Shaw service tech?

[st184]

Hey guys. I noticed there are a few openings for shaw service tech jobs on the shaw job board and I'm curious if anyone here has experience in this particular position? How was the pay and benefits? Was it tough starting out? Is it a job that can be turned into a career? Thanks in advance.

[jltabot]

I used to work for shaw, not as a tech but as a TSR so I can really only tell you from the experience of other techs that I've talked to.

Pay isn't too great, I think last I heard was $40k+ for service techs. Work is tough but I guess you get used to it (according to my bro-in-law). Every shaw employee has sweet benefits, full health/dental/wellness spending for full and part-time employees.

If you're looking to make it a career, get the experience as a service tech first (blue shaw vans) and then try to move into a position as an installer (use personal vehicle).

If you're good, installers are paid by the job. I think last guy I spoke to said that for every triple play bundle installed in one house, its about $100 per job. Installers can make upwards to $100k+ and they work 12 hour days. You're then rotated every three months to different areas of the city. I also "heard" that install techs in BC can make anywhere from $150-200k/year. But take that with a grain of salt.

Initial investments include tools and your own vehicle. But after getting in as an installer, it's easy to make your money back.

[JordanAndrew]

Would you need any experience or can anyone who is willing to do the job go through just the proper training and give it a go?

[Sophal]

Originally posted by JordanAndrew
Would you need any experience or can anyone who is willing to do the job go through just the proper training and give it a go?

I do standbys for shaw techs in the downtown core. From what I can gather they make decent coin as a "real tech" their base hourly salary is pretty good but they work a lot of overtime to hit that ±100k mark. From what I mean from real techs are the ones that splice/terminate their main cables/fibre lines. As far as training it is done all in house and on the job.

The guys that are ones that are paid piece work or unit based installers are customer driven. They can earn a ±100k but they are more or less considered a contractor. Have to pay for own expenses fuel, insurance, tools etc. Also as a UBI its almost feast or famine depending on how the customer market is. Some of the guys I spoke to that are UBIs also have to travel out of town sometimes if their is a shortage of installers in the area.

[Xtrema]

Originally posted by jltabot
If you're good, installers are paid by the job. I think last guy I spoke to said that for every triple play bundle installed in one house, its about $100 per job. Installers can make upwards to $100k+ and they work 12 hour days. You're then rotated every three months to different areas of the city. I also "heard" that install techs in BC can make anywhere from $150-200k/year. But take that with a grain of salt.

A retired PM became a installer and he said he makes $100K, working 14 days a month.

I guess that is possible at $100 a job.

[NoMoreG35]

$100/job, 2 hr/job, 8 hr/day = $400/day.
22 days/month = 100k+/year.
Man why did I spend 5 years in university and end up with a student loan...

[ExtraSlow]

In western Canada, Trades positions make a killing. Great time to be in the trades.

[Racoonfighter]

I worked as a service tech last year got laid off triple plays are good money but not an every day all day thing and if you get hired on as a senior tech then you get a van and all the tools(minus simple hand tools)You work in all weather unless its to windy and over minus 27 you don't have to do outside work that's minus 27 without the windchill so you could be up a latter or on a roof at minus 35 with the windchill hanging a drop.If you are a UBE(Unit Based Installer)that's the starting level guys you'll need to spend anywhere between 10-25000$ before you start on a vehicle that can pass a mechanical inspection aswell as be able to put a 29ft latter and a twelve foot later on the side of the house.like its been said its a twelve hour day if you have a good run with no real problems you can get it done early.

Ill come back in a couple days and add some more

[bourge73]

come back on your ladder

[Maybelater]

People always boast about $100k it seems when it comes to trades, to the point I think people are full of shit. Okay, you can probably make $100k/yr but are you going to spend the rest of your life pulling 12+/hours 6-7 days a week to maintain that income?

I think its more a $50-$70k year job. But it is a good job, buddy of mine does this with a contracting company for Telus and they pay him pretty good and he has an awesome work schedule, wakes up whenever he wants, goes home whenever pretty much.

[FraserB]

Originally posted by Maybelater
People always boast about $100k it seems when it comes to trades, to the point I think people are full of shit. Okay, you can probably make $100k/yr but are you going to spend the rest of your life pulling 12+/hours 6-7 days a week to maintain that income?

And then you have people who run their mouth about trades being full of shit, when in fact the closest they have been to a trade is watching Mike Holmes on TV.

[TYPERAWR]

Its not bad but you wont be making as much as doing piece work contracting yourself out. I would never contract myself out because you need your own ladders, ladder rack, vehicle + the cost of maintenance on the vehicle. Yeah sure you can make lots of money if work is steady but when its slow you can get maybe one call a day. Also with Bell getting more aggressive in the West I can see Telus contractors (Ledcor & ATI) and Shaw guys slowing down a bit.

Being in the telecomm industry I don't always agree on the way Shaw does their work, It seems to be sloppy a lot of the time. And with being a Telus commercial contractor I think Telus is a way better company to work for. Better pay, better benefits & a good union.

To sum it up, yes it can be a "career" but I cant see you making more than 30$ an hour after a few years. Its definitely not that great all the time though, you will have to deal with customers bitching at you because they cant watch tv, or old guys watching every move you do, or even be caught in a rainstorm in the middle of your install.

[TYPERAWR]

Originally posted by Xtrema


A retired PM became a installer and he said he makes $100K, working 14 days a month.

I guess that is possible at $100 a job.

Bullshit. Unless hes getting only condo/apartment installs and they are crazy busy every day.

[Maybelater]

Originally posted by FraserB


And then you have people who run their mouth about trades being full of shit, when in fact the closest they have been to a trade is watching Mike Holmes on TV.

I don't know if you're trying to call me out? I'm working class through and through, it is totally possible to make $100k in trades, but you have to work hard, or take the risks that come with contracting and be a machine not to eventually burn out. Even at $40/hr that is under $100k before tax doing a normal work week.

I'm not saying it isn't at all impossible. But, people always talk like 'yah you can make $150k welding' but fail to add the detail that they spend every waking moment working and living in places like Ft.Mac. The people who do that for life, like the people I knew when I pipelined usually have poor family lives, been through divorces and don't have much free time. It an alright lifestyle when you're young.

[03ozwhip]

^you have a point in lot of cases, however the welders I know that I work with are making $105 an hour on 11 hour shifts on a 9 on 5 off rotation. You do the math, way more than 150k and thats only at this particular job, other jobs could pay more like $120 an hour plus sub, but a bit of a shittier shift.