(Radio Iowa) – The Internal Revenue Service is looking for several people in Iowa — to pay them — not take money from them. Spokesman Chris Miller explains: “The I-R-S hopes to hire up to 150 new seasonal employees to work at our call center in West Des Moines,” Miller says. He says they are taking applications right now. “Both the seasonal and permanent employees at the call center will earn just under 17 dollars an hour. And seasonal employees generally will work the tax season from around March through September. And many return year-after-year to work these seasonal jobs,” according to Miller.

Miller says only one other tax center is hiring as many employees as the one in Iowa. “The call center employees will be reaching out to taxpayers across the country — not just in Iowa — to help them resolve unpaid tax bills,” Miller says, “by giving them the help and the tools to meet their responsibilities.” Miller says you don’t have to be an accountant to get one of these jobs. “Certainly we will train employees so they understand how to do the call center job. You do not have to have a financial background,” Miller says. “We base hiring on relevant work experience and education or a combination thereof. And so people should not think that they have to have special qualifications to apply for these jobs.”

He says you can apply on-line.”Anyone interested in working at the West Des Moines call center can go to U-S-A jobs-dot-gov, and search for open positions in the Des Moines area,” Miller says. The jobs will be open for applications until February 28th.