raptor34,
Chet has a very good point that is applicable to all companies as well as Conam. I do not have first hand knowledge of conam as an employee (I have worked with and beside but never for them), but I have heard second and third hand info resembling chets post.
This being second and third hand I will not go any further than to say "READ before you sign".
Best of luck,
jrw
Conam was restructured not to long back. Since then They've been buying up multiple smaller labs. In effect, they are going the way of MQS as they did in the early nineties in that regard. PSI, and many others have done the same. What I see out of conam is they are taking a different approach in that they are not disassembling the structure of the companies they buy for the most part.
To me, it's to early in the game to judge them one way or another, but I can say, what I've heard and seen of them lately is a marked improvement over what they were 10 years ago. As for the others, you know what they say, if you can't say something good don't say anything.
As for your pay rate, I don't know what your CV looks like, so I can't answer as to if that rate is on the mark. A motivated individual can obtain RT, MT, PT, and utt in a very short time, but as motivated as they are, your scale has to take into consideration your experience as well.
If you want to raise your scale, strike that last t on the utt and start picking up the wedges.
As for the intellectual rights, I can't answer for either, all I can say there is read before you sign.
Regards,
Gerald
I have tried to get uts but the company i am working for has only used it one time in 6 years in our office so I dont have much of a chance to get the schooling from them, we do mostly rt and pt about twice a week and about once a month i do mt i only do utt about once every 3 months, and i do the most ut of any of the other techs. I have been in the industry about 3 years and know other techs working for conam that make in the range of 30 for the same certs and comparable time in the industry but they did have a hire wage when they were bought out. my boss did tell me we were going to get raises before it goes thru. this is my first time to be part of a sale and dont know what to think of it.
raptor34,
One thing I can comment on is this. Conam appears to always be busy. I have dealt with them on many jobs throughout several different states. Generally speaking of my past experiance, if there are two or more inspection services involved on a major project, Conam will probably be there. They do not appear to hurt for work. FWIW
jrw
By g32141 
Date 04-09-2008 04:35
Edited 04-09-2008 04:38
Based on your company's workload you'd have to ask yourself why the hell would they buy you out?
Never ever sign a non competition clause. They basically say that you can't work within a certain radius (250-500 miles) of where you are working at the time you sign it.
They may be hiring you just to fire you and make you sign that clause. That way they have no competition in that area.
I worked for both of those companies. They ask you to sign over any rights to any invention you think of.
MQS even tried to sue me.
I wouldn't work for either one one them unless I was destitute or starving.
Their HQ is in the same nondescript business park as the corporate HQ of McDonold's. There are no giant yellow golden arches there.
They are the McDonald's of NDT. Conam is the Burger King. PSI is the Wendy's.
Wendy's is by far a better lunch.
May Quit Soon was notorious for that. As for signing over rights, I don't work for any company that requires that. The only "rights" they have, are those developed on their time.
If you ever have something you think may need patent, then you need to document very very carefully how and exactly when you came up with it.
Regards,
Gerald
I won't ever sign a no compete clause either.
If you sign them they are binding. If they want you to work they will hire you even if you refuse to sign it.
You have to look at the fine print with the McNdt companies.
Even the mom and pops want you to sign a no compete clause.
I was even told that I OWED my boss money becuase I did not have receipts covering all of my per diem. I had to bring back receipts to cover the per diem he gave me. It got really bad at one point because we were driving home and keeping the per diem. We paid the gas and tolls and got to work on time. We were accused of stealing.
I told him that if he touched my check I'd quit. Sometimes I'd have barely enough time to get a can of coke and a hot dog at at a gas station. He would not recognize those receipts saying that he did not pay for "snacks". Do you think I am going to drive back to McDonald's because they forgot to chuck in my bag a receipt for 2 bucks for a couple of nasty cheeseburgers?
I am sure the guy reads this and he will know exactly who he is.
I dunno, conman I believe has gotten better. Poorly Supplied Inspectors was notorious for expecting the techs to pull a scotty with ancient equipment, though I hear that has improved as well lately.
There are bigger fish on the market than any of them. Better to not darken their doors with your shadow.
