Wanting to be a DE

[Eagle92]

SP,

 

There is a wee bit more to the story. I'll PM ya with details if ya want, but they are not pretty.

 

Let's just say that in the 18 months I was a DE, we went through 9 DEs (all but one new) a FD and a FiD. I stayed around for another 6 months as a volunteer before working for national and know of at least 2 more DEs quitting. . One DE was in the hospital, had folks in the ER call the office to keep work informed, and was given an ultimatum by the DFS: show up to a staff meeting or be fired. he had the ER folks call back and say he quit.

[BadenP]

SP

 

One of your former council SE's was transferred to the council, I used to be a DE in, because of some serious misappropriation of Chief Seattle council funds, and instead of being fired was demoted to an SE position with this much smaller council. I actually met and talked with him on one of my visits to that council, and he went on and on about what a great job he did as the SE of Chief Seattle Council, I had to bite my lip rather than tell him what I had been told. Well, in just two years after his demotion he managed to put his new council into bankruptcy, sold off all the council assets including the camp. National had to move in and merge that council with one 50 miles south.

 

All the long time district and council volunteers were dismissed, all the paid staff were let go with no option for transfer, and the number of scouting units and scouts dropped 75%. All because of the actions and incompetence of one person, an SE with over 20 years of so called experience. Isn't professional scouting an honorable and noble profession? Well at one time it truly was, not so anymore.

[jgood53]

Well I believe I will take the chance and start notifying councils that I find with openings so that I dont have to wait as long hopefully.

 

Im not married but want to be. I dont believe that the hours will be a problem because all the places around my area that pay more than 9$ per hour all work 10 or 12hrs a day 6-7days a week. They are all factories.

 

 

[SeattlePioneer]

The implication of this thread is that councils can only hire Scouting Professionals from lists of people approved by National? Is that right?

 

I would presume that would have to be a part of charter rules, a contract or some such thing. What specific mechanism enforces that practice.

 

So if a council wants to hire a talented local businessperson as a Council Executive, they can't do so?

 

What is the opinion of these practices by council leaders and Professionals?

[BS-87]

One would think that National is just controlling who becomes leadership in the organization to preserve the organizational culture and norms.

 

Putting outsiders in powerful roles probably has the potential to shake up local councils more than National would like.

 

There's a role for talented business professionals in the community on the Council's board. The professional staff probably requires a bit more indoctrination.

[SeattlePioneer]

>

 

 

I don't doubt that for a minute. "Ingrown" is the word that occurs to me.

 

That seems like a formula for excessively stultifying and unimaginative leadership. Do we see any of that among Council Executives?

 

Being a Council Executive is mostly about providing effective and imaginative leadership for the council as a whole. If a top Boeing executive can be tapped to take over leadership of Ford Motor Company, I'll just bet that talented executive that haven't spent decades on the grind from DE could do the job, and perhaps with a lot of flare if the right person is chosen.

 

When problems develop in Councils, the usual National solution seems to be to close the council and merge it with another council. My bias would be to keep the council open and find a really talented Council Executive to revitalize the program. If National is poverty stricken of those kinds of people, Councils should be free to check out who is available who might be able to do the job.

[jgood53]

I do know anyone who wants a job still has to be approved by nationals. You dont have to be approved to look but if they pick you then you still then have to be approved by nationals to get the job.

[Eagle92]

I don't know what the current process is since they merged the regional offices into Irving, but I can tell you how it was.

 

When I was going about it, I had to fill out a ton of paperwork that was forwarded to the regional personnel director. They did the checks on you and then put you on a list of eligible to be hired. I know I was told to call around by friend in the profession and I did. BUT I was also told that once a council contacts me and sets up an interview. I need to stop further contact with any other councils until after the interview.

 

I was also told that councils get a list of eligible with a brief summary of your resume. If they are interested, they request a copy of your records, possibly the only copy, and no other council is allowed to have your records until the council with your records are finished with them and returns them.

 

I think national is slowly starting to realize that they need outside professional on staff. SCOUTNET is a fiasco, and part of the blame is national's since the SCOUTNET director who implemented it had NO IT expereince. Heck my friend going through PDL-1 when he met the director had more IT experience.

[89camper]

jgood -

 

Contact councils. That rule is out the window. Call where you want to work and let them know you are interested. "The list" will do nothing for you. Someone may have told you not to contact councils, but it just isn't the case anymore. Trust me on this one.

[jgood53]

I am in the process of doing so.

 

I was told by the employment dept at the national office not to contact councils directly and it was also in bold print on my acceptence letter.

 

I wish there was a better way to know about openings. When I first started the process I had very high hopes the guy that interviewed me said that it was believed that there was gonna be a shortage of DEs within the next 5 years.