Do techs make money?

Holly

New member
Do techs make money after they are a tech?
I keep telling my husband I want to become a tech and he says "Whats the point if your not going to be able to make money doing it?"
Are techs just volunteers or do they get paid for it as well?

How do I even find a tech class and how much does it cost?
 
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Judi

CPST/Firefighter
Safe Kids offers some money to be at their events (like $50). Seriously, I haven't made much and usually refuse the money. The class costs $60.
 

TXDani

Senior Community Member
I usually get around $75 a check up even when I get honorarium pay for them. I also do a few private checks a month (have 2 this week) and take donations which usually run about $20-$40 depending on how many seats I check.
I did not get into it to make money but it does take time, materials, and gas to provide this service. So when people are generous enough to donate for the services provided I will gladly accept them.
 

crunchierthanthou

New member
I don't get paid, but don't do many private checks. Accepting payment brings on a whole different level of liability.

there are classes in Moab in April and SLC in June and August. It is $120 total- $60 Safekids fee and $60 local fees. There is a grant that will pay for hotel rooms for any technician candidate who lives more than 50 miles from the course. (but the one in SLC is at the HWY patrol offices off 54th and I-15. seriously, 5 minutes from midvale). PM me if you want the contact info for the course organizer.

Here's a link on certification-

http://www.safekids.org/certification/certification.html

when you search for courses, be sure to click the box that included controlled courses.
 

CRS

Senior Community Member
I started out doing a lot of volunteer work and now because of all that hard work I did for free I now do casual work and get paid to be a child passenger injury prevention consultant. However there sometimes just isn't the funding to pay me for every event or whatever that I attend so I still quite frequently do it for free :)
 

wendytthomas

Admin - CPST Instructor
Staff member
I don't get paid. One person paid for gas and lunch when I drove an hour and a half to visit with her sister and a friend of hers. Another insisted on giving me lunch money. So in 18 months people have given me $60 (and the $10 lunch money I turned around and made a donation). I've done one presentation, probably about 100 private checks, and half a dozen or maybe more, public check events.

What good is it? Car crashes are the #1 killer of children and there's a 98% misuse rate. Even moreso than EMTs (of which I used to be one) we're out there saving lives. I never saved anybody's life as an EMT. Most of my patients simply weren't that sick or injured, and those who were were beyond our help.

It's a nice feeling seeing someone pull away who has kids much safer now than when they arrived. That's the goal of every check. To have kids leave safer and to have their parents educated as to the hows and whys behind it.

Wendy
 

amy919

New member
It's so funny that you posted this thread. Matt and I were just talking about this last night. He asked me why I don't just go get certified. I told him it costs money and he said "well, you'll make that up, right". I told him that techs don't make money and it's not something I could make a career out of or even side job out of. The he suprised me and said that it didn't matter and that I should totally go for it, regardless of the cost, just because it's something I love (and then I'd stop messing with my own seats all the time :rolleyes:).
 

joolsplus3

Admin - CPS Technician
Yeah, we make money. With a dollar bill and a color copier.. .:D
Just kidding! It's just such a satisfying way to help the community... it's really worth the time you put into it just from a personal accomplishment point of view. I used to have a job at a ritzy baby store, made $20 an hour on weekends teaching people to install seats (in 45 minute personal appointments, they paid $20 per seat), but I don't expect to get anything that wonderful ever again. Maybe one day every BRU and car dealership will see there's value in having techs on staff and we'll start making money, then, but for now it's pretty much a volunteer situation.
 

fyrfightermomma

New member
I would get paid when I become a tech next month as it's part of my job (a firefighter). When I come in extra to do checks outside my regular working days I get paid my normal pay. Just depends on where or who you do it for or if you just do it on your own.
 

maipenrai

Senior Community Member
I don't get paid. I haven't been offered any donations and I don't think I would take them because I don't fully understand the liability repercussions. But I didn't become a tech to make money. I'm a SAHM who found it very difficult to find a technician in my community to help me with my son's seat. Most moms I talk to here think they're doing the right thing, but there haven't been public seat checks or anything to teach them. I just wanted to become a tech to get some programs started in my community. I highly doubt I'll ever make a dime, but there's just something about the satisfaction of a parent driving off with a properly harnessed child and the knowledge & confidence to install the seat correctly on their own.
 

thepeach80

Senior Community Member
I don't get paid, but this goes back to the conversation I was having w/ DH last night in that this field is still so much geared towards those who do it for their job. The people who work at our local hospital that sponsor our checks do get paid to go to the check. I don't see anything wrong w/ that, I guess I'm just jealous. :p There are many things I want to do, but can't b/c I have to pay for them out of pocket and that's not always feasible for me b/c I don't have an employer to pay for it. Thankfully it has never mattered to DH and he never even questioned if I would make $ doing this, he's great!
 

Tracy

CPST Instructor
I'm very lucky in that part of my job is to be a tech! I am also an instructor, so I get paid to be a senior checker at checkup events all over the Texas Panhandle. That's about a 300 miles radius... Sometimes I drive pretty far for a checkup, but I get the state rate for mileage $.505 per mile. I also get to stay out over night if the checkup is a long ways (more than 100 miles). I also get paid to teach all over the state since that is required to keep my instructor certification. When I got this job, there was no certification for techs and I checked car seats for parents as a service and because it was one of my passions. I had taken a class from Steve Anderson (some of you may remember him) and had quite a bit of knowledge about car seats. I was certified in Charlotte in 1998 in the second class in the country. The class was sponsored by National SAFE KIDS. I took the class and came back on fire. :D Of course, it was quite a while before there were any more techs in my area (or even in the state). I worked the tech part into my job and then later became an instructor...

TMI?? I guess I have a lot to say today...

Tracy
 

skaterbabs

Well-known member
No, I don't get paid. My expenses come out of my family's income as well. Being a tech is not a cheap proposition no matter how you look at it.

there are some VERY lucky techs who are able to get jobs as techs, but that's not the experience for most of us.
 

LuvBug

New member
It is completely volunteer at our stations here, but once you become a senior checker you can go to specific events and you will get paid. The funds you get though, will pretty much cover travel expense unless you live near the checks. I do it for the cause though! I'd love to get paid, but that isn't realistic where I live.
 

Starlight

Senior Community Member
Being a tech is like being a Mom. No pay (in fact, you must pay out), but the benefits are huge! Simply knowing you've just helped to fix a terribly installed seat, that you are helping to (potentially) save a life. It won't always be happy, but it's still worth it, you know?

:love:
 

jen_nah

CPST Instructor
I am a lucky one that does get paid. I didn't become certified due to a job or to make money. I did it to help my community. After I was certified I started volunteering at our local hospital fitting station and check events. Then in '06 I was offered a position in the COPE (Community, Outreach, Prevention & Education) Dept. My roll is more of an asst coordinator. I do a lot of leg work for our coordinator plus I mostly run our fitting station.

This past fall I became an instructor and I will have several opportunities through out the year to get paid by organizations to tech new CPS classes. If they are CPS classes our hospital holds then I get paid my hourly pay via work.

I do consider myself lucky to have been given this opportunity and I know they are rare and hard to come by.
 

Jeanum

Admin - CPS Technician Emeritus
Staff member
Anyone can register for a public course if there are open spots available. Controlled courses require permission from the lead instructor before you can register. The Safe Kids website is nicely set up so you can request permission from the lead instructor if you're interested in a controlled course.
 

azgirl71

CPST Instructor
I was in a controlled class. It is the same as a public class other than you need permision as Jean said :)

I was the only non firefighter in my class.
 

cdncasper

New member
I am completly volunteer though I got a $25 GC for sears when I did baby days last weekend. When I do checks outside of winnipeg I generally do carpool with the head tech from the carseat coalition. When I do checks with the MPI (insurance company) we get lunch and drinks for free.
 

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