Well, I guess I'll chime in on this.
I started my satellite career in-house at dish. The formal training (40 hours in a class) and a week of ride along really gave me the right mental knowledge for this line of work. I had already done several years of cable, so satellite was an easy transition, just had to learn the technical parts, roping wasn't much different. Also, the office I worked at was kicking the butts of all the other nearby DMAs so we had a good facility that trained techs well unlike other "breeder" shops.
Another point to consider is the job security. You won't make great money in-house, but you'll get your 40 hours consistently. It's important to remember that in-house crews get routing priority over contractors. So when the orders slow down, you still get work while your contractor counter-parts are looking at ways to augment their income.
The last in-house job I had was for USDTV. They were a fantastic operation. I was paid $15/hr, drove a new F-150, and did primarily service calls and disco's. They had some of the best benefits I ever had. Med, dental, vision, paid by the company 100% for the tech and 75% for the family. I got lots of holiday pay (even Mormon holidays as they were Mormon-run). Never worked a Sunday, only an occasional Saturday. So, some places that take good care of their techs and offer decent money can usually retain good talent.
Finally, with all the screwball companies out there screwing with people's pay, it is no wonder that some are saying to hell with it all. Large in-house operations like DiSH, MSOs, etc., don't generally have issues of messing with people's pay. The state will generally assist employees who have been burned financially. Contractors seldom get help when they get burned.
So, in summation:
Semi-formal training
Job Security
Excellent work Conditions
No pay issues
Not all shops have the above situations. Those are the ones that have high churn.
Re: dish in house
Member #: 40846
Registered: 9/19/2005
Posted:
1493
Name:
Duane Vick
Name:
Duane Vick
Company:
Self-Employed
Occupation:
Installer
Location:
Phoenix AZ
There is 1 reply to this message
