CHP Engineer with Centrica Business Solutions?

[theringding]

I know how a lot of people feel about Centrica but bear with me!

I am midway through the application process with Centrica Business Solutions to become a Combined Heat and Power Engineer. I am coming from an aviation maintenance background, where there is literally no work at the moment. The Centrica role would see me be trained in commercial gas and receive my commercial gas safe certs. I feel like this is an opportunity that I can't refuse. It provides me with training, certs, and a good salary and gives me the opportunity to perhaps become self employed at some point in the future.

Do you think its worth it? Is Centrica really as bad as they say?

 

[Chuck]

Do you think its worth it?

IMO, a job that offers high quality training and personal development is not going to be a bad choice. But anyone willing to pay for your training is going to want their pound of flesh. It's important to figure out how they are planning to recoup their investment and factor this into your decision. E.g., check the offer paperwork to see whether there is a lock-in at a low salary or a non-compete period that starts if you leave before completing a certain number of years hidden away in the small print.

 

[WC1]

If it helps you out of a hole - ok, otherwise I wouldn't recommend it. Surely you can do better than that? Plenty of places crying out for recruits.

 

[theringding]

If it helps you out of a hole - ok, otherwise I wouldn't recommend it. Surely you can do better than that? Plenty of places crying out for recruits.

Really? Who else? I’m really struggling to find anything at the moment!

 

[WC1]

Where approximately are you?

 

[theringding]

Where approximately are you?

In Surrey, near Guildford.

 

[Ric2013]

I once applied for a BG apprenticeship and have to agree about the pound of flesh idea.

At the day of role play interview where you end up making friends with people who you are untimately competing against for the same job, I probably asked too many questions and it was obvious I wouldn't have signed up, carte blanche, to whatever they may have wanted from me (seemed they couldn't be too clear what they wanted because they didn't know themselves yet - you could you see they wanted someone who'd accept to do whatever they wanted without defining clearly what that was). So I didn't get the job offer.

They also said, once I'd done my two years training, that there would be almost no chance of a transfer to another part of the country as I'd have to stay in the area I had done my work as an apprenctice in as I'd know the people in the area.

They'll probably want you to do your training in Leeds or London (but they won't tell you which yet), work xx hours per year without defining how this will be split seasonally, you'll be sharing a room when you're away on training times, and you need to do some voluntary work/DofE to make them look good: won't be what YOU think is a good volunteer project - they want to choose it so it reflects well on them. You may end up painting the outside of a private old people's home so the people running it make more money, but it still makes for good publicity if the local paper doesn't look hard enough at what is actually going on.

My suggestion, as a sadder and a wiser man, is, if you want the job, when you do that stupid role play day, don't push it too hard hard in the questions department: wait for the job offer and then say, well before I sign this, I would prefer some clarification on xyz.

Personally I wouldn't want to work for them. Life's too short and I value my freedom, but I don't know your circumstances.

 

[theringding]

I once applied for a BG apprenticeship and have to agree about the pound of flesh idea.

At the day of role play interview where you end up making friends with people who you are untimately competing against for the same job, I probably asked too many questions and it was obvious I wouldn't have signed up, carte blanche, to whatever they may have wanted from me (seemed they couldn't be too clear what they wanted because they didn't know themselves yet - you could you see they wanted someone who'd accept to do whatever they wanted without defining clearly what that was). So I didn't get the job offer.

They also said, once I'd done my two years training, that there would be almost no chance of a transfer to another part of the country as I'd have to stay in the area I had done my work as an apprenctice in as I'd know the people in the area.

They'll probably want you to do your training in Leeds or London (but they won't tell you which yet), work xx hours per year without defining how this will be split seasonally, you'll be sharing a room when you're away on training times, and you need to do some voluntary work/DofE to make them look good: won't be what YOU think is a good volunteer project - they want to choose it so it reflects well on them. You may end up painting the outside of a private old people's home so the people running it make more money, but it still makes for good publicity if the local paper doesn't look hard enough at what is actually going on.

My suggestion, as a sadder and a wiser man, is, if you want the job, when you do that stupid role play day, don't push it too hard hard in the questions department: wait for the job offer and then say, well before I sign this, I would prefer some clarification on xyz.

Personally I wouldn't want to work for them. Life's too short and I value my freedom, but I don't know your circumstances.

Haha, what they’ve told me so far doesn’t sound anything like what you’re saying! There’s no role play, all the training is done locally and the job is local too. This isn’t with BG, but with Centrica Business Solutions, so don’t know if that makes a difference!

 

[Gasmk1]

I thought they had given up on CHP UNITS we fitted one at a hotel in timperley when still british Gas, about 30 ish years ago

 

[WC1]

If you're in the south east of England and you can handle commuting then the big smoke is the place to go for work.

 

[Pssst]

Are Cadent still hiring?..................