DE Training

[packsaddle]

So what is the motivation for pursuing a career in scouting? A young man completes a high school diploma and gets some kind of post-HS degree. He can choose the military or medicine or law or business or sports or any large number of trades and professions, etc, etc. Why go for scouting?

 

I know the motivations for many other careers but I can't quite put my finger on it for scouting. It isn't the money. It isn't the easy duties. It isn't the babes. Heck, those are the reasons people become college faculty.

So someone help me out with regard to careers in scouting.

[moosetracker]

Yeah but JHankins won't come our way. I told her we have an opening in our district (unless that's what Eagle2000 is applying for..) We're not having layoffs.. (Sure FOS & camping registration is down, with the recession, but we aren't doing that bad with keeping the scouts enrolled)

 

But, Nooooo... we are too far north, and she can't keep her tan if she sits in a snowbank.

 

I guess long hours and all the other demands of a DE position doesn't freighten JH, but a little snow does..

[jhankins]

1) I left northern Massachusetts in 2004 to get away from shoveling ice

 

2) All my family is on the west coast, and coast to coast flights aren't scheduled and priced like they used to be.

 

There's a lot more than weather to consider when looking at councils for employment! What status the charter is in, who's the SE and the DFS/ASE, membership numbers, LFL numbers, Total Available Youth, etc...

[BadenP]

pack

 

Speaking only for myself, since scouting gave me so much as a youth and a volunteer I thought I could do even more as a scouting pro in bringing scouting to many other youth, and help make the program even better. Then I came to a council went to training at National and within four months suspected something was wrong. Over the next four plus years I saw firsthand the corruption and coverups among the higher ups in the profession. In those five years, after three SE's, I realized after you made SE National would protect you, promote you no matter what kind of performance you turned in. So I tell anyone who asks me about becoming a DE to be very careful, research the heck out of the council you want to join, and make sure they understand that there will be all kinds of untasteful politics to contend with on the professional level.

 

 

[Eagle92]

BP,

Some of the Western Region's districts are very large I am told. One of the DE's in my PDL-1 class told me she actually flew her Cessna around her district because driving would take to long. I think, stress think, she was in Montana or ND.

 

I know of one DD who had his district, and two others he was covering, for about a year. In 11 months, he put over 90K miles on his brand new Prius covering the 6 counties in the territory.

 

Pack,

Like BP, I too wanted to give back to Scouting. Scouting did alot for me, and I wanted to pay it back. lots of folks in my PDL-1 class were the same way. Others viewed it as a second career after getting out the military. We had one guy who was a "retread," i.e. former pro who came back after working for UW. We did have a few folks with no scouting expereince whatsoever, and viewed it as a job. I noticed that about 1/2 my PDL-1 class were not at NLTC that was held 4 months later.

 

First council I interviewed for had a great SE, who I wish I would have served under. The person selected for the job was in my PDL-1 class, and we had alot of the same credentials. He had one advantage over me: he grew up in the council and knew folks already.

 

Like BP the council I worked for had some "challenging" leadership. As mentioned already I was warned by an SE to "watch your back with [sE]and [DFS]." I did take some precautions, and when I went to work for Supply and questions about my performance as a DE arose, I had copies of everything I did, as well as notes from staff meetings, performance evals, etc that I took. during this time. That documentation and the notations I put on some of the charters helped out tremendously.

 

Unfortunately I too see little repercussions. SE went on to work for national, and the DFS went on to become an SE. Although I've heard that the DFS left his SE gig early and was demoted to a FD. But I doubt it.

[Eagle92]

'2000

Forgot to add, find out the turnover rate for DEs where you are going. It was high prior to me coming aboard in my council, and during my 20 months as a DE, we went through 9 DEs, 1 FD, and 1FiD. 11 pros, including 2 career pros leaving Scouting all together does say something. Also my replacement left prior to going to PDL-1.

 

Luckily the council took a 180 degree turn around with succeeding SEs.

[Eagle92]

Pack

Forgot to comment, some girls like a man in uniform Met my wife while between scout meetings in uniform. She digged the knee socks so much, 10 years later she got me a bunch for Christmas before national got rid of them.

[packsaddle]

Eeeeeuuuuuuwwwwww!

[Abel Magwitch]

I have a question off topic. I have been reading with interest some of the comments concerning how once a person becomes an SE, he is protected.

 

My own council has been having its share of scandal concerning membership. As far as the volunteer executive board is concerned, they are protecting those professionals who were involved with inflating the numbers. No professionals have been held accountable for cooking the books. In fact, they have all been promoted to higher positions.

 

Here is the question - why do you think the executive board is letting the former administration get away with the fraud? What is in it for the executive board? Who are they protecting - the corrupt professionals or their own reputations or both? The executive board instead of taking a stand against corruption instead worked hard to sweep things under the rug. There was one member of the board who did speak up. This was a 50 year veteran of Scouting and long time board member. He told me that nobody would stand with him. He was then dismissed from the board.

 

By the way, Jhankins - the audit team did come in as our council got a new SE last year. Membership dropped substantially as they apparently cleaned up things so that the new SE could have a clean slate. Even though the membership dropped by thousands, the 2009 annual report claimed gains in membership. The way this was accomplished was that the annual report numbers from two years ago were "adjusted". By changing (lowering) the numbers from the older annual report, council could then claim gains in membership when in actuality there were significant losses.

 

 

[jhankins]

Hi Abel.

 

I'm glad the audit team did come through, and I'm sorry you had to see how the book cooking happens as a result

 

I can't answer for your executive board, but mine here has lost more than a few good people as a result of my former SE leaving and how he took thousands of dollars and property with him when he left. We've lost over 20,000 boys (yes, that's right) as a result of the membership audit when he left as well. The people still involved covering for these mistakes are both covering for their reputation and that of their "friends" in the profession.

 

The SE was close friends with the council presidents in the last six years. He would take them on vacations, buy them expensive gifts, and where did that money come from?! To this day the retired SE is still wining and dining the former council presidents in order to keep their "friendship." If it ever got out how close they are with him, how much property and money they let him walk away with, several of them would be out of jobs.

 

 

[Eagle92]

Another reason would be that the exec board was fooled. There is now a system of verification that exists now, and it appears that if it is followed, it will prevent this problem. As I discovered, there were ways to skillfully cover up membership problems.

 

 

[Kahuna]

Packsaddle writes: "So what is the motivation for pursuing a career in scouting?"

 

In my case, the best I can tell you is the movie line relating to the man who stripped naked and jumped into a mess of cactus: It seemed like a good idea at the time. The real question is why it took me five years to start pulling out the spines.

[BadenP]

Eagle92

 

A DE with a cessna to fly over the district, what kinda salaries is Montanna paying their DE's, lol. Sounds like a scouting legend to me.

 

[packsaddle]

Kahuna, that sounds completely honest and plausible, not to mention hilarious. It's kind of like the best reason I ever heard to explain why people go to graduate school...they can't help themselves.

[Eagle92]

BP,

Hey I'm just repeating what she told me. She was retired USAF, so she may have flown for the fun of it, and to get around faster.