CWI JOB LOW WAGES

Date 11-15-2007 23:17

when i first got my cwi in 97 i was offered a 50 cent a hour raise by the company i was working for. i quickly put in my 2 weeks notice

By dbigkahunna (****)

Date 11-15-2007 23:29

Look at your CWI as a degree. Companies do not value a person fresh out of college like they value one with experience.

By graveyhog (*)

Date 11-15-2007 23:45

You have already proven the experience by passing the test. You either have the stamp or you dont point blank.If the employer needs a CWI how can the employer justify the CWI not experience enough to get higer wages when the employer can't even spell AWS.The going rate should be around 50.00hr. and per diem if it applys.

By ZCat

Date 11-15-2007 23:47

Sorry, page not found

By CWI555

Date 11-16-2007 00:46

Have to side with dbigkahunna on this one. Granted it takes time to get in, and no the test is not an easy one, but it does take some experience to go with it above and beyond the minimum required to sit for the test. That goes for any QA/QC/NDE position. You can make it to level II UT anglebeam in less than a year and a half, but that doesn't mean you know what your looking at, or what your doing. The same for 570 or 510, NACE and about every other central cert. In all of them there are those that pass the test, but don't have a clue, and then there are those that pass who have experience to go with it.

Bottom line is, the CWI is not a culmination but rather a beginning. I don't care who you are, no one can know everything, and with the realms of welding and inspection being widely diverse as it is, that top level experience is where the money comes into play. In my opinion, an entry level CWI should be in the 30 to 35 range in the industry relevant to the one that got them the time necessary to sit for the test. Outside that industry, it's only good for about 20 to 25 in my opinion. Your 50 dollar rate applies to those with 20 plus years experience to go with the cert, but even then there has to be relevant experience and other certifications to go with it. It is definitely worth having, but don't try to ride that poney by itself.

Regards,
Gerald

By aevald

Date 11-16-2007 00:59

Hello dbigkahunna, I believe you have it covered pretty well, it boils down to this, when you're looking at a CWI who has been at it for many years and then you've got an individual who has just gotten the credentials of a CWI, it is likely that a company will defer to the person with the years of experience and pay accordingly when they have that option. It is no different in any other industry in regard to skills. I certainly believe you also have to qualify the circumstances of the situation. Meaning, if a job is offered where the pay rate is X and the same job is offered, but additionally requiring the individual to be a CWI as well and the payrate offered is only a mere pittance greater whether the CWI had years of experience or not then that certainly isn't right, at least not for the individual who has years of experience as a CWI, as far as a relatively new CWI goes, no it shouldn't be a mere pittance either, but certainly not the same as a seasoned CWI. Like it or not I believe that is the way that it generally is. Best regards, aevald

By graveyhog (*)

Date 11-16-2007 02:06

The older CWI 's out there are you willing to work for 22.00hr. I think you 'll are missing the point of the job ad.Who defines when you as a CWI that you are a season inspector.Who is making or defining these rules that DBIGKAHUNNA is trying to explain.I was trying to simple say AWS should spell it for the ones out there carrying the "Stamp of Approval" .

By awspartb (***)

Date 11-16-2007 05:32

I can't get an answer from anyone about starting wages for a CWI with or without experience as a welder.

By dbigkahunna (****)

Date 11-16-2007 13:36

You have asked a question that does not have a definate answer. A oilfield welder may make 70 per in Weathford Texas and 45 in Odessa. A CWI with 20 years experience may make 50 per in the north bay of Calif and 22 with one year experience in New Jersey. So the shoer answer and probebly one you do not want to hear is the wages are what they are in the area you are looking. If there are a lot of inexperienced CWI's in an area, the wages will be lower. Wages can always be negoiated. If you have 20 years experience and are offered a 20 dollar hour job, that is waht the emploryer is willing to pay for that job. IF you feel you are worth 50, then you do not want to take that job. ANd we have all hired out wrong. You can always find another job.
BABRT's

By aevald

Date 11-16-2007 08:16

Hello again graveyhog, I think the basic premise of your post certainly covers more than just wages for CWI's. Any skilled crafts person or trades person runs into a similar circumstance with regard to wages. Geographically speaking, there is a lot of disparity between wages for the same types and qualifications of work regardless of the craft or skills one has. Where I am located there are some fairly decent wages offered for field work. Generally, when the shutdowns and new construction projects come along, there are a considerable number of folks that come up from the south to work these jobs. The same cannot generally be said for the work that is slated for the south by workers from our local area, they are not willing to travel for the money that is being offered for the same work that they can get onto locally. I certainly realize the CWI has a much more stringent and managed set of skills and qualifications than many of the hands that I just mentioned, yet the possibility still exist that the human nature of undercutting someone else in order to obtain work is there and is likely what leads to the types of wages and the scenario that you described. Believing that AWS should step in and do something about this is something that I question seeing happen any time soon. Politics, probability, big business, and a number of other factors make this unlikely.
A major portion of our society would have a hard time being willing to give the respect, status, and financial reward that many of our vocationally oriented trades really deserve, IMHO. Just look at how our educational system views on the job training and work experience versus degrees. A four or five year apprentice goes through considerable and very intense training and schooling to learn all the different aspects of a trade, yet they don't have a sheepskin to hang on their wall that is recognized in the same manner as the degree of an academic student. I could go on and on and have probably done so too much already. I am not your adversary on this issue as I believe we do see this in a similar light. I also don't see a simple or straight forward answer to these issues either. My $.02 Best regards, Allan

By awspartb (***)

Date 11-16-2007 14:32

Anyone out there work as a CWI under a trade union contract? I mean are you a welder who got his CWI in the Pipefitters or Boilermakers and then made the move into inpsection? How do you go about doing this? My trade is ruled by nepotism and non-connected family members are not promoted depsite having the qualifications. It's just the way they do things. I'd be interested in hearing from someone who went from welder to CWI in a trade union and did it on his own rather than via a family connection. Thanks

By pipewelder_1999 (****)

Date 11-17-2007 01:51

As a boilermaker I was never aware of any requirements for a CWI through the BA. I have had union contractors ask me to perform inspection work for them and they indicated it could be through the union or otherwise.

By graveyhog (*)

Date 11-16-2007 16:47

Thank's for the input on the topic. You Are right its reflecting all professionals,crafts etc. I want everybody to get as much as they can, because its a dog eat dog world out there.We have got to look out for each other.Gas 5.00 a gallon HA!

By CWI555

Date 11-17-2007 02:22

"Just look at how our educational system views on the job training and work experience versus degrees. A four or five year apprentice goes through considerable and very intense training and schooling to learn all the different aspects of a trade, yet they don't have a sheepskin to hang on their wall that is recognized in the same manner as the degree of an academic student."

Worst part about that one is, most of those sheepskins don't have a clue. That major portion of society that ignores it, needs see a breakdown of experience and training hours for the skilled tradesmen.