If ushering dozens of children back and forth to school, to field trips and to athletic events sounds like your idea of fun, the Vicksburg Warren School District is looking for you.

Transportation director Robert Bass said the school district is about 11 positions short.

“It’s a rewarding experience if you like children,” he said. “I think this is a good family-oriented business so to speak.”

Bass said most of the vacancies are due to retirement or health problems.

“A lot of ours have been here a long time, so I feel like they love what they do,” he said.

The position comes with several benefits, including sick leave, good pay and hospital insurance, Bass said.

“We normally average five or five and a half hours a day of work,” he said. “It also gives you an opportunity to work a part time job between routes.”

Bass said different drivers get different hours because all of the routes are different.

“On average I would say 6-8:45 or 9 a.m. to 3- 4:30 or 5 p.m.,” he said. “That varies; it depends on the length of the route.”

Bass said starting pay is $11.50 per hour.

“All the maintenance done on the buses is done right here at our facility,” he said. “They are required to do a pre-trip and post-trip inspection.”

All of the school buses are automatic, Bass said.

“We recommend having a class D commercial drivers license with a P and an S endorsement,” he said. “The P is for passenger and the S is for school bus.”

Bass said there is a licensed instructor who comes to certify applicants for their commercial drivers’ license.

“They can apply, and we will do a background check, fingerprint and drug test, but they will need to have that drivers license and endorsements before they can be considered for employment,” he said.

Bass said to be considered for the job, applicants cannot have had any speeding tickets for going more than 20 miles per hour over the speed limit within the past three years and they cannot have any felonies on their record.

For more information about becoming a bus driver, contact Robert Bass at 601-636-1478.