administrative assistant

management analyst

police officer

support specialist

packer

Fairfax County Government

Being under the office of children, I have seen the disparity between teachers, center supervisors, regional supervisors, and program administrators. I have a lot of disdain for those working in the office admin, as I feel as those below them have concerns that are not being heard -- working through the pandemic really showcased this. If you want to put your foot in the door and gain experience working with school-aged children, this is for you. The children remind you everyday why you're here; they're great, every day is something new and changing, but the most bittersweet part about this job is watching them grow up and graduate. There is a lot of support between other teacher staff in the area (incl. head teachers and center supervisors), and as well as from your regional supervisors that go above and beyond to help meet your needs in your center and individual as well. However, it's apparent that there are some staff who are rigid and stubborn, not appreciative of new ideas, hard to work with but are protected because of their position. I have been only working for less than three years, and it has become apparent that administrators have forgetten that we work for children and are here to meet the needs of children; it really seems like administrators only care about enrollment and taking money from families.There have been times where I questioned if any admin have even interacted with children themselves. If you need to take sick days or have an emergency, you can count on your staff to help with coverage. Many teachers in my position don't feel recognized especially while working through a pandemic; don't expect any pay raises/pay incentives - you will not survive in this area with this pay for only 32.5 hours. Many teachers in my position are working second jobs to make ends meet and you won't be granted 40 hour pay unless you are a center supervisor or head teacher. Working up/advancement is almost impossible due to outside hires -- many of my colleagues who have worked 15+ years as a Teacher I have not been able to move up. Overall, I stay for the children because I love them, but I don't feel appreciated by my higher ups.

I don't know how things work in other areas of the government, but the culture of the Fairfax-Falls Church Community Services Board is toxic, the pay is not enough to maintain stability in this area, and the majority of the staff is either incompetent or lacks compassion, which are not great qualities to possess when working in behavioral health.

To start, the qualifications to begin working here are fine, but the qualifications to advance in the organization are absurdly high so the only people who are able to do so are the ones that can afford to get multiple degrees and people who have been here for decades with very outdated training, resulting in inefficient treatment methods.

There are some employees that are really talented, passionate, and motivated employees that come into the system thinking that they're here so they can help vulnerable people achieve stability and live their healthiest lives, only to find that the employees who succeed here are the ones who make the least amount of waves. When going through orientation, they will actually tell you that it's best if you stay in your office and don't interact with other employees much because you don't want to cause any drama. This is enforced to such an extent that when employees are being unprofessional, doing a bad job, etc., the staff just accepts it. There are so many employees here that are unreasonable, rude, and demanding, but everyone just sits and nods their heads at them so as to not cause any additional rifts. 

The good news is that because no one is willing to say anything when someone's doing a bad job, you can do a very minimal amount of work and still not get fired, or even reprimanded, as long as you're keeping up with documentation. On the other hand, if you do a lot of work and are doing a great job, you get no recognition, but that superb level of work becomes expected of you. You quickly come to learn that there's no point in giving 110% if you get recognized (and paid) the same amount for only giving 40%.

If you have a passion for helping people, a good work ethic, or just want to maintain some sense of dignity, then I'd suggest looking for employment elsewhere before this organization sucks your soul out of you.

A typical day at work includes interacting with children before and after school. This could range from a simple card game to a full fledged arts & crafts project. When the children enter & leave the room they are accounted for. Communication between staff members is done verbally via face-to-face conversation and walkie-talkie. Planning time occurs while the children are in class. This is the time where e-mails, messages & phone calls are handled. There are also meetings or workshops that focus on quality assurance of the program. Development of projects, decorating of the room & researching topics all take place while the children are not present. 

I have learned that teamwork is essential in before and after school programs. The tone of the environment can be based off the connection between the staff. If the staff work together and are aware of their individual roles, collectively they can create an engaging and inviting experience. The relationship with parents is also extremely important. They need to be reassured that what they are spending equates to what their child is receiving. Inter-site relations should be established so that if there are shortages of people or resources, they can receive support from other sites in the program. 

My co-workers both offer something different to the program which I believe creates a balanced dynamic. Management is very hands on & involved throughout the day. My direct supervisor is open to discussions and offers constructive criticism often. The hardest part of my job is not being able to serve in the leadership position. Although I believe support staff is equally important, I feel that I have the ability to effectively delegate and can serve as an excellent representation of the program. The most enjoyable part of my job is seeing the children excited & engaged in the program. It is fulfilling to see hard work pay off and to see smiles on their faces.

In the Therapeutic Rec Services (later became Neighborhood and Community Services), the working environment was dedicated to the stimulation and advancement of the participants that we were charged with caring for. Summer programs were hectic and fast paces, but the friendly working environment made for a supportive group of coworkers that helped each other out in bad situations. Daily activities and events were planned on a weekly basis by the Rec 2 (later became "TR Leader"), and plans were carried out and led by staff members (Rec 1s and 2s). Any problems arising from a participant's behavioral or other issues needed to be handled delicately and quickly by staff members, because a participant's tantrums could potentially harm themselves, other participants, and/or staff members. The Quality Assurance and the Rec 3 would develop a plan to ensure the issues were taken care of. These issues would occur occasionally due to the behaviors of some participants, but would usually be handled appropriately to keep issues from disrupting or harming the other participants. 

The hardest aspect of the job comes from staff members. Since most of the staff were between the ages of 16 and 30, drama would sometimes cause discomfort between staff members. I do not mean to say that any staff members were emotionally damaged by cruel psychological "attacks," but that the immaturity of staff members and interactions taking place outside of work usually lead to uncomfortable working conditions. However, in my experience, staff members had to rely on each other, and almost always put any awkwardness behind them to achieve the goal of providing a fun and safe place for participants to socialize in.

Working with  young ( 14 to 18 years of age) men who have been mandated by the courts to complete a long term residential treatment program was challenging. Often time these young men were in gangs and it was easier for them to surrender to treatment to address their substance abuse/of dependence as oppose to leaving their gang family. I learned so how about myself during the nine years that I worked as a substance abuse counselor for Fairfax County/ Drugs and Alcohol Services.  I was comfortable giving these young men direction and supervision and willing to always hold them accountable for their behaviors. Since the program was an eighteen month program, I was able to really get to know the young men and their families that were on my caseload. When I started at Crossroads Youth  Program, I was hired as a Substance Abuse Counselor I, which primarily focused on providing direct care coverage. ( Escorting them to and from appointments outside the facility, overseeing meals and supervising all of their free time. After 18 months I was promoted to Substance Abuse Counselor II, which was a clinical position. I was now responsible for team planning, medication management, completing court reports quarterly and participating in Clinical team meetings to present my clients for movement from one level to the next. I really enjoyed my job and it gave me a sense of fulfillment.

Don't waste your time Fairfax county in general low pay,  if you don't mind working long days 8 hrs plus commute- 5 days/week, could = 60 hrs/week with low checks.
By the time you come in benefits would be even worse after (june 2019) certain retirement benefits are going away and what they actually hire (lower of the scale) and advertise is 2 different things.
off course the hiring process took months, after waiting patiently for an offer was lowballed.
Plus, the fact you are a public servant-they keep mentioning that. I guess that means we are not supposed to get fair pay.
About CSB dept -No work life balance at all, so if you like seeing your kids or family-say bye bye to them.

Other departments in Fairfax county I heard are different with respect to flexibility.

A typical day at work consists of receiving and sending mail to the proper branch managers. Procure items using the Agency's P-cards verifying receipts with invoices. Create simply spreadsheets for the three agency's to keep filing records. Obtain signature from branch managers and reconcile financial documents. The hardest part of the job is receiving all backups for transactions. The most enjoyable part of the job is the satisfaction of getting work done daily and seeing numbers match invoices. Also interacting with co-workers who take pride in their job. I have learned how to be a better communicate in a professional work environment and to value all opinions and ideas of others. Management is friendly but lacking in management skills as far as training new hires, communicating projects, and following up on projects. I enjoy the work environment at Fairfax however opportunities for advancement are very competitive.

Work culture depends on which department you work for and the management. Some supervisors are more flexible than others. I have had bosses who like to micromanage, and others who are much more trusting and supportive. The most hard-working employees tend to get rewarded with more work, unfortunately, rather than fair compensation.

The county used to offer a much better pension plan and greater annual raises. Of course, the people who have been here the longest and are now at the top making the decisions have greatly reduced those benefits for the rest of us who came into the county after them.

The health insurance is decent, but we now have less choices than before. And if the cost of the health care plans increase each year just as much as the tiny annual raise (if we're even lucky to get it), then are we really getting raises?

The county needs to step up and provide more competitive wages because people are leaving to work for other neighboring counties that pay more and allow full teleworking.

A busy office with multiple tasking throughout the day. Serving the public through customer service. Welcoming clients into the office and logging them into the front desk computer. Answering phones at the front desk and at the switchboard. Work place doesn't have good acustics because it has a tendency to get very noisy and it gets difficult hearing what people have to say. I've learned a lot about customer service. What I enjoyed most about this job was making a difference in the lives of other people by serving the public through customer service. Training people effeciently to do cross division work isn't always possible because some employees don't always do what is required and there isn't always sufficient amounts of time to train people properly.

Promotions based on office agenda, to those who don't know the job or care about others. Support agencies support management, not employees. New managers and engineers are clueless so reliance is on consumer based software and solutions. If you learned professional media and software in school, you will be told incorrectly how it should be used and forced to only use the consumer based office standard. So your skills aren't transferable to other media jobs. The county government in decline moving towards a corporate, autocratic, top-down model. Get your 'foot in the door' elsewhere.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Administrative assistant 1 salary reported	$29.13 per hour
Management analyst 5 salaries reported	$92,000 per year
Police officer 10 salaries reported	$71,115 per year
Support specialist 1 salary reported	$26.44 per hour
Packer 8 salaries reported	$30.00 per hour

Working at Fairfax County Government: Company Overview and Reviews

Fairfax County Government

Fairfax County Government Ratings

Popular jobs at Fairfax County Government

Salary Satisfaction

Job Seeker Tools

Employer Tools

Browse

Stay Connected