Telecom technician a good job?

If you can get into a good telecom company like Bell or Telus, it can be a good stable job. Opportunities can be hard to find but they're out there if you know the right people.

Yes, it's a good job. I'm only 9 months in with one of the "big" telecom companies doing I&R, but here are some pros and cons:

PROS:

- Good pay ($33/hr+ at full wage), OT is double-time
- Good benefits and job security
- 15 days paid vacation in your 2nd year
- Good hours (8am-4pm)
- Interesting and challenging work
- Work with your hands
- Lots of freedom in your work day
- High quality tools, high quality vehicle
- On-the-job training (3 months paid, travel paid, hotel paid, per diem, etc.)

CONS:

- Dealing with irritated customers (typically customers are not happy when you are there to fix something)
- Working in all weather conditions
- Work apparel is low-quality and wears out before you can re-order
- Phone calls from customers during evening, weekends, etc.
- Disgusting customer homes. It's amazing to see the way some people live.
- Too much emphasis on sales, less emphasis on customer service
- Performance evaluations are unfair (ie; persons who perform better but sell less are therefore "worse" on the charts)
- Safety: Climbing poles, high ladder work, unsafe homes, etc. - one of my coworkers, in 9 months, has stabbed a climbing gaff into his leg, fallen head first into a crawlspace, stepped through a sundeck, been electrocuted, and was forced to run off of a customer's property due to angry intoxicated men who just found out they couldn't get satellite TV.


Of the people I work with, none of them had any related formal training. I work with ex-linemen, ex-electricians, ex-mechanics, ex-carpenters, etc. I was a business student that jumped on a good opportunity. Overall the job is good, but the first con I listed is a big one. It's amazing how angry people can be when their internet isn't working, or if the trees in their neighbour's yard prevent them from getting satellite TV. You also have to deal with a negative stigma associated with the company, because of course everyone seems to hate the company you are working for and it has nothing to do with the service you provide.

With your training, if you can get into a company without starting from the bottom (ie; I&R), you will have a more satisfying job. If you can work as a network technician or deal with phone systems, you are dealing with irritated customers less and also have a more technical job.

If you have any other questions, let me know.

The field seems to be divided into two areas, even 3 areas, depending upon where you are/company you work for/etc.:



a) Inside Plant Technician/Trunking and Switching Technician -- probably the 'creme de la creme' of the field -- basically, you work in an air conditioned "Central Office", racking new equipment, testing/installing jumpers, and working through work orders day in and day out.

b) Outside Plant Tech -- More outdoorsy-type work. Can involve pole climbing. Basically, you build and maintain the 'outside' plant. Sometimes you'll be going down into manholes when its really cold out, etc.

c) Customer Service Tech -- this is the sort of tech that goes onto customer premises and installs/configures/terminates gear.

Typically, these positions are bid through seniority, although the inside plant techs are the most coveted positions, and typically, you would require a diploma from a tech school (ie: electronics or telecom tech) to be eligible for one of these. Outside plant tech and customer service tech positions are positions that typically require little external training (ie: all on-the-job training), but you often receive a company vehicle to do your jobs with.

Some Customer Service Tech positions have been or are subject to the use of contractors/outsourcing. For instance, Shaw almost entirely outsources the CST role to contractors. Some of the Shaw contractors actually do pretty well in Calgary (close to $100k/year income) if they work their butts off and complete service tickets quickly. They're paid per ticket and have to supply their own van. Wake up early, work a hard day, get a lot done, and it can be just as rewarding financially as even a head office engineering job with Telus or Shaw.

Depending on where you live, your job can be a, b, and c. I live in a small town (pop. ~5,000) and all of the installation & repair positions in my district include all 3, although our outside plant repair is limited to drop wire, basic cable maintenance (changing cable pairs, etc.), and the NIB. I'm in I&R, but these are some of the other jobs in the field services part of the company:

- Installation & Repair
- Business Systems
- Special Services
- Network Technician
- Cable Maintenance
- Splicing
- Construction

The company I work for prefers to use their own employees for all work, but there are I&R contractors who are used during peak seasons to avoid having to lay any of their employees off when the work slows down.

All the things mentioned above are true, but the slant on them is telecom = telephone. Telecom can also mean cable as well. The only way you will make $33/hr is if you get a job directly at Bell. If you work at Bell Technical Solutions, slice $10/hr off that amount. Looking at the cable side, so long as you are not a peace-work contractor, you can make the same $33 /hr with all the trimmings. I've done both and can tell you that it is difficult to get a job in either situation.

Here is a few things that might interest you:

1. If you do work at a Cableco, you spend less time doing the outside work as the wires are usually no longer than 150'. Phone wires could run a thousand+ feet depending on how rural you are.
2. If you want quick access to a tech job, certain cablecos hire from within at the drop of a hat. That means if you take a CSR job, which can max out at $44k, you can apply for a tech job and trump all other external applicants.

[QUOTE]a) Inside Plant Technician/Trunking and Switching Technician -- probably the 'creme de la creme' of the field -- basically, you work in an air conditioned "Central Office", racking new equipment, testing/installing jumpers, and working through work orders day in and day out.

b) Outside Plant Tech -- More outdoorsy-type work. Can involve pole climbing. Basically, you build and maintain the 'outside' plant. Sometimes you'll be going down into manholes when its really cold out, etc.

c) Customer Service Tech -- this is the sort of tech that goes onto customer premises and installs/configures/terminates gear.
[/QUOTE]

In regards to the inside plant technician, some of the telcos have resorted to third parties to do the work and don't send their guys for training anymore. So now the vendor sends their own "qualified" guys and you can't touch things anymore which is starting to eliminate the job. They were supposed to install a switching system that connected all the pairs and automate the switching. Then people would be needed only to fix damaged pairs or install new extra devices.

The outside plant tech is your best bet because it pays better than a customer service tech. Also there are thousands of kilometres of wiring that are not capable of delivering DSL properly and some needs to be modified and some needs to be repaired and repaired and then repaired again and again....

Thanks a lot guys. Very good stuff. I just wanted to know everything about it before I got too into it. Also, I was looking into more of being a telecom technician where you go to sites and fix electrical equipment. Also, yea dealing with customers is probably pretty bummy lol

ohh sorry to revive an old thread. I'm looking for a part time job this summer. Would i be able to get into BTS if I'm still a college student in a technical field? Or do i require certain certificates for the job? If it's rewarding as it sounds, I don't mind continuing with this job until i can reach full-time. Apparently it will take very long to become FT, but i think it's worth it

Run. Get another trade. Any other trade. You will spiral into debt because telcos pay crap. I spent over a decade doing it and hoped it would get better. It didn't. Go be a instrumentation technologist. WAYY better money.

Fiber and SONET techs are indemand and get paid in the $80s+

so where i can do such courses in canada to make $80+

MaxBajaj wrote: ↑so where i can do such courses in canada to make $80+

I have a friend who does it. I don't know much about it. The job seems to be stable and decent paying.
I think it starts low but it increases quickly.

I'am looking for a new career. I was thinking a technician for Telus or Shaw. Doing installation and repair or a Plant Technician. Is there a number i can call. I know i probably apply online but i would like to talk to someone.

I dont have any exp at all, they only thing i have is repairing there lines that are underground if the tech can't get his Cable from the house to the utility box because there was a kink, disconnected at the house or the propertyline, or there was a blockage then we would go in HydroVac it then repair it. Used to do alot sometimes 4 a day sometimes there would be none for a week. Been doing that for 3 years.


Where do i start in getting a career with telus or shaw as a tech in Calgary?

has anyone does the pre employment assessment test? What is that like