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I am or have been :

House tech/utility
15 (27.3%)
House tech/Doe
4 (7.3%)
long term contract tech
15 (27.3%)
Road Tech
21 (38.2%)

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Content1

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House tech vs. Road Tech
« on: Jul 29, 2009, 01:03 »
I looked on all the posting and did not find this subject.  I found on my years of a road tech, even with many returns to the same plant, we are never fully trusted or given much authority or to "Make a difference" where we go to, short of doing the work we are paid to do.   We learn, then do our tasks, and move on.

As a house tech, our training is much more detailed and we are given tasks that are new and unique, and work part of a team and not an "outsider."  It is a great feeling going to work each day at a desk and computer researching journals and manual and given real responsibility.  We don't sit around in a break area as we all have tasks to do, make reports on our progress and later sling the meters as only a part of the job. 

They invest 6 months plus into our training and there is incentive to keep us happy and we hold a piece of the workload puzzle only we can do.  I guess that is the life at a research facility.  Have anyone else found this job satisfaction from their work at a long term job at DOE sites or as a house tech?

Offline UncaBuffalo

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Re: House tech vs. Road Tech
« Reply #1 on: Jul 29, 2009, 07:00 »
I looked on all the posting and did not find this subject.  I found on my years of a road tech, even with many returns to the same plant, we are never fully trusted or given much authority or to "Make a difference" where we go to, short of doing the work we are paid to do.   We learn, then do our tasks, and move on.

As a house tech, our training is much more detailed and we are given tasks that are new and unique, and work part of a team and not an "outsider."  It is a great feeling going to work each day at a desk and computer researching journals and manual and given real responsibility.  We don't sit around in a break area as we all have tasks to do, make reports on our progress and later sling the meters as only a part of the job. 

They invest 6 months plus into our training and there is incentive to keep us happy and we hold a piece of the workload puzzle only we can do.  I guess that is the life at a research facility.  Have anyone else found this job satisfaction from their work at a long term job at DOE sites or as a house tech?

NO!  :(






I am on my 5th house job & it is yet another round of routines & politics.  Give me the entertainment & feeling of accomplishment of completing an outage (and heading down the road).
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Offline jjack50

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Re: House tech vs. Road Tech
« Reply #2 on: Jul 29, 2009, 07:44 »
I looked on all the posting and did not find this subject.  I found on my years of a road tech, even with many returns to the same plant, we are never fully trusted or given much authority or to "Make a difference" where we go to, short of doing the work we are paid to do.   We learn, then do our tasks, and move on.

As a house tech, our training is much more detailed and we are given tasks that are new and unique, and work part of a team and not an "outsider."  It is a great feeling going to work each day at a desk and computer researching journals and manual and given real responsibility.  We don't sit around in a break area as we all have tasks to do, make reports on our progress and later sling the meters as only a part of the job. 

They invest 6 months plus into our training and there is incentive to keep us happy and we hold a piece of the workload puzzle only we can do.  I guess that is the life at a research facility.  Have anyone else found this job satisfaction from their work at a long term job at DOE sites or as a house tech?

When I came back in the business after a two year haiatus after two years back after a six year hiatus (!!?!!) I went to VY as a contractor. Through the smoke and haze of contract company planning and conniving I wound up with an early assignment for an outage. I had just come from a job where I was an independent worker and I brought that professionalism with me. As a contractor I was assigned lead for the turbine building on nights for replacement of the HP turbine  and four feed water heaters and a generator rewind(for those who don't know, VY is a boiler). I was given an assignment with authority and did make a difference. I was not treated as an "outsider".
I transitioned to house following the outage. I found the training reminded me of more of the kind of training we used to get in the industry even as contractors. Much more informative and technical than what we provide contractors now.
The work as a shift tech following the training does provide job statifaction if you make it.

Offline UncaBuffalo

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Re: House tech vs. Road Tech
« Reply #3 on: Jul 29, 2009, 09:09 »
When I came back in the business after a two year haiatus after two years back after a six year hiatus (!!?!!) I went to VY as a contractor. Through the smoke and haze of contract company planning and conniving I wound up with an early assignment for an outage. I had just come from a job where I was an independent worker and I brought that professionalism with me. As a contractor I was assigned lead for the turbine building on nights for replacement of the HP turbine  and four feed water heaters and a generator rewind(for those who don't know, VY is a boiler). I was given an assignment with authority and did make a difference. I was not treated as an "outsider".
I transitioned to house following the outage. I found the training reminded me of more of the kind of training we used to get in the industry even as contractors. Much more informative and technical than what we provide contractors now. The work as a shift tech following the training does provide job statifaction if you make it.

I do have to agree that contractor training is really weak in recent years.
We are plain quiet folk and have no use for adventures. Nasty disturbing uncomfortable things! Make you late for dinner! I can’t think what anybody sees in them.      - B. Baggins

Offline Dave Warren

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Re: House tech vs. Road Tech
« Reply #4 on: Jul 29, 2009, 09:50 »
With outages shrinking and downsizing being the norm, these utilities are producing the bare bones minimum amount of training.

A great system to look at (and I thought I would never say this) is the Exelon system. When you go to Braidwood, Lasalle or Dresden, you have a massive, 2-story building that houses nothing but inprocessing activity. You get there at 0 dark thirty on Monday, you get a folder with all your stuff and you venture on your way.

The PADS system has streamlined everything. Contractors used to bitch and whine about having to carry their records around, take the MMPI again, and so forth. Guess what? They listened and realized that all the contractors were sitting around getting paid for nothing. Some guy said if we keep their training standardized, we can save millions in down time.

They realized that resource sharing worked by bringing house techs from sister stations to fill slots because Company A couldn't staff them. When they saw that the outage was successful by using 8 less contract techs, they said if it worked once, By God, it will work again next outage. The more they learn each outage about dependency on the contract HP, the faster they will eliminate them.

When a superstar in sports has played for the same team for 10 years and then they get traded, out of the blue, what do they say? They say, "Hey, you know this is just business". Same stuff people. Same stuff.

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Re: House tech vs. Road Tech
« Reply #5 on: Jul 29, 2009, 10:03 »
As I review resumes of long in the tooth RP contractors, and if I believe those resumes, I don't need a strong contractor training program. The resumes tell me these guys walk on water, converse with animals, and have daily conversations with God himself about the craft of RP.

Creative Resume Writing 101. They actually walk through water (usually a spill) converse like animals and have days that start with "God, do I really have to get up and go to work today?" As far as being crafty RPs...  ;)

Before anyone smites me, I spent a good deal of my career as an RP contractor (although I have not noticed my teeth getting any longer) and I remember fondly the days of the two week in-processing training sessions. Except, of course, for the 4 DAYS of reading procedures (often through closed eyelids.)
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Offline Dustball

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Re: House tech vs. Road Tech
« Reply #6 on: Jul 31, 2009, 02:28 »
As I review resumes of long in the tooth RP contractors, and if I believe those resumes, I don't need a strong contractor training program. The resumes tell me these guys walk on water, converse with animals, and have daily conversations with God himself about the craft of RP.

Beyond the mandated training and site specifics, why would these demigods of the RP craft need anything more? Why would I bore them to death and waste their time with capture gamma mechanics or air sample calculations, when they could be in the field keeping the world safe?


Nailed it! 

Offline Laundry Man

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Re: House tech vs. Road Tech
« Reply #7 on: Jul 31, 2009, 08:37 »

Along the same lines;

I could never understand when Tech A would bitch about spending two weeks (sometimes more) in training, I was always like; "It's free money, how can this be bad?",....
[/quote]

After leaving CY in February 82, two weeks in-processing at Crystal River was a nice treat.
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Content1

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Re: House tech vs. Road Tech
« Reply #8 on: Aug 01, 2009, 10:23 »
I see more RP positions advertised this late in the summer.  Could it be that there are not as many tech available in the contractor pool then this same time last year?  Maybe many took long term jobs, or are they holding out for the $30+ hour jobs and bonus that occur when the utility starts to get desperate to fill the openings right before an outage?  I remember last spring as I honored my commitment to go to that insultingly short 2 week outage at Surry they were advertising on nukeworker outage positions with $3000 bonuses! 

Another pro for long term jobs.  FULL Medical from Day 1.  (Not this 9 month reduced benefit thing like with Bartlett/others, nor the $3.16 per hour beneits thing based on 40 hour weeks.

Another deep secret that is NOT advertised about house jobs.  Of the 52 weeks in a year, you get 3 weeks off paid vacation, 10 days sick time, 12 days paid holidays plus 10/40 week continued retraining throughout the year.  In actual work,   44.5 weeks per year, equivalent to getting nearly 2 months off paid as compared to Bartlet/Atlantic/others road employers who do not pay this.  To top it off with the 9.5% paid company retirement with instant vesting brings in another $11k into a retirement account.  Your will not see them advertise this, you find out after you are hired. 
Anybody have pros for the road life that counters this?

Another pro for the house tech position.  Since your pay is higher (usually around $35/hr) and your taxable income is higher (lenders often will not count per diem when qualifying for loans) it makes it easier to qualify for loans (car/house).  (Unemployent is also NOT considered by lenders when qualifying for loans).

amn7382

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Re: House tech vs. Road Tech
« Reply #9 on: Aug 01, 2009, 12:33 »
Everyone has their own opinion with going the house tech route or staying as a contractor HP. Personally I have been both and you can make a very nice living being a contractor with summers off and your thanksgiving through new years holiday season off while on unemployment, but you have to deal with the traveling. If you are not planning on having any kids and don't mind being away from your significant other than a contractor is the way to go.

As far as the house tech route is concerned, I know here at Exelon where I work at the top rate is about $40/hr and you do get 3 weeks vacation to start, 4 floating holidays they are called which are in essence vacation days, holidays off, and 5 sick days a year. The average RP tech who works 2 outages a year and moderate overtime throughout the year and by moderate i mean around the minimum, will make about $120,000 or more per year. With full benefits, 401k, and a cash balance pension plan, its a good deal. Now as a house tech once you are shift qualified you can work shift work all year round if you choose which every 5 weeks of the rotation you get 7 days off in a row, therefore you get 10weeks off a year built into your schedule.

If you are career minded and want to move up out of the technician ranks then a house tech is the way to go because once your in and show some ambition, your career stops when you stop.

All just my opinion and any posts concerning this topic are welcome

Offline MeterSwangin

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Re: House tech vs. Road Tech
« Reply #10 on: Aug 02, 2009, 07:04 »
One west coast plant that just went to 4x10s has two crews of house etchs on a 3x12 schedule covering fri sat sun.  That is right...40 hrs pay for 36 hours of work, paid lunch, 4 days off a week.


Sweet.

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Re: House tech vs. Road Tech
« Reply #11 on: Aug 03, 2009, 12:06 »
I looked on all the posting and did not find this subject.  I found on my years of a road tech, even with many returns to the same plant, we are never fully trusted or given much authority or to "Make a difference" where we go to, short of doing the work we are paid to do.   We learn, then do our tasks, and move on.

As a house tech, our training is much more detailed and we are given tasks that are new and unique, and work part of a team and not an "outsider."  It is a great feeling going to work each day at a desk and computer researching journals and manual and given real responsibility.  We don't sit around in a break area as we all have tasks to do, make reports on our progress and later sling the meters as only a part of the job. 

They invest 6 months plus into our training and there is incentive to keep us happy and we hold a piece of the workload puzzle only we can do.  I guess that is the life at a research facility.  Have anyone else found this job satisfaction from their work at a long term job at DOE sites or as a house tech?

Wow Man!  They've got some pretty good koolaid where you're at.  I'm happy for ya.  Me, I guess I've grown a pretty big tolerance for the koolaid where I've been a house tech for  nearly 20 years...I'm just biding my time, and I'm outta here!  I'm thankful for my job every day...but I sure don't feel (about mine) like you feel about yours.

PEACE.

Content1

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Re: House tech vs. Road Tech
« Reply #12 on: Aug 03, 2009, 03:53 »
There are still RCT openings here, so, like at the end of the Disneyland ride, "Haunted Mansion," says, "We are looking for a few more volunteers."  So you can still join the fun and the Koolaid is free.

doctormoo

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Re: House tech vs. Road Tech
« Reply #13 on: Aug 04, 2009, 08:58 »
i was both house and a contractor for 25 yrs 18 at riverbend  loved every single minute. being on both sides of the fence
but unfortunately at 49 years old i had to stop  since then ive had 2 bouts with cancer life is to short
find what you like to do like a hobby and do it
i do it everyday now hang out with family

Content1

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Re: House tech vs. Road Tech
« Reply #14 on: Aug 04, 2009, 11:17 »
I spent too many years on caffine sodas and fast food, that my age and health started to suffer.   Sad part I was not a smoker nor  drinker, still the road life burns one out.   I had a weird heatbeat that freaked out physician giving me the physical.  I had not checked it in a long time due to the great health insurance available to road techs, due to prohibitably high Cobra costs.  To pass a physical for an outage, you have to come in below 160/110, I had been slowly rising over the years.  At my last outage physical I was up to 150/99.   There were many older folks who came close and some did not pass.

I now have good health care provided by my employer, my bp down to average 130/81 and working on other health conditions the road life was hiding.  In spite of the number of younger Seniors out there, the average age of a road tech is 55.  They need to train more Jr.s soon or they will have few of us left.  If you watch Nukeworker there is about 1 per week "fallen" nainly due to age.  I will watch and see how well they fill the outages.   Maybe through attrition the wages will finally start to rise to the road tech to over $30/hr. where it should be.

Chimera

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Re: House tech vs. Road Tech
« Reply #15 on: Aug 06, 2009, 12:35 »
I have been both and, more importantly, I've enjoyed both roles.  If you return to the same facilities and work with more or less the same crew, you will be trusted with more as a road tech but never quite the same as a house tech. 

We had a situation that illustrates that occur last year: We were covering the eddy current crews.  One evening, near the end of shift, we had to take full control of the workers - cameras, communications, teledosimetry and everything - since the guys in the ESPN room had to leave early.  While it wasn't that hard a thing to manage, making sure every little thing was covered required a higher level of effort for the roadies than it did for the house techs since they were more familiar with all the plant's requirements and procedures.  While some roadies who have worked the same few plants for years have earned higher positions of trust and acceptance, most of us roadies will have a small struggle with all of a given plant's idiosyncracies until we have more time at that particular plant.

duke99301

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Re: House tech vs. Road Tech
« Reply #16 on: Aug 06, 2009, 08:54 »
There are three kinds of techs House tech, Rent a tech and Rent a house techs.
rent a house was a tech in place long term like the old beaver vally days when most of the site had  contractors.
« Last Edit: Aug 06, 2009, 03:49 by duke99301 »

Offline RDTroja

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Re: House tech vs. Road Tech
« Reply #17 on: Aug 06, 2009, 10:07 »
There are three kinds of techs House tech, Rent a tech and Rent a house techsl.

By rent a house tech, I am assuming you are referring to the Common Law House Tech, known to have spent ten or more years at one plant. A rare breed now, they were common during the 70s and 80s. I knew one couple that spent about 8 years at one plant drawing double perdiem and pay. When the IRS started cracking down they had to go house. Fortunately for them, they had already paid off their house, cars and (if I recall properly) a boat of not insignificant size.
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Content1

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Re: House tech vs. Road Tech
« Reply #18 on: Oct 31, 2009, 05:56 »
The season is nearly over and they had a hard time getting people to Surry.   My daughter attended the outage, and she is a junior and she told some supervisors, in response to a question put at her, that if the outage is only 2 weeks again she would not return.   Amazingly, they told her she will be there from 18 to 21 days.   Not as good as the 28 days the outage listing says, but they (I hope) are starting to see it may make economic sense to keep the outage a little longer, do a little more needed maintenance, and find they can get people to come back.

Offline Brett LaVigne

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Re: House tech vs. Road Tech
« Reply #19 on: Oct 31, 2009, 06:24 »
Shipyard tech. : Not trusted, paid poorly, GREAT on-going training. Pretty much sucked in every way except the training and benefits.

I have never been house at a commercial utility. As a rent a tech, I have always had a certain level of satisfaction with the job. I like what I do, always have. Of course the lack of on-going training, bene's and often times low pay are unsatisfying. Old story that you all know.

The exception in my traveling experience was of course Diablo. Contractors basically run the show in the field and are given some pretty decent latitude to do the job. Good leadership for the most part with only a couple of exceptions. You've all heard the rest.

I am currently working a decommissioning. We are technically temporary additionals like at Diablo. The entire group of RP/Decon were hand picked. We have full benefits and an on-going training program every other Friday working toward NRRPT testing. We have first line boss's that trust our judgement and give us very good guidance. We also have an RPM that truely cares about our satisfaction with the job, he is the best I have seen...ever. We have a very unique challenge with transuranics throughout the system from sever fuel failures which makes almost every job interesting and challenging. I would have to say that it is the most satisfying job I have had.
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RAD-GHOST

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Re: House tech vs. Road Tech
« Reply #20 on: Nov 01, 2009, 03:34 »
Brett, I heard the view isn't bad either...... :)

Offline Brett LaVigne

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Re: House tech vs. Road Tech
« Reply #21 on: Nov 01, 2009, 03:58 »
Brett, I heard the view isn't bad either...... :)

HA! That depends on which direction your looking! Actually, it is the strangest area I have ever lived. The most beautiful too. The Redwoods, canyons, and rugged coastline are second to none. But it rains alot during the winter. The hippies are highly entertaining and the homeless in Eureka get a bit old standing on every corner with thier sign and dog. It really is a love/hate relationship. The area is awesome but California's failing handout programs can really make some areas ugly. All in all, there is nowhere I would rather be working, I am quite fortunate for that.
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Offline darkmatter

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Re: House tech vs. Road Tech
« Reply #22 on: Nov 01, 2009, 08:58 »
House Tech vs. Road Tech, ehh….

There is an unofficial test with the question: What’s the difference between a House Mouse and a Road Rat? One of the answers is:

One is healthy, wealthy and wise with a Kiss my *** mother****** attitude and the other is weak, pathetic poor with a Yes Sir, right away Sir attitude.

I use to think I knew which one was which, now I think it’s not the job category you hold but how well you’ve been able to deal with the changing economic climate and bureaucratic politics that determines your personal wealth and attitude.

As for me, I see the light at the end of the Tunnel and am looking forward to saying for the last time: “Kiss my………….”
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Offline MeterSwangin

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Re: House tech vs. Road Tech
« Reply #23 on: Nov 02, 2009, 10:53 »

 We also have an RPM that truely cares about our satisfaction with the job, he is the best I have seen...ever.

Albers?

1xcarnie

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Re: House tech vs. Road Tech
« Reply #24 on: Nov 03, 2009, 02:16 »
Well I think that all depends on the company you work for and the management you work under. It's nice having a steady pay check and sleeping in the same bed everynight. BUT there is something to say about the rear view mirror and the plant you just left in it. I miss the road and a lot of the people on it. I work with great people and like my plant but the road has been my home for lot of years and it's still in my blood. Take it from an 1XCARNIE life is what you make it. House VS road that's a hard call. Take care and be good.

 


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