Cerco it

Discussion in 'Employment & Jobs' started by connor367, Sep 8, 2011.

  1. connor367

    connor367 New Member

    7
    0
    1
    Hi first post here. OK say i see a job advertised as security cleared IT engineer. I go along to an interview which was group presentation and all very professional. We were told that if successful we would be sent on 2 weeks training (which you dont get paid for and you need to pay for accomadation) where you will be taught the basics to be a field engineer contractor for cerco who say they are an it IT recruitment agency. They could not guarantee a contract placement following the training but said it would be highly likely.

    When i got back from the interview i looked this company up and they used to charge around £4000 for their own training program, which i found out recieved bad reviews from people who did it. Now they do not charge £4000 and they do this 2 weeks training for free.

    Have any of you heard of this company? i would like to think its genuine but my gut feeling is that something is out of place!

    Thanks,
    Rich
     
    Bob McBarbel likes this.
  2. michael78

    michael78 Terabyte Poster

    2,085
    29
    141
    You can't become a IT Engineer in 2 weeks without prior experience in IT. It's crazy to think that they can train someone in 2 weeks when to get to a good level takes years. Companies like this are irresponsible and just after your money. No doubt there will be a cost somewhere down the line.
     
    Certifications: A+ | Network+ | Security+ | MCP | MCDST | MCTS: Hyper-V | MCTS: AD | MCTS: Exchange 2007 | MCTS: Windows 7 | MCSA: 2003 | ITIL Foundation v3 | CCA: Xenapp 5.0 | MCITP: Enterprise Desktop Administrator on Windows 7 | MCITP: Enterprise Desktop Support Technician on Windows 7
    WIP: Online SAN Overview, VCP in December 2011
    Bob McBarbel likes this.
  3. connor367

    connor367 New Member

    7
    0
    1
    yes thankyou this is what im thinking! although i am unemployed right now so i have not got much to lose by trying it
     
  4. TheMagician

    TheMagician Nibble Poster

    53
    2
    12
    Certifications: MCSA 2012, MCITP: EA, SA, ITIL
  5. connor367

    connor367 New Member

    7
    0
    1
    excellent that link helped me a lot.

    Rich
     
  6. connor367

    connor367 New Member

    7
    0
    1
    from reading those comments this is definately not something i would be giving any sort of stable job up for. I dont understand how these training companies get away with all their false promises.
     
  7. systempsyche

    systempsyche Nibble Poster

    59
    2
    27
    I would not use cerco if i were you, in fact 80% of these so-called training companies charge students phenominal fees and they just go and buy the books from amazon and keep all the rest of your money. Your better off just buying the books yourself and joining an study lab that you can find on forums, where people study together. Also these companies just cold call IT firms offering their students instead of having partner firms.
     
    Certifications: A+, network+, server+, mcdst, mcp, ccent
    WIP: mac integration, ACSP, ACTC
  8. darf

    darf New Member

    1
    0
    1
    Hi guys,

    i also applied through totaljobs.com and many others. I saw cerco advertise for my area and thought that seems very interesting. After careful research i found out it was just another con a business using scripted wording in job applications to get you to apply for jobs, but only find out afterwards they have very bad reviews and previous applicants experiences of ceco or seco. It seems they are only selling IT courses and have you believe there is a job for you at the end.

    I would advise you to do extreme careful research on anything like this of the job market, there are more and more offering such jobs in this manner. Which is wrong of course, especially when they are messing around with your wages and potential employment in such a way. Its basically them carefully wording adverts to get you mind to respons in a way, ie oh if i apply i can get this and get that. So you see guys and gals this kind business if they even qaulify for such a heading has now even spilled over into the job market, the corruption is massive in the uk. Schiedegger IT training is another such company offering these type courses, but when you visit Comptia.org the defacto of IT source,s. My advice guys is get a Comp TIA A+ book by the author Mike Meyers, the best i have ever purchased. Just give it a try please, reson is this guy tells you exams you should be taking and what the exams you acuallly need over all, and where to book the exams and gives the web sites to visit to get it correct. If not email and ill sen them to you.

    BUY THIS BOOK - COMPTIA A+ BY MIKE MEYERS - EBAY / AMAZON ANY GOOD BOOK STORE ONLINE. LOOK ENOUGH AND YOU WILL FIND A GOOD PRICE FOR IT.

    Im trying to make you aware thats all, no cons, just give a go thats all. Everything is explaind in the book, as you would expect and in great detail.

    I would say this book above all is the best and i have read a lot of computer manuals. And like some remarks above, no you can,t be quaified in computers in 2 - 3 weeks, its a lie.

    And bill gates would laugh at Cerco. So would other professionals. Don,t sign anything, get and do excellent research what ever it takes, just do your research. I have replied to this because, i m tired seeing these types of practices going on and nothing comes of them.

    REMEMBER MIKE MEYERS PEOPLE, JUST GIVE IT A GO, I WOULD,NT USE ANY OTHER MANUALS, THERE EXCELLENT WRITTEN AND EVERY PEICE OF PC,S ARE COVERED IN GREAT DETAIL, JUST TRY IT. I AM PASSING ON MY EXPERIENCES TO YOU AS I HAVE DONE IT AND IT WORKED, IM TIRED OF COMMITED PEOPLE WHO WANT TO SUCCEED IN IT AND ALWAYS SEEM TO END UP WITH SUCH APPLICATION PROCESS,S THAT LEAD NO WHERE.

    THANKS GUYS.
     
  9. Mr_Cellophane

    Mr_Cellophane Nibble Poster

    88
    1
    24
    Are you SC cleared already ? If not that takes 12 weeks and I very much doubt that any recruitment agency or training company is authorised to get or hold the clearance for you.
     
    Certifications: MCSE, MCDST, MCNE, PRINCE 2 and ITIL
    WIP: MCSE 2003
  10. Black Tortoise

    Black Tortoise Byte Poster

    136
    2
    44
    Is it worth going just to get the practical experience? I wouldn't mind getting training and mentoring on how to assemble a PC, build a basic network, install servers etc. And getting security clearance is an added bonus. The advert clearly says you can get the free training and are under no obligation to work for cerco? what do other members think?
     
    Certifications: N+
    WIP: A+ Security+ ITIL V3
  11. Ed Lloyd

    Ed Lloyd New Member

    2
    0
    1
    Not sure if this is still useful infomation but i'll post it anyway:

    Avoid Cerco Like The Plague

    I have been through the CERCO nightmare.

    Their entire business model is a SCAM.

    You will NEVER earn the wage they promise you.

    You will not find full time work through CERCO.

    I have reported them to reed and other sites due to the severity of their bull**** and reed have now forced them to change their job adverts as they were illegal.

    The best you will get from CERCO is £65/day and 15pence per mile.

    They dont give a damn about the engineers, they are there to rip you off for a few weeks then you wise up to the scam and quit but they dont care because they allready have the next class of suckers lined up.


    Total scam. Seriously, avoid them. I wish I had.
     
    Toddy likes this.
  12. Toddy

    Toddy New Member

    3
    0
    6
    I have registered on this forum today, purely to add my 2 cents about Cerco IT - just in case any other unsuspecting jobseekers happen across this forum, as I wish I had.

    To start with I should introduce myself a little bit - I live in the North East of England, an area that is not short on IT jobs generally (a fact apparently unknown by Cerco IT), I'm in my late 20's (just) have a background in IT support, have worked 1st and 2nd level for most of my career with a stint in retail as a teenager. I don't have any qualifications in IT, but I have the experience to get by doing simple tasks. I've had a passion for computing since the Spectrum came out and haven't looked back.

    I applied for a job with Cerco just over 2 years ago, and after 1 week of free 'training' (after being told I knew enough to only do 1 of the 2 training weeks at their assessment interview) I landed my first position with them. It lasted 3 weeks in total, which at the time, being new to the industry and fresh out of unemployment, I was happy with (even though initially the contract was meant to run much longer than that, I understood that in this case the situation was out of Cerco's control as the client was going through a company-merger). I felt a little out of my depth, but that feeling happens to all of us in new jobs so didn't take it to heart too much.

    My next contract was much worse... I was told to turn up to a local branch of a popular Jewish-owned department store - we'll call it Sparks and Mencer - I learned once on site that I was expected to be a POS Engineer and was there as some sort of POS expert to help guide the clients on-site IT guys in repairing the store's tills! Not only had Cerco not told me that, I'd never been given any training on POS and had zero experience working with electronic till systems.
    I rang Cerco to find out what I was supposed to do, and was told by reception "not to panic" and "I'm sure you'll get the hang of it" - hardly the technical advice that I was looking for. I managed to get through the day by virtue of a fire-alarm malfunction which meant the store had to be closed for the day! I turned up to work the next day, avoiding as many people as I could and mended anything that I knew how to, on day 3 I got a call from Cerco saying that there had been a mix up and that the client was 're-thinking the contract' or some such s**t, and therefore I was no longer needed!

    This latter experience was unfortunately to be the benchmark for my future contracts with Cerco IT.

    The problem with the company is that they are trying to grow very big very quickly, and they haven't the expertise to do it. There are 2 sides to the business - one side makes little money but can 'train' a workforce very quickly, the other side of the business is a sort-of recruitment agency, matching new 'engineers' to jobs, the only problem being, that they seem to have far too many engineers, and far too few jobs to give them, so they spread their engineers very thickly, often employing more staff than are needed to do the job (and sometimes the complete opposite happens, and you're left doing 5 people's work).
    The training arm of the company (actually a sister company that is based in the same building) actually does a fairly good job of condensing A+ and N+ knowledge down into a very short timescale, and that IS all they are teaching you in those 2 weeks, week 1 is the basics of the A+ and week 2 is the basics of the N+ - now I'm not saying that you could be in any way 'qualified' to go and work within the industry after that short amount of time, but Cerco's bread and butter seem to be deployment contracts, and you could train any old monkey to understand that the DVI cable goes into the DVI port in about 10 minutes. They aren't really looking to train project managers, Java developers or anything like that - they've just seen a fantastic market opportunity and taken advantage of it - large IT companies, the likes of which Cerco advertises affiliations with, will pay in the region of £100 for an engineer to move a PC from 1 desk to another, or to replace that machine with a newer model. Cerco will pay you £65 plus mileage to move/install 10 PCs for them in a day while they creme off 90% of the wage for themselves. It's quite clever really, but it's also incredibly underhand.

    In the 2 years I have been on Cercos' books, I have had 7 contracts from them, which was only about 90 days work in total. I've only twice been paid more than their "Minimum rate" of £65/day and £75/day is the most I've ever been paid by them. I know from talking to non-Cerco engineers on the last contract I did for them, that if I had got the job directly as a self-employed contractor that I would have been taking home £600+/day - on this particular contract, the client (a popular Japanese electronics company) actually complained to Cerco when it found out how little we were being paid - Cerco's response was to raise the wage to a staggering £72/day! whew! </sarcasm>

    Anyway, enough of my bitterness! I hope this testimony puts an end to anyone's ideas about joining Cerco, Cerco IT, Cerco IT (Staffing Solutions), Unique IT or any of the other names that these greedy b*stards go by. If you want to get ahead in IT, have the experience but like me have no qualifications, then either get some paperwork behind you, or go self-employed and offer work locally. I chose the latter and I love it.

    One thing I should add, is that I've always found Cerco's attitude towards it's workforce to be entirely disgusting, they are not on your side at all and if you question anything, you seem to be deemed a 'trouble-maker' and are blacklisted by them for future contracts. The exception to this rule is one of their team, a man we'll call Mike 'E' - I only mention his name in case he reads this - he is one of the nicest, and fairest people I've ever had the pleasure to work with and I wish him all the best in his well-deserved retirement.
     
  13. Feizal Vally Omar

    Feizal Vally Omar New Member

    1
    0
    8
    Hi Ed Lloyd
    I don't agree on your post
    I am with Cerco since October 2013 , I have done the 2 Weeks course , which it was very Intensive
    After the course finished in a space of Two weeks I was offered an Interview with a Leading IT Company , Which I am not going to Name it.
    So I started with that company and now I am Full Time permanent with the company that Cerco Introduced it to me.
    I am not saying it is all easy and simple , because is not , and I do agree the communicartion within the Cerco Family is Poor , However we can see a day to day improvement on it.
    Regarding Wages , If you remember rightly on the evaluation they tell you straight away the maximum you are going to earn is bettween £14K to £16K
    Also they make it very Clearly NO GUARANTEES regarding a Job at the end
    Also is down to the individual to make it work , not down to Cerco.
    Cerco are just an Agency that try to place you at work , They don't do miracles.
    I am Happy I have joined Cerco , and they Trusted me to get into IT

    - - - Updated - - -

    Hi All ,

    I have decided to join this forum for several Reasons
    Cerco are a Good agency with a lot of contacts across UK and Europe , so they can Place you for Full Time Permanent or Part time work or Contractual Work.
    Cerco do give 2 Weeks Training out of their own Backs , this means the refreshment Course is absolutely free to us , However we have to pay for the accommodation or transport that we use during those 2 Weeks. However if you would like some Guidance and Cheap Accommodation do Speak to Cerco as they have a few Contacts on B&B around their Area.
    The training or Course , is very intense and you do learn a lot , I am a Qualified IT Engineer , I went to College years ago to do the courses etc... , But was no company in UK that Gave me a Permanent Position with IT , Guess what Cerco Did.
    Cerco make it very Clear to all of us when we go to the Evaluation and when we start the Course
    NO GUARANTEES ON A JOB AT THE END
    CUSTOMER SERVICES IS A MUST
    DRESS SMART (SHIRT AND TIE)
    MAXIMUM WAGES ARE 14K TO 16K ON A FIRST YEAR
    There a lot of people writing things about Cerco , Even if they never worked or went to Cerco , I am not saying Cerco are the dream , or they are the best Agency out there , What I am saying is a lot of this post doesn't tell you a true picture
    A lot of Cerco Customers are very Driven by Customer Services and a Can do Attitude
    If you go for an Interview with a wrong Attitude or they can see you have no customer services at all , They will not give you work at all.
    But if you have a can do attitude and you dress smart and you have a good customer services , Cerco will give you work without fail.
    Take me as an Example
    I started with Cerco in October 2013 , I have completed the Training Course, and I have done everything that Cerco requested me to do , I never moaned at them , However I did questioned them Regarding the course and the fees , and the answer was if you find a job before we give you work , than you are free to go , if you found a job while you are working for Cerco , than they request a weeks notice that is all , so no Fees to pay at all.
    After completing the course , I have waited one week to contact them , So I did I contacted them and ask is there any work going and the answer was NO soon as we have something we will let you know.
    So I waited a second week and done the same and I got the same answer.
    Waited the third week but this time Cerco contacted me , Offering me to go to an Interview With a leading IT Company in UK.
    So I went for the Interview , All nervous etc...
    Finish the Interview , Phoned Cerco as Requested , and guess what I have Temporary Work coming my way , Guaranteed 22 Working Days.
    So I have started to work for this company doing Deployments etc... , At the end of the 22 Working days I have been offered a Full time Position , Which Cerco helped to get it , So if you have the right attitude and don't listen to the negativity of what people are saying you will go far.
    Cerco does have some bad points but that is more the people that work at Cerco than the Company , as a Company you cannot fault it.
    I am glad I joined the Cerco family , because now I am working with what I love doing
    The wages are Low but that will improve like we improve on our positions and experience that we start to gain
    I hope this post will give you a more clear picture on What Cerco is about
    Any issues or questions you have please contact me I will be glad to answer them
    Take care all
     
  14. SimonD
    Honorary Member

    SimonD Terabyte Poster

    3,681
    440
    199
    @Feizal All I can say is it's a bloody miracle you have found a role based on your writing abilities, reading that diatribe gave me a headache and I had to stop reading it because it's so badly put together.

    I have to say you do look like a shill to this post though because the two parts of your post look to have been written by two different people.
     
    Certifications: CNA | CNE | CCNA | MCP | MCP+I | MCSE NT4 | MCSA 2003 | Security+ | MCSA:S 2003 | MCSE:S 2003 | MCTS:SCCM 2007 | MCTS:Win 7 | MCITP:EDA7 | MCITP:SA | MCITP:EA | MCTS:Hyper-V | VCP 4 | ITIL v3 Foundation | VCP 5 DCV | VCP 5 Cloud | VCP6 NV | VCP6 DCV | VCAP 5.5 DCA
  15. Jim-bo

    Jim-bo New Member

    2
    0
    1
    Workwise CERCO wasn't bad for me in all honesty, but they have major flaws.

    Their operations manager says that 90% of IT is presentation and customer service and 10% technical ability which is 101% wrong. All customers I have faced during the time at CERCO and since have never ever cared about how I presented myself or how I was dressed and all they cared about was getting the job done.

    I disagreed with him at the end of the training and he told me that because I wasn't wearing a tie and was slouching (I had a fever on that day and there was steam coming out of my shirt) he would not employ me over the guy next to me who was sitting up straight. Not to brag, but I had 100% test scores during the whole of the course and from what I heard my performance was echoed by the trainer (forgot his name, lovely guy) with the other candidates coming after my group. The guy next to me on the other hand had difficulty with English, let alone the technical side of things.

    I had quite a bit of work from them and made team leader quite quickly but I found the manner they conducted their business and they way they treated other candidates quite appalling. They were also being paid handsomely for all engineers as I was told form the customers directly while only paying less than 25% back to us. I got quite friendly with a few of them on projects and have still kept in touch after all these years.

    In the end when I did leave they behaved quite poorly, a token which I did return.

    Overall in hindsight I would say I would have not joined up with CERCO had I known what I do now. I wouldn't encourage anyone to do the same either.
     
  16. dmarsh
    Honorary Member 500 Likes Award

    dmarsh Petabyte Poster

    4,305
    503
    259
    A lot of these places are 'body shops' they promise to supply a lot of cheap skilled 'engineers' to companies, while promising training to individuals.

    In reality they tend to deliver a lot of unskilled people at high rates and give them minimal training.

    All parties are not getting what they are paying for or were promised, the winner is the body shop who manages to overcharge and under deliver.

    The biggest problem tends to be the companies hiring the 'engineers' generally don't know any better, and they can take down whole departments and make the IT within a whole company totally dysfunctional.
     
    Last edited: Oct 27, 2014
    Bob McBarbel likes this.
  17. Jim-bo

    Jim-bo New Member

    2
    0
    1
    Was just looking at their Linked-in profile and one of their recruitment consultants had this picture on there:

    2f19cc4[1].jpg

    Take that for presentation and professional manner :hahaha
     
    Sparky and Bob McBarbel like this.
  18. Bob McBarbel

    Bob McBarbel New Member

    1
    0
    1
    Hi
    I have no practical experience of working for Cerco IT although the info I have found on internet concludes that the British Advertising standards Agency adjudicated against them on 31st July 2013 ASA Complaint A13-230626 , please use the Internet to search for this info before investing your Time and Money.

    - - - Updated - - -

    For info the Advertising Standards Agency upheld a complaint against this outfit on the 31st July 2013 ASA Complaint ref ASA-230626
     
  19. cisco lab rat

    cisco lab rat Megabyte Poster

    679
    88
    116
    Certifications: Yes I pretty much am!!
    WIP: Fizzicks Degree
  20. Sparky
    Highly Decorated Member Award 500 Likes Award

    Sparky Zettabyte Poster Moderator

    10,718
    543
    364
    lol! :)
     
    Certifications: MSc MCSE MCSA:M MCSA:S MCITP:EA MCTS(x5) MS-900 AZ-900 Security+ Network+ A+
    WIP: Microsoft Certs

Share This Page

Loading...
  1. This site uses cookies to help personalise content, tailor your experience and to keep you logged in if you register.
    By continuing to use this site, you are consenting to our use of cookies.