( CNN ) -- The co-owner of a supply company . An insurance broker . The director of housing preservation and development . A sales broker . A probation officer . A high school teacher . A computer systems analyst . They are seven guys headed to the Baltimore-Cleveland NFL game on Thursday night . At the beginning of the week it did n't look like they 'd make it . But thanks to a new contract with the NFL , veteran officials will work the game . Those seven men have a second , part-time job as NFL officials . Referee Gene Steratore and his six officials have been given the assignment of replacing the replacement refs , whose three weeks during the regular season produced many memorable moments , the kind that made fans and players actually wish for the old officials to come back . Goodell apologizes to fans . But it 's not like the 121 NFL officials who had been locked out of the league were just sitting on the couch all day . Most officials have a primary job , though a few are retired . And what they really do for a living varies from airline pilot to claims adjuster to sporting goods store owner to educator . One of the NFL 's best known referees , Ed Hochuli , a partner at a law firm in Phoenix , told ESPN 's John Clayton earlier this month that officials often spend as many as 30 hours a week during the season at their part-time gigs . Factor in travel to games and meetings and it can be as many as 50 hours , said Hank Zaborniak , who was a fill-in official during the lockout . SI : NFL 's most embarrassing moments . They watch film for hours , have to take a weekly rules test and read what are called case books -- thick binders full of plays that give guidance on rules . And there 's also conditioning . SI : Hochuli gives inside peek at typical play . There are 17 crews in the NFL , so weekends like this , when four teams have the week off , there are only 15 games . The crews that do n't work do n't get paid . And it can be a very hard job to get . A quick scan of the 2012 roster of officials showed there are no rookies , and only 21 officials had five years or fewer of NFL experience . Most have been in the league for 10 years or more . Line judge Tom Barnes is in his 27th season . According to the league 's website , applicants need to have 10 years of officiating experience , five of which must be above the high school level . The career path generally is work as a high school official , get some big game assignments , get hired by a college league and apply for an NFL position . And wait for the call . Points of contention in negotiations . For Zaborniak , it never worked out despite 15 years in with the Big Ten and 12 years at lower-division leagues . Work had something to do with that . He has been assistant commissioner at the Ohio High School Athletic Association for 17 years . For Steratore it did work out . A former college quarterback , he told the New York Times that he jumped into football officiating in 1983 and spent time as a Big East official . Eventually he was hired by the NFL in 2003 as a field judge and became a referee three years later . He also officiates college basketball , the only NFL referee to do so . So he 's very used to being in the spotlight , being booed and jeered . On Thursday night , he and his six co-workers will be back at their second jobs , and for a change , there probably will be some cheers in the air . SI 's Don Banks : Pressure is on for real refs .
For most NFL officials , this is their weekend job . It 's a hard profession to break into with only 121 spots . Most start out officiating high school games . NFL wants applicants to have 10 years ' experience .