Citibank Vs USAA as employer (San Antonio, Howe: sales, apartment, how much)

[SanAntonio117]

I was wondering from people who work or have worked at either of these companies(I'd be at entry level at either of them) what they think of them. Right now I'm at:
USAA- Closer to schools, Closer to housing, Closer to stores, slightly higher starting pay, mixed bag of opinions on them

Citibank - Out in the middle of nowhere, no place to live, don't hear bad things about them, can use TA sooner, more opportunities outside of san antonio, allow you to change positions sooner, get commission. Driving on 410 is stress free vs I-10.

However I don't really have many opinions from people that have worked at either company.

[Jazrag]

I currently work for Citigroup, and my fiancee works for USAA.

My fiancee really wants to get a job at Citigroup because he absolutely hates the way things are run at USAA. From what I've heard, management is terrible, and only out for themselves. The company is very strict, being a military bank, and people get fired over any little thing. Turnover is extremely high and I've never known anyone who worked there and liked their job.

At Citigroup, while not every manager is the picture of perfection, people here have been here for 20+ years. Citigroup is very laid back, family oriented, flexible and full of opportunities. Being out in the middle of nowhere is also great for the lack of traffic. There is actually lots of housing out here, mostly new and in all price ranges and schools are set to be built all over the place.

Bottom line, when I come home after work I talk about all the interesting things that happened at work; when my fiancee comes home, he talks about how much he wants to quit, (but can't because of the money). We also live an equal distance from each workplace, but while I have a nice 15-20 min drive through back roads, it takes him 45min + to fight traffic to work.

Hope this helps!

[TXRose]

The only people I know who like their jobs at USAA are those that aren't in a client services based job. i.e. - accounting, legal, etc.

I will echo the pp's comments about high turnover, frustrations with management, being fired over the smallest thing (ex - receiving a personal email at work). These are just things I hear from my friends who have or currently work there.

[mjr7025]

I have worked at USAA but this was years ago. I do remember however that when I was about to leave they had this big layoff and a lot of people were let go. I worked in the Corporate Research Department and like TXRose says maybe that's why I liked it. I didn't have customer contact and saw no employee turnover in the 2 1/2 yrs I was there. Thinks might have changed after I left though.

[lockheed1]

Thought I throw a left ball here and ask why do you want to work for CITI and not World Savings (Wachovia). I allways hear that Benefits,pay and bonuses are much better than Citi not to mention management.Also I read in the paper thet Citi was laying off 8500 employees acroos the nation because they wanted to increase profit, But i am sure you have a reason that you don't want to work at World because Employees from USAA are allways moving there.

[Jazrag]

I can't speak for World Savings, but Citi's benefits, pay & bonuses are nothing to sneeze at. Of course, with any company, it all depends on the position/department.

Also, Citi's 17,000 layoffs worldwide were largely a result of the continuous acquisitions. Ultimately Citi will have more employees than before the layoffs started.

[raven69david]

I currently work for Citigroup out on 211 and i love everything about it. I've been there 6 years and it's a blast. The benefits are better than good; they're outstanding. I've never had any problems with the bank. I do my job and do it well, which in turn i'm handsomely rewarded for it.

My bro-in-law works for USAA and he loves it there too, but i've heard a few rumblings here & there. The best thing about USAA is the annual bonus which Citigroup employees don't get. The higher salary more than makes up for it though with Citigroup, plus if you're in sales you can make $2k to $10k+ extra a month a side from your regular paycheck.

The recent layoffs didn't really affect San Antonio too much. They just streamlined a few departments and gave alot of people early retirement packages. The layoffs here mostly affected middle-management and tenured employees wanting early out.

[lockheed1]

Oh that changes my outlook of the place , I was under the impression that CITI was a call center..

[SanAntonio117]

Citi is a call center. I hear good things about Citi but I really like the I-10 area and it doesn't seem like there are many places to live apartment wise near Citi. There are quite a few in walking distance from USAA. I guess in the end there is alot of opportunity with both employers.

[FastFerrari]

USAA.....and thats the bottom line....cause. STONE COLD said SO ! ! !