Job position requires skills test which requires $18.50 study guide

[ChasDream]

I am also in the process of trying to get a "Telecommunicator Trainee" position in Charleston, SC. The one I have been working with is Charleston County and I have heard no mention of a study guide. I took the CritiCall test the week of July 4th and passed and I had my interview the week of July 18th. Still waiting for a response. I was told we would find out one way or another, none yet. But I'm not sure this is the same agency in Charleston?

[PJ1252]

Sounds odd to me - I would contact the police department and ask them about it - In Connecticut I believe the 911 operators are hired through the police department - Hey a call to the police never hurts -

[ISTJ Vortex]

There is no job that requires payment of any kind from the potential worker to the employer or even once a person is hired.

If you have to pay any money, then its not a job but an investment or a business partnership.

This outfit has all the traits of a scam. Stay away.

[annerk]

Originally Posted by SOON2BNSURPRISE

In our area dispatch and 911 type jobs are offered from the County or city. You need to take a typing test for speed. It is free. They have two hiring days a year when a need arrives. Maybe it is done differantly in your area. I would call the city or county where you live and ask them how they go about hiring people. What can we tell you how your area hires for those kind of jobs?

That's basically how it works in the area I live in as well. Those jobs are all government jobs and hired direct through the normal government hiring process with preference going to veterans, etc.

[Bandon]

Originally Posted by ISTJ Vortex

There is no job that requires payment of any kind from the potential worker to the employer or even once a person is hired.

If you have to pay any money, then its not a job but an investment or a business partnership.

This outfit has all the traits of a scam. Stay away.

This isn't exactly true. I've worked many jobs where when you are hired (or even before you'll be considered for an interview) you are informed you'll need to spend money on certain clothes, shoes etc. Money that you don't even HAVE because you haven't been employed.

I also applied for a city bus driver job, but in order to merely APPLY, you had to spend money on a physical check-up, get a CDL permit, which costs money. And once you somehow pulled that money out of your butt for these "required" items, it didn't even gaurantee you an interview !!!

These practices need to be outlawed and the employers who practice them stabbed with small plastic forks repeatedly

[waitingtundra]

AH, I see none of you work on the river or in refinry's or chemical plants. There you need a twic (Transportation Workers Identification Card)that cost's 130+$'s were you get a background check, fingerprinted and a mug shot then a few months later you get the card. Most employeer's don't pay for the card, but require it. How do all the illegal's get this card, who knows, bur I'll bet the federal officials that make money on the card could care less.

[kodaka]

I'd say its pretty typical of any job that if a certification or training is required, the applicant is required to incur the cost of those in order to be considered for the job. And where I live, emergency dispatchers are outsourced.

BUT, the contractor doesn't establish the criteria for hiring. The city still does that. And it's part of the municipal code. So if anyone had any questions about the legitimacy of the requirements, they could look them up online. In fact, the names of the government contractors are part of the public record as well, so if there were any questions as to the authenticity of the company, that could be proven as well.