Pros
- Lots of accumulative OT. (Part-time but made over 40 hours a week.) - Multitude of sites. - Independence from supervisors and management. (I dont feel micromanaged and I am left up to how I want to run things.) - Weekly set schedules. Rare emergency call-outs for work. - Paid site training. - Company uniforms. (Some are better than others. I wore my own gear. Unless you are on transit security you'll get assigned cheap stuff that won't keep you warm.) - Majority of the fellow guards are intelligent and respectful. - Flexible hours. (I can pick and choose sites and hours I want to work.) - Sites. (There's everything from sitting at a gate doing nothing to getting into fights with transients and druggies.) - PPE. All equipment is provided. From respiratory gear to yellow safety vests.
Cons
- Lack of advancement and career opportunities. If you dont have military experience or college education you won't move up within the company. Which is upsetting when you show initiative and aren't retarded. - Security experience doesnt necessarily translate over to "valid experience". I have got every security certification my State allows and multitude of experience and I am unable to move up in the company because I dont have military or college education. I am stuck as a USO and will likely not ever move up unless I know someone in branch or corporate personally. - Long distance between sites. I've put on thousands of miles on my vehicle to cover sites that take me hours to get to. Since a high number of other Flexes dont have personal vehicles and use public transit. - Weak payrates. I feel I dont get compensated for my experience and certifications. Sometimes I'll get compensated to cover sites farther away but that's about it. Its a slap in the face when some idiot gets paid more than you and has no training or experience. - Safety risks. Some sites are very dangerous when you have to confront individuals who are violent or verbally aggressive without training or tools to defend yourself or others. - Lackluster sites. Sites are mostly boring and the interesting ones require you to be a CPO. It's frustrating when you all you do is sit at a gate for 12 hours and dont do anything besides waste away. It's a job for the time being but I dont expect to turn it into a career working for G4S. I like this company a lot but I'm doubtful it will turn into anything more than a job for the next year to come.