JamesNoBrakes

If it's a developmental position, it could be a couple years, there's usually at least one automatic promotion in a developmental position if I remember correctly, I think it just depends on what it says it's developmental for, like 9 for 10 or 0 for 11. If it's not a developmental position, you are bound by normal HR rules and need a year in the previous grade or equivalent experience to apply for a job in the next grade. Most of us get to our positions by bidding (applying for) new positions. Sometimes we get put in temporary promotion positions that help us gain that experience for the higher grade, but most of the time those are also a bid. Another way you could get to a higher grade is if your assigned certificates decide to become more complex and add more aircraft/operations, this is similar to a temporary promotion, but it is only for a principal inspector and that usually takes at least a 12, usually a 13. IMO, 9 is too low for someone with significant aviation experience. It could be ok right out of college, but most people have a good deal of experience from one facet of aviation or another and can bring a lot to the agency. The idea to hire 9s came from a few years back, the idea was the "hire people out of college and train them right" thing, it was also out of desperation to fill positions and increase manpower. Then they kind of went the other way for the same reason (manning), hiring 12s and 13s with bonuses (step increases) with the ability to do local hiring pending putting all the paperwork through after the local decision. When the airlines are hiring, we are scraping the barrel.