Posted on Apr 23, 2016
Does anyone have any insight on I.T. jobs with CSRA or ESP?
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I just inquired with a FBCB2 rep about a job and was told to look into these companies as well.
https://www.csra.com/
http://esp.com/
https://www.csra.com/
http://esp.com/
Posted in these groups: 
Linux
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Employment
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Force XXI Battle Command Brigade and Below (FBCB2)
Linux Jobs Employment Information Technology Force XXI Battle Command Brigade and Below (FBCB2)
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 3
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Both of these firms are contractor placement firms. While they may offer paid employment in some limited cases or a retainer pay to keep people on the 'bench', typically firms like this place people in contract or temp positions to fill specific needs. While some contract positions lead to full time employment, in many cases they don't - in fact in my company we have an 18 month limit on contract positions, anything longer than 18 months is likely converted to full time. (but generally we bar the contact person from posting for the full time position - exceptions do get made)
If you want contract work, that is fine - but generally it's paid on a 1099 - meaning you are responsible for the taxes (including both employer and employee shares of FICA), not to mention fewer benefits, etc.
Contractor work is fine for some people - but if you have a family, a steady income and benefits are a big plus. You will hear folks that say you make more as a contractor - and in a few cases you will, but generally by the time you factor in the tax withholding, the lack of benefits, etc, you generally end up worse off.
If you want contract work, that is fine - but generally it's paid on a 1099 - meaning you are responsible for the taxes (including both employer and employee shares of FICA), not to mention fewer benefits, etc.
Contractor work is fine for some people - but if you have a family, a steady income and benefits are a big plus. You will hear folks that say you make more as a contractor - and in a few cases you will, but generally by the time you factor in the tax withholding, the lack of benefits, etc, you generally end up worse off.
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SGT (Join to see)
I didn't know any of that. I've always heard positive about contractor work. I prefer a steady. Thanks for the info.
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GySgt Carl Rumbolo
SGT (Join to see) - I suppose for some people there are positive aspects to contract or free lance work. I have had numerous opportunities for such work, but have always turned it down, because in my calculation the drawbacks outweighed the benefits. Everyone has to make their own decision.
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SGT Teresa Puszert
GySgt Carl Rumbolo - If I may weigh in with a different perspective coming from one of those contractor placement firms: Contractor experiences vary from person to person depending on the Contracting Firm they select to work with. I have been in the business for a long time and as an Employer of Contractors in both the Government/Military and Private sectors, I can tell you that while some of your points can be accurate, they certainly do not apply across the board. For example, I do not work any contractors on a 1099 basis, my work opportunities are W-2 only. Our contractors are also offered the same benefit package that I have including Medical/Dental, 401k, Life Insurance, and Paid Time Off. With regard to "steady income", contracting is attractive to contractors for their own reasons (exposure to many different technologies, they like to travel, they enjoy new challenges, etc) but not all Contract positions are short term or even considered temporary. I have contractors right now who have been on the same contract for 5, 6, and even 7 years. In fact, one of my major government clients offers a 6 month contract-to-hire. The contractor placement firm almost always knows in advance which opportunities will be short term and they should be passing that information along to the contractor to make a decision about pursuing it. On a final note, contractors (at least the ones that I employ), typically earn over market rate salary and can still enjoy benefits and paid time off.
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GySgt Carl Rumbolo
SGT Teresa Puszert - For government contracts yes that may be the case - however having been in the private sector (financial services) for 20 years I can tell you that it is decidedly the other way - very few long term contracts, almost always 1099 and no benefits.
The government side of contracting is in no way reflective of the the private sector. I have had a number of opportunities and offers to work contract, both private sector and government and have always turned them down - and as a general rule government contract work - in most cases, pays less than what high demand skill sets can demand in the private sector.
When I was retiring and getting set for my 2nd career, a professional recruiter I worked with outlined it like this:
1. Private sector contracting - high pay, but higher risk - no stability, limited or no benefits.
2. Private sector - permanent full time - good pay, generally slightly lower than contractors, benefits, moderate security - depending on the industry, stock options and bonuses bring you equal or higher than contract pay.
3. Government / Government contractor - lower pay, good benefits, but little to no incentive pay (bonus, etc). Generally excellent stability.
It's all in what you want in life. I like some security / stability, but I also wanted the higher pay.
The government side of contracting is in no way reflective of the the private sector. I have had a number of opportunities and offers to work contract, both private sector and government and have always turned them down - and as a general rule government contract work - in most cases, pays less than what high demand skill sets can demand in the private sector.
When I was retiring and getting set for my 2nd career, a professional recruiter I worked with outlined it like this:
1. Private sector contracting - high pay, but higher risk - no stability, limited or no benefits.
2. Private sector - permanent full time - good pay, generally slightly lower than contractors, benefits, moderate security - depending on the industry, stock options and bonuses bring you equal or higher than contract pay.
3. Government / Government contractor - lower pay, good benefits, but little to no incentive pay (bonus, etc). Generally excellent stability.
It's all in what you want in life. I like some security / stability, but I also wanted the higher pay.
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I don't have a very favorable opinion of CSRA. They were born because CSC split themselves in two, and the government services portion bought SRA International and rebranded itself CSRA.
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CW3 (Join to see)
I never had a favorable impression of CSC in the first place, but having worked directly with SRA International personnel in the past, I'm not sure that's a place I'd want to work either....
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GySgt Carl Rumbolo
I have dealt with CSC, they generally treated their contract pool poorly and often times the folks they sent out for interviews didn't have the necessary experience or qualifications.
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