u/Lost1_84

I was a former CPC at a level 7. I transferred to DoD and was a capped out 12 since like 2015. I recently went on a bit of a career “adventure” and wound up outside of ATC but still a federal employee with no breaks in service. I’m being brought back as an On-the-Spot hire to a level 5.

Here’s the scenario: when I transfer back to the FAA from my current agency will they start me as a D3 or at CPC pay? Yes I’ll be a CPC-IT but my highest previous rate (my GS 12 position) is higher than the top of the CPC pay at a level 5. So will they top me out at the top of the CPC pay band right at the beginning or start me at the top of the D3 and then once I cert bump me up to the top of the CPC pay? Or maybe they take my current pay which is lower than the top of the D3 and use that. In the past when I went from a GS11 to the FAA Level 7 where I got my CPC they matched my GS11 pay to start off.

Scenario 2:
I leave my agency as a resignation while I go through the process with the FAA. What pay do they set me at as basically a fed employee reinstate?

So I highly doubt the overseas high-paying contract gigs that were the craze of the late 2000s are even a thing anymore BUT do any of you have the skinny on what contracts might be open out “there”?

So I absolutely am miserable at my current job. I have a tentative offer from a new agency and expect to onboard within the next 3 months if that. Do I stick it out (a), exhaust my leave and have people talking about me(b), or resign and just put it behind me(c)? I’m new at my current agency and it is NOT at all the work I was expecting. I have a lot of leave saved up (been a fed since 2011) that I can request but pretty sure I’ll have everyone talking shit on why the new guys is always on leave. I know most of the OPM rules on a break in service but anyone with experience think it’s a dumb idea to deal with the admin nightmare of bringing me back to a fed after leaving?