pass an annual firearms test. They are required to work nights, weekends, and holidays.

The next filing period is set to run from Nov. 16 until Feb. 15. That written test is scheduled for May 12, 2007.

Further information can be obtained by calling 1-877-NY1-BOLD; online at www.nyc.gov/dcas, or by writing the DCAS Application Center, 18 Washington St., New York, N.Y., 10004.