Is anyone aware of DCSA contractors opening up opportunities for part-time work to entry-level investigators? I’m in a large urban area and strongly interested in this field, but simply cannot afford the pay cut to drop my current career for a FT investigator position as it is presently compensated. Thanks in advance for your input.
In my personal experience (others may differ) most contractors want to see a year of full time experience before they will give the option of going part time. If they are training you (which you must be DCSA trained before you can work cases, even if you have loads of investigative experience) they want a return on investment. The training itself is full time and lasts approx 4 to 6 weeks (it’s been decades since I went through training so this may have changed). Why not contact the companies directly and ask if they are hiring/training for part time positions.
Just my .02
1 Like
I was looking at paragon job postings and saw a bunch of part time entries. I’m not sure what level they wanted for those, but many on there were entry level.
1 Like
Thank you for the great feedback. I’ll reach out to the companies, but just wanted to see if anyone had insights. I agree with you about the ROI factor and wonder if they would consider a lock-in or reimbursement (for T5) provision.
I have heard (take it with a grain of salt) that Peraton does require applicants to sign an agreement that they will “repay” the cost of their clearance investigation if the applicant leaves prior to one year of service. I question its enforceability (how does one prove the cost of an individual’s investigation?) but that deters some folks from leaving before the year is up. Back in USIS days (yes, I’m THAT old) I believe we signed an agreement to pay back a certain amount if we left within a year. Just something to consider when signing the reams of paperwork. : )
2 Likes
I believe DCSA establishes base costs of each investigation level (e.g. T3 $1,000, T5 $4,000, T5R $2,000, etc.) I wouldn’t mind signing that agreement because I don’t plan on bailing within a year, but you never know.
The legality of reimbursing a contractor for a cost they did not incur is the issue/joke here. The requesting federal agency pays for the investigation, not the contractor.
1 Like
The agreement is not to reimburse for the clearance. The agreement is to reimburse for the training.
1 Like
When I hired on with Perspecta (prior to Peraton) I signed an agreement that I would work for a year or repay a prorated training amount of $8000 for however many months shy of a year I worked if I left by my choice. If they fired me then I did not have to pay back any money (but that would also affect my clearance). I HATED working at Perspecta, even though I had a good supervisor. The company had completely unrealistic expectations and I was extremely stressed out. After 13 months, I was free of the contract I signed and I resigned.
2 Likes
If you become a 1099 contractor, you can work as little or as much as you want. Omni is now a sub to Peraton for DCSA. They/Omni may be looking for CI’s?
1 Like
It depends on the company and if they are permitting part time CI work. I know that at least one subcontractor to CACI is hiring only 1099s and is allowing part time work. The company is EnProVera. Xcelerate is also hiring 1099s, but I have no personal knowledge of them allowing part time work. I have no knowledge of Subks under Peraton other than company names. At this time CACI is not hiring 1099s, only full time employees.
Hope this helps.