Should I take it or stay put?
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@9vsk+19DRfAAW, I agree with most of what you said, but there is NO overtime. Cisco is trying to cut costs, so they're not going to approve an SOW that includes overtime pay. Cisco expects the supplier to provide enough bodies to do the required work within the standard 40 hr work week.
Hourly rates don't go away. Everything is calculated by the billing rate agreed upon by both parties and each quarter's SOW is calculated against the number of billable hours in that specific quarter. Every quarter is different due to holidays, year-end shutdown, etc. Many suppliers will turn around and hire workers (consultants) at an hourly rate instead of a salary because that way they don't have to pay the workers when they don't work, i.e. Cisco decides to increase the year-end shutdown period or adds a new holiday.
I know project managers who spend an entire week calculating the billable hours in the upcoming quarter, and using the billing rate for each contractor, write up the SOW to be signed by the supplier so that a purchase order can be cut to pay the supplier. They do this every 3 months.
The Managed Service done right is not a trick. Services are switched from hourly to milestone or deliverables. Suppliers take over true management of the resources, and eliminate the 18 month limit. OT is managed by the Supplier and can be built into the SOW since scope is increased from typical. Conversions are at Cisco’s whim, not Supplier. Hourly rates go away. Suppliers aren’t allowed to employ individual 1099 employees. You’d need to form your own company and show proof of all required insurance, but not simple 1099. A Supplier that allows that would be at risk, but some may try by mis-classifying workers. Some Suppliers are really good, even if benefits aren’t great.
Will, there be a hard cap on hours or is there any chance of overtime.
Yes and no. There is a hard cap on BILLED hours. There is NO chance of overtime pay. However, the reality is that you may (will) be asked to work overtime occasionally if you are in a support/maintenance role due to upgrades/maintenance work being performed outside of regular business hours. You'll be offered "comp" time to make up for the OT you can't be paid for.
Developers, if the project falls behind, may get asked to work OT to meet deadlines, but again, you won't get paid for it.
Some managers are better about OT than others. I've had some over the years that let me "bank" my comp time so that I could take a couple of days off with pay at a later date that allowed me to attend special events. Other's made me take the comp time immediately the next week. One manager was adamant that we were NOT allowed to work OT or weekend/after hours work at all. If a task required 8 hrs of work on Sat, we couldn't take Fri off and work Sat instead. We could only work normal 8-5 M-F 40 hours.
I've been a managed service / statement of work (SOW) consultant at Cisco under 4 different SOWs and an employee twice. Frankly, I much prefer the SOW side. No benefits, PTO or retirement, but the pay is so much better and I don't have to worry about whatever BS games they play for performance reviews under the "people deal".
Finished the interview process and expect a decision in the next few days. The staffing agency will probably be surprised when I ask to be 1099 and cut their margin in half. Potential annual revenue for them is 60k or nothing. You have to treat yourself as a business. Cisco's business focus is on revenue and margin and the main reason they are using staffing agencies. I have been ramping up my own business and see the opportunity as startup revenue. It is not a long-term play.
I was a contractor for 6 years before FTE. Then after 2 years they laid me off. In that time I saw Flip video get ruined. Cisco introduced the UMI telepresence flop, destroyed Linksys, k–led UC500 to make garbage ipt solution and utterly ruin sourcefire among many other acquisitions. Don’t believe the hype. Fiasco systems more like it.
The agency gets about $110-130/hr if the worker is paid $60/hr. Cisco does not care as this is expensed in the "other" category.
How much is the staffing agency billing for a $60/hr job? Essentially they are more of a payroll service. I have no expectations of FTE, I know how Cisco operates. Will, there be a hard cap on hours or is there any chance of overtime.
I'm starting a contract with Cisco too. I've been told the same thing, possible conversion to FTE. I'm taking all the comments saying this is a common way Cisco strings contractors along. My company/recruitment firm has the benefits I need so I'll ride this until my next gig.
"On a managed service you can be contracted indefinitely, which most contractors I know are good with. Net is contractors are hired guns. If you expect job security or a guarantee of being a FTE you should not be contracting,"
The vast majority of American jobs posted by Cisco are now contract jobs. You can't expect a person with a family/mortgage to live contract to contract. Contractors want FTE for the health insurance and 401k benefits.
Essentially job security, feeding a family, retirement, and health insurance are asking too much if you work 40+ hours a week at Cisco.
"Managers also use a trick to switch you from a "contractor" to "managed service" for more time to avoid full-time conversion". That is a ridiculous statement from someone with zero knowledge of how those contracts work. Contractors are gone after 18 months unless they either get a 6 month emergency extension, are put on a managed service, or are flipped. On a managed service you can be contracted indefinitely, which most contractors I know are good with. Net is contractors are hired guns. If you expect job security or a guarantee of being a FTE you should not be contracting,
Full-time employees have no job security. What do you think it's like being a contract worker at Cisco? You'd be getting the grunt work no one wants without any recognition or benefits. Never believe promises of full-time conversion.
Don't fall for it. You will not be made an employee. If you need a paycheck until you find your next career, then do it. But whatever you do, do not take the position thinking they will make you a RFT employee. Layoffs are always around the corner and contractors go followed by RFT employees. You will be gone long before being offered a RFT position
It depends on your caste
You are better off finding a better job elsewhere than wasting time working as a contractor at Cisco.
Managers also use a trick to switch you from a "contractor" to "managed service" for more time to avoid full-time conversion.
Don't do it they are lying. Was promised conversion after 18 months, never happened as promised and was given the boot for the next s—er.. eh I mean contractor.
If you do it don't bother trying to make an extraordinary effort thinking you will be hired on because you won't.
Especially if you find yourself doing all of the medial tasks your Brahmin overlord doesn't want to be bothered with.
Cisco contract temporary employment recruiter's can't be trusted. This a failed rope-a-dope strategy. Don't be the dope. It won't end well.
The conversion carrot will be dangled for years. It's a tough life being a Cisco contractor with constant reorgs and zero job security or benefits.
I have seen many not convert at all. Especially with acquisitions (newly hired people) and layoffs going on working against converting.
I have seen contractors take forever to convert at Cisco.