Border Services Officer Information Session

[Gh0stRider]

Information Sessions on Becoming a Border Services Officer
The next CBSA information session for anyone interested in a career as
a Border Services Officer will be held on Wednesday, July 30, 2008 at
Vancouver Community College. Please encourage anyone you know to
attend. It's a great way to get a taste of what it's like to be a
Border Services Officer.

When: Wednesday, July 30, 2008, 7:00 pm- 8:00 pm

Location: Vancouver Community College, Downtown Campus, Room 240, 240
West Pender St, Vancouver, BC
www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca

[Koflach]

anyone have an idea what the pay is for a position like this? Is it unionized?

[SoulCrusher]

$51,718 and $55,724. and yes I believe it is union.

[4444]

Originally Posted by PornoMan

$51,718 and $55,724. and yes I believe it is union.

too much money for the position, kinda BS really

[zero_one]

thanks for the heads up

[azn_boix]

i will definately check it out

[quasi]

Originally Posted by 4444

too much money for the position, kinda BS really

Huh? how you figure? They carry guns and protect the borders. It's not like it's good money or anything it's the bare minimum someone needs to live a life in Canada.

What do you suggest, $12 an hour or something a like?

[impactX]

Originally Posted by quasi

Huh? how you figure? They carry guns and protect the borders. It's not like it's good money or anything it's the bare minimum someone needs to live a life in Canada.

What do you suggest, $12 an hour or something a like?

Couldn't have said it better myself.

I actually think where it tops out ($55,724) is too low.

[411ken]

Sounds interesting. I wonder what kind of experience/requirements they ask for. I don't have any experience in security/etc. do you think I have a shot at this? hehe

[Tapioca]

Considering the job that border service officers do, I think the wage is pretty low too. An old manager of mine was a border officer for a while and some of the stuff that people would try to sneak across the border would raise anyone's eyebrows. It's not an easy job - I can tell you that.

Typically, you need to have some experience in verifying documents or interpreting policies on the spot. But, the process is more about evaluating your analytical and decision-making skills. Once you pass the initial tests, you get shipped off to Rigaud, Quebec where you undergo training for 6 months. I've heard that the training is pretty fun (i.e. getting hammered every weekend).

[4444]

Originally Posted by quasi

Huh? how you figure? They carry guns and protect the borders. It's not like it's good money or anything it's the bare minimum someone needs to live a life in Canada.

What do you suggest, $12 an hour or something a like?

they don't really protect the borders, they are there to tax us on our out of country purchases

there was even an article from one of the heads of the US border group saying their jobs is not to stop illegal immigrants, but to control the movement of goods... fu(king goods? give me a break

i'd really be surprised if they're finding too many significant (thats the word here, significant) firearms, drugs, etc. going across the border - i'm pretty sure the good criminals would outsmart the border guards

do you need a degree to become a border crossing agent? from what i can see all you need is to harass nice, honest, hard working people with high levels of education to somehow try and belittle them (maybe that's just my own experience for most of the time i go down to the states and back, i'll disclose everything, give my passport, answer any questions, no problems, i'll pay my taxes, but when they're rude to my mother for no reason, i.e. harassing her about us once living in the states in 1989 fully legally paying our taxes and being generally good citizens - what a joke)

so, to be honest, a starting wage should be much lower, with the higher end being higher, to start and end in such a small region is typical union BS, with little incentive for the good border guards to stay - just leaving the crummy ones who are earning above their worth.

[quasi]

Originally Posted by 4444

they don't really protect the borders, they are there to tax us on our out of country purchases

there was even an article from one of the heads of the US border group saying their jobs is not to stop illegal immigrants, but to control the movement of goods... fu(king goods? give me a break

i'd really be surprised if they're finding too many significant (thats the word here, significant) firearms, drugs, etc. going across the border - i'm pretty sure the good criminals would outsmart the border guards

do you need a degree to become a border crossing agent? from what i can see all you need is to harass nice, honest, hard working people with high levels of education to somehow try and belittle them (maybe that's just my own experience for most of the time i go down to the states and back, i'll disclose everything, give my passport, answer any questions, no problems, i'll pay my taxes, but when they're rude to my mother for no reason, i.e. harassing her about us once living in the states in 1989 fully legally paying our taxes and being generally good citizens - what a joke)

so, to be honest, a starting wage should be much lower, with the higher end being higher, to start and end in such a small region is typical union BS, with little incentive for the good border guards to stay - just leaving the crummy ones who are earning above their worth.

So basically you think by paying less money your going to get better quality border guards and you'll have less problems? I don't see how needing or not needing a degree to get hired is relevant unless you think you shouldn't be making more then 50K without a degree? My point is the job is low paying anyway, 50K a year is pretty much minimum wage for anyone who lives on their own and not with their parents.

What do you think would happen if the borders were totally unmanned?

[4444]

Originally Posted by quasi

So basically you think by paying less money your going to get better quality border guards and you'll have less problems? I don't see how needing or not needing a degree to get hired is relevant unless you think you shouldn't be making more then 50K without a degree? My point is the job is low paying anyway, 50K a year is pretty much minimum wage for anyone who lives on their own and not with their parents.

What do you think would happen if the borders were totally unmanned?

you didn't see the other side of my argument, the starting wage should be lower, with the wages increasing throughout with time, experience, and strong performance.

what does it matter that someone making less than $50K can't live in Vancouver? if we pay everyone a 'living' wage regardless of the job they do, we get huge levels of inflation as everyone has money, so prices go up - in the end of the day, if your job doesn't pay enough, you have to get out, either of your job or the place you live

and to be honest with you, someone without formal education or a trade should not be making more than $50K unless they a) are doing it on their own, b) have an amazing natural talent, or c) have requisite experience to trump a formal education.

and really, the US/Canada should have an unmanned border - look at Europe - with my British passport, i can basically go anywhere in Europe without concern of issues or waits at borders... but this goes into a much bigger issue of Canada and the states taking 1 currency and moving forward as an entity, rather than 2 separate countries (such as Europe)

[quasi]

Originally Posted by 4444

you didn't see the other side of my argument, the starting wage should be lower, with the wages increasing throughout with time, experience, and strong performance.

what does it matter that someone making less than $50K can't live in Vancouver? if we pay everyone a 'living' wage regardless of the job they do, we get huge levels of inflation as everyone has money, so prices go up - in the end of the day, if your job doesn't pay enough, you have to get out, either of your job or the place you live

and to be honest with you, someone without formal education or a trade should not be making more than $50K unless they a) are doing it on their own, b) have an amazing natural talent, or c) have requisite experience to trump a formal education.

and really, the US/Canada should have an unmanned border - look at Europe - with my British passport, i can basically go anywhere in Europe without concern of issues or waits at borders... but this goes into a much bigger issue of Canada and the states taking 1 currency and moving forward as an entity, rather than 2 separate countries (such as Europe)

This isn't a Mc Job though. They are trained back east, they carry firearms and they are doing a job that someone with 1 day of training cannot do. You'd totally have an argument if they started out at like 90K but that isn't the case. A grocery clerk or someone who makes your mocha should not make a livable wage. Someone who decides who and who does not enter the border, searches for drugs and weapons and illegals does.

Trades are overpaid IMO. One of my best friends who was barely smart enough to make it through high school with no real education except for 24 weeks of BCIT within 4 years made 130K last year framing highrises. Go complain about what he makes and I'll go with you, it's retarded. BTW, educations can be totally overrated.

I'm curious do you live on your own and pay your own way? I only ask because if your still at home and haven't had to live in the real world as far as paying a mortgage or rent and all the household bills that comes with that it's hard to appreciate just how little 50K is.

I think we'll have to agree to disagree because fundamentally you think 50K is a good starting wage, one that border guards should not get paid. I on the other hand think it's a bare minimum wage to begin for any job that requires a decent amount of training and requires someone to carry a firearm.

[eFx[A2C]]

and yes they do protect the borders. the tax thing was more when they were tied with cra.

[Tapioca]

Originally Posted by 4444

they don't really protect the borders, they are there to tax us on our out of country purchases

I'm sure if you were doing something illegal, they would probably do their jobs and take you into custody.

i'd really be surprised if they're finding too many significant (thats the word here, significant) firearms, drugs, etc. going across the border - i'm pretty sure the good criminals would outsmart the border guards

Well, there's a balance between facilitating legitimate trade and stopping illegal activities. You can't stop everything unless you wanted to significantly hurt our economy.

do you need a degree to become a border crossing agent? from what i can see all you need is to harass nice, honest, hard working people with high levels of education to somehow try and belittle them (maybe that's just my own experience for most of the time i go down to the states and back, i'll disclose everything, give my passport, answer any questions, no problems, i'll pay my taxes, but when they're rude to my mother for no reason, i.e. harassing her about us once living in the states in 1989 fully legally paying our taxes and being generally good citizens - what a joke)

I've never had any bad experiences with border guards. Border guards aren't arrogant by nature - they're trained in certain techniques to help them weed out the good from the bad. Sounds like your beef is with the techniques - write a letter to the CBC and get some media attention.

so, to be honest, a starting wage should be much lower, with the higher end being higher, to start and end in such a small region is typical union BS, with little incentive for the good border guards to stay - just leaving the crummy ones who are earning above their worth.

CBSA already is running on the cheap by hiring university students part-time and paying them $15/hour. The 50K/year salary provides them with an incentive to stay. What's your idea of a top salary? 50K? The public service is like any other employer - it needs to pay a decent salary if it intends to attract top quality employees.

[4444]

Originally Posted by quasi

This isn't a Mc Job though. They are trained back east, they carry firearms and they are doing a job that someone with 1 day of training cannot do. You'd totally have an argument if they started out at like 90K but that isn't the case. A grocery clerk or someone who makes your mocha should not make a livable wage. Someone who decides who and who does not enter the border, searches for drugs and weapons and illegals does.

Trades are overpaid IMO. One of my best friends who was barely smart enough to make it through high school with no real education except for 24 weeks of BCIT within 4 years made 130K last year framing highrises. Go complain about what he makes and I'll go with you, it's retarded. BTW, educations can be totally overrated.

I'm curious do you live on your own and pay your own way? I only ask because if your still at home and haven't had to live in the real world as far as paying a mortgage or rent and all the household bills that comes with that it's hard to appreciate just how little 50K is.

I think we'll have to agree to disagree because fundamentally you think 50K is a good starting wage, one that border guards should not get paid. I on the other hand think it's a bare minimum wage to begin for any job that requires a decent amount of training and requires someone to carry a firearm.

and i totally agree with you on the trades - but thankfully that will be a short lived trend, and people cannot survive long term in the trades, one's body will deteriorate too quickly.

As for me, to give perspective, i have 2 degrees, and am about to get my CA, i currently pay rent, and have paid off a $30K car in the last year and a bit, and am going to be buying an apartment downtown in the coming months, so i certainly know enough about the 'real world' and how expensive things are.

also, in my career, to give perspective, i started in the mid 30's, a year later mid 40's, now i will be low 60's after the summer. i didn't complain at any of my salary points, as i just had to live within my means - i worked my butt off, and got the big pay raises because of that.

i just don't think $50+K starting wage is fair for the job that's done, there's very little risk and recourse for their actions (other than the low, low risk of being shot) - but again, their salaries should increase with time and not be capped by those union bastards

[ebee]

border officers are getting re-classified soon i heard, so there should be a wage increase.

[AppleSugary]

Originally Posted by 4444

and i totally agree with you on the trades - but thankfully that will be a short lived trend, and people cannot survive long term in the trades, one's body will deteriorate too quickly.

As for me, to give perspective, i have 2 degrees, and am about to get my CA, i currently pay rent, and have paid off a $30K car in the last year and a bit, and am going to be buying an apartment downtown in the coming months, so i certainly know enough about the 'real world' and how expensive things are.

also, in my career, to give perspective, i started in the mid 30's, a year later mid 40's, now i will be low 60's after the summer. i didn't complain at any of my salary points, as i just had to live within my means - i worked my butt off, and got the big pay raises because of that.

i just don't think $50+K starting wage is fair for the job that's done, there's very little risk and recourse for their actions (other than the low, low risk of being shot) - but again, their salaries should increase with time and not be capped by those union bastards

Sorry Dude, I have to disagree with you and agree with the others. I rarely speak about politics but what I am smelling in here is JEALOUSY.

You are just jealous because you "worked [your] butt off, and got the big pay raises because of that."

What makes you think that the border officers do not work their butts off? Think about the border inspectors as Canadian navy. The navy protects and watches the sea but they are just waiting the "life and death situation" until someone shows up. You might see them just sitting around and just taxing people but they have to face some certain consequences like "life and death situation".

I think you should read and watch news everyday so you know the "real life" of others and not just what your so called "real life."

[AppleSugary]

Originally Posted by 4444

do you need a degree to become a border crossing agent? from what i can see all you need is to harass nice, honest, hard working people with high levels of education to somehow try and belittle them (maybe that's just my own experience for most of the time i go down to the states and back, i'll disclose everything, give my passport, answer any questions, no problems, i'll pay my taxes, but when they're rude to my mother for no reason, i.e. harassing her about us once living in the states in 1989 fully legally paying our taxes and being generally good citizens - what a joke)

I am sorry to hear about your mother though.

[AppleSugary]

Originally Posted by 4444

they don't really protect the borders, they are there to tax us on our out of country purchases.

The Agency's legislative, regulatory and partnership responsibilities include the following:
· administering legislation that governs the admissibility of people and goods, plants and animals into and out of Canada;
· detaining those people who may pose a threat to Canada;
· removing people who are inadmissible to Canada, including those involved in terrorism, organized crime, war crimes or crimes against humanity;
· interdicting illegal goods entering or leaving the country;
· protecting food safety, plant and animal health, and Canada's resource base;
· promoting Canadian business and economic benefits by administering trade legislation and trade agreements to meet Canada's international obligations;
· enforcing trade remedies that help protect Canadian industry from the injurious effects of dumped and subsidized imported goods;
· administering a fair and impartial redress mechanism;
· promoting Canadian interests in various international forums and with international organizations; and
· collecting applicable duties and taxes on imported goods.

Originally Posted by 4444

there was even an article from one of the heads of the US border group saying their jobs is not to stop illegal immigrants, but to control the movement of goods... fu(king goods? give me a break

I would love to see the article to prove that they do “not stop illegal immigrants” and all they do is “to control movements of goods”. For the past 6 months, if you have been watching the news, the border officers did [stop] a lot of people who are illegal. Think about the case of Michael Petreikis who was deported by CBSA and returned to the United States. Petreikis was arrested by “Canadian authorities on an unrelated charge when it was determined that he was living in Canada in violation of Canadian immigration laws.” This just happened recently in February of 2008. What about the case in October 2007 in Montreal when
Stanstead Integrated Border Enforcement Team (IBET) and Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA), arrested approximatly 30 alleged illegal immigrants who entered Canada in the Stanstead region within two weeks.

If you need to find the articles, just google Michael Petreikis, CBSA and Stanstead region. Or go to public library to find the articles.

Originally Posted by 4444

As for me, to give perspective, i have 2 degrees, and am about to get my CA

If you have 2 degrees… you do know that importance of finding evidences such as articles or citations that what you are saying are true, right? Now, I really want you to find that article where you are trying to say that CBSA do not stop illegal immigrants and all they do is tax people. If you have failed to do it then I am not going to wonder why you have to work your butt off in order to get the 60’s.

Originally Posted by 4444

do you need a degree to become a border crossing agent? from what i can see all you need is to harass nice, honest, hard working people with high levels of education to somehow try and belittle them (maybe that's just my own experience for most of the time i go down to the states and back, i'll disclose everything, give my passport, answer any questions, no problems, i'll pay my taxes, but when they're rude to my mother for no reason, i.e. harassing her about us once living in the states in 1989 fully legally paying our taxes and being generally good citizens - what a joke)

Candidates must have the following qualifications and meet these conditions of employment:
· Be at least 18 years of age.
· Preference will be given to Canadian citizens.
· Be proficient in English and/or French.
· Have the education, experience and security clearance level as stated on the job advertisement.
· Obtain and maintain Airport Restricted Access for positions located at airports.
· To have successfully completed the Canadian firearms safety course and the Canadian restricted firearms safety course.
· Possess and maintain a Possession and Acquisition License (PAL) for firearms. (Please note that it takes several weeks to obtain this license).
· Possess and maintain the Standard First Aid Certification (according to the Canada Labour Code, Part II, Canada Occupational Health & Safety Regulations, Part XVI).
· Undergo a medical examination for isolated posts.
· Possess and maintain a valid unrestricted driver’s license.
· Obtain a re-certification in Control & Defensive Tactics as per CBSA guidelines.
· Meet and maintain a physical standard to safely perform the functions of a Border Services Officer.
· Willingness to accept deployments or a series of work assignments within the District or Region.
· Work various shifts on rotation, weekends and statutory holidays.
· Wear and maintain a uniform and required protective clothing and job-related equipment such as Oleoresin Capsicum (OC) spray and a baton as per CBSA standards.
· Work overtime as required.
· Willingness to operate a government vehicle.
· Travel as required.
· The duties of a Border Services Officer will require you to carry a firearm. As such, you agree to qualify and re-certify in its use and maintenance as well as other restricted and prohibited weapons. You also agree to meet and maintain any medical, behavioural and psychological requirements (including the vision and hearing standards required to carry a duty firearm), as prescribed and required by the CBSA.

================================================== ===============================

Now tell me if $55,000 is still “too high” for this kind of job? CBSA requires certain “special” requirements to be in that position. It is not all about having degree, you know? If they don’t need special requirements might as well work for some kind of easy job where I don’t have to hold firearms, deal with illegals, travel somewhere away from home, etcetera.

I do agree though that sometimes that the CBSA can be a bitch(although it never happens to me). Anyways, I am out of here. I am just going to wait for the article.

[Ducdesmo]

4444 has no idea what he is talking about. They do much more than sitting there 'taxing' people. Sounds like plain ignorance.

But like someone said, the union is currently undergoing salaries negotiations, so expect the pay to increase.

[RS_Pat]

Did they not receive an increase since they started carrying firearms? I would think they would be paid much closer to a police officer with such a major added responsibility (even if it is used much less if at all), given that law enforcement officers face a lot of scrutiny with how they use their weapons.

[goo3]

Being hardworking and smart are good qualities, but it doesn't entitle to you anything. You could have put your blood, sweat, and tears into 10 degrees and have to work 60 hrs/wk. If you have no leverage, it means jack. Supply and Demand - the market decides what your job is worth.

And 50K is plenty to live on. If you disagree, it means you've had a pretty good life. There's ppl out there raising families on less. Think about that.

[TRDood]

4444, if you are about to get your CA, then i assume that you should know a lot about the "real world". CBSA to me is more like border police, not every single one of them starts at 50k, or if they start at 50k and cap at 50k, that's a little retarded.. but hey, its a dead end job. u can't go any higher... (that i am not sure)

and there are a lot police types out there. are you saying that traffic cops should not get paid 40-50k (i assume?) because all they do is camp out at highways and intersections? i am sure they have more responsibilities and duties.