take the job or not?

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Ponchik

Senior Member
Location
CA
Occupation
Electronologist
I am a single man shop and have had my own business for about 14 years and I have been offered a position with the local building department as an inspector, but my hesitation is that the pay is not so great but the benefits are. Now i need to make a decision within 3 weeks if i am going to accept their offer or not.
I am not looking for a specific information but rather to get your suggestion, recommendation or insight on working as an building inspector.
Having your business vs working for a city?
Besides the perks and regular benefits other benefits or personal advancement working for the city that i am not seeing yet?

any other input is welcome. As i said i need to make a decision within 3 weeks or so.

Thank you for your input.
 

satcom

Senior Member
If you are making more in your business including the value of all the benifits the city offers, and the study employment, with retirement build, only you know the numbers

Around here most guys would jump at a city inspector job, if you have to think about it you must be making a six figure income at the business, a city inspector with job with medical, and sick days along with retirement fund is usually over 100k in value.
 

Hv&Lv

Senior Member
Location
-
Occupation
Engineer/Technician
Look toward the future. You say 14 years so my guess is that you are between 40-45. How many benefits do you have now owning your own shop and business? Pension? 401k? Be an inspector, run the business on the side if you feel the desire. Look at the benefits. Same reason I went to work for the POCO at 35...
 

stickboy1375

Senior Member
Location
Litchfield, CT
Look toward the future. You say 14 years so my guess is that you are between 40-45. How many benefits do you have now owning your own shop and business? Pension? 401k? Be an inspector, run the business on the side if you feel the desire. Look at the benefits. Same reason I went to work for the POCO at 35...

Probably be a conflict of interest running a side business and being an inspector?
 

vango

Member
Location
Texas
To Be or Not To Be

To Be or Not To Be

Edward,
The decision must be yours. Less than a year ago I faced the same situation. After a few certifications for inspector's licensures (coupled with a masters license and a couple of decades as an EC) and testing the waters where and when I could, it became apparent quickly, experience and certfications werent enough. I have found, besides the experience and certs, "people skills" and "business skills" are absolute corner stones to a successful inspectors career. The politics of the business, your AHJ superiors, and your community will dictate your tempo. You can be the best of the best or the worst of the worst, its up to you. Its not a perfect world and there are times when you will have to "fail" a peer, however, I will at these times waive the reinspect fee and provide positive feedback when applicable. On the bright side, I get to help the EC's get to their money, keep to the codes, and help them through tough decisions and/or disputes. Keeping a level playing field for the trades (ie checking licensures, codes, maintaining proper business ethics) is a perpetual and cumbersome task.
Remaining unbiased, accessible, and up to date can be a kick in the pants. Direct your thoughts, contol your emotions, and accomplish your goals.
There has been times when I have questioned my decision to leave the EC world and enter the Inspectors world. The loss of the larger "cash flow" of self employment required a little lifestyle adjustment, however the "net gain" of being employed has had a positive impact. I have learned more "tricks to the trade" than I could have imagined (my ego must have been in the way of that one). Monday thru Friday, 8 to 5, I get to go out and listen, learn, share, mentor, and mix with the trades.
I do not get to work on the side, nor do i want to anymore (i did at first), it is my agreement with my AHJ. I have been self employed for 80% of my life. Ive been a full time inspector for nearly a year. I am accomplishing my goals of removing the unlicensed workers (creating more jobs for the EC's), assisting my superiors with removing "old city ordinances" (helping to create a little more of a level playing field), start up of re-establishing an Electrical Board within our AHJ for EC's, and spending a much more quality time with my family...... No longer doing estimates, bids, takeoffs, invoices, collections, sales taxes, quick books, profit & loss sheets, balance sheets, inventory, fica, futa, and well, you get it. My "net gain" is my time and I'm starting to "dig it":)
My suggestion to you is "negotiate" for as high a starting pay that you can get. I dont mean just talk about it with them, I mean negotiate. When you think your as high on the scale as you can get then, ask for "comp time" benefits like maybe an extra week of paid vacation or "sign on bonus". Do not sell yourself short. Just because everyone else started at "this pay" dosent mean you have to. Sell yourself! and dont be short. I did, and if I can, then without doubt you can (probably better). My negotiation went for 2 years and I kicked the door in on new highs with starting pays. Now they may just throw me right back out that door if I dont perform so the race is on!
I finally made my decision and you will too. You have options, thats Great!
 

hurk27

Senior Member
it is only a conflict if you inspect your own work or use you position as an inspector to get work, Indiana it is a class C felony and it can be a hefty thing to go through but I only know of one inspector who was abusing his position to push work toward his company, but I think they also got him on tax evasion and a few other charges, conflict of interest is using your placement in a government position to gain monetarily from it other then your normal wages from the position, even doing work in your area of inspection can be a bad idea.
 

jumper

Senior Member
Most places I know of are similar to what Wayne/Hurk said.

You cannot work in the areas you inspect and any abuse by your position to get jobs is a no-no.

Besides contracting outside their jurisdictions, I know inspectors who do consulting, home inspections, and teach.
 

kwired

Electron manager
Location
NE Nebraska
Probably be a conflict of interest running a side business and being an inspector?

Most places I know of are similar to what Wayne/Hurk said.

You cannot work in the areas you inspect and any abuse by your position to get jobs is a no-no.

Besides contracting outside their jurisdictions, I know inspectors who do consulting, home inspections, and teach.

Comments so far are right on - even if no harm is intended, it just does not look good to be the inspector for the same area you are doing other work in. You will have contractors that do not like it. General public may not even know or care. Most inspectors find out their additional spare time they did not have before becoming an inspector are better spent with family and friends, going fishing, golfing, etc. Being an inspector has its own stress but at least at quitting time you can leave it all until the next working day. One man shop guys never have time off. Even when they take vacation they still end up returning phone calls at very least. Many inspectors do teach classes for CEU purposes. Often times these are the CEU's you should be taking - these guys know what violations they see the most of when inspecting and will likely address them in the class - especially if it is a class on code in general.
 

Ponchik

Senior Member
Location
CA
Occupation
Electronologist
Thank you all for your comments and recommendations.

I think it will be very hard working for someone after 14 years of owing my own business, giving up the client base that one works very hard to attract and retain.

I need to make some decisions.
 

petersonra

Senior Member
Location
Northern illinois
Occupation
engineer
If you have to ask, the answer probably is that you are ready to move on. If it was not time for you to move on you would not even be considering it.

IMO, whether this is the right place to move on to is the real question.
 

cowboyjwc

Moderator
Staff member
Location
Simi Valley, CA
I agree 100% with what vango said.

Here's my two cents, you hear all the guys on here talking about no work or being slow or not getting paid, in 22 years I have never not gotten a paycheck.:happyyes:
 

cowboyjwc

Moderator
Staff member
Location
Simi Valley, CA
One more thing to consider, that I didn't think about earlier, but since it's cold and rainy here today and my body aches all over I thought I would mention it.

When the time comes that you can't do the work anymore because of the aches and pains, just remember that the job offers may not be there then. So if you are already starting to feel the affects of the years in the field, you might want to consider the job again.

I've said it before and I'll say it again, it's not all about the money.
 

kwired

Electron manager
Location
NE Nebraska
I agree 100% with what vango said.

Here's my two cents, you hear all the guys on here talking about no work or being slow or not getting paid, in 22 years I have never not gotten a paycheck.:happyyes:
That is because no one wants to draw their plans for you on the back of it:happyyes:
 

copper chopper

Senior Member
Location
wisconsin
go for it

go for it

I would do it just think of all the hassles you wont have to put up with anymore like, staying up all night bidding a job or late night/ weekend service calls. You could even sell your customer list to another contractor. I have a brother in law that is in the same boat you are but his was 2 years ago and now hes kick-in himself for not taking the job.. Every month he is out there trying to drum up work day and night just to make his morgage payments and pay his bills.Thats not the life he expected to have being a contractor.
 

97catintenn

Senior Member
Location
Columbia, TN
Most places I know of are similar to what Wayne/Hurk said.

You cannot work in the areas you inspect and any abuse by your position to get jobs is a no-no.

Besides contracting outside their jurisdictions, I know inspectors who do consulting, home inspections, and teach.

Well, I'm a GC and have built several houses and have been asked to do home inspections for friends. So, I asked about getting a home inspector license and was told that would be a conflict of interest. And why is that? I've actually built houses so that is not a qualification for a home inspector?

And on the last house I built, I called up a guy on his cell that works for the local poco to dig the ditch for my underground power and install the 3" pipe. He said he would dig it, install the pipe, inspect it, and cover it up. I didn't see a conflict of interest.
 
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