Aircraft Technician II - Service Center
Pros
Great work to life ratio, very laid back, tooling readily available, cafeteria and cafes open almost all day and night. Great people. If the cons that I listed below would be changed, this would have been the best job I ever had. I actually still think it was, but read on...
Cons
-NO OVERTIME - not in the backshops, not in the hangar, so don't expect a drop of it, if you can't live off of a 40, do not come here. Or at least be prepared to work a second job. I did have a friend that worked production side and she got overtime, so if you can handle production and need the o/t, go there. Not the service center. -one of the lowest paying contracts in the industry. -Don't go in as a contractor expecting to go direct any time soon - Contract agencies lie(as we all know) and will tell you 3-6 months. It has to do with their "budget". I have 10 years experience with an A&P and everyone in the shop (including the manager and lead) liked me and thought I did a great job, but wouldn't be able to bring me on till AT LEAST a year after my start date due to their budget. There were guys in the backshops that had been there as contractors for 2+ years, without even being offered a direct position. Same with the floor. Also as a contractor, you were treated as somewhat of an outcast or pariah of sorts - as if you didn't know enough because you hadn't been there long enough, when half of the guys I worked with had never done an oil change or skin repair before. -good ole boy system still in place. People that have lived there their whole lives(and there were quite a few of them) got the better jobs and all around favoritism. -If you have to miss a couple hours, good luck getting the chance to make them up to get your 40. These people for some reason don't like letting people do that, even if it is a couple hours here or there. Almost like pulling teeth to get an answer out of them about anything. And for the record, I did not abuse this and it was not habitual. I think in the 6 months I was there I had to make up a total of 4 hours.