Becoming a DE

[CampSalmen]

I am a lifelong scouter. My financial job has disappeared in recent months and I have been offered a job with the local council. The council has a new scout executive and he is cleaning house. The district that I would be taking over needs cleaning. Lots of cleaning! The district has low participation on all levels. Even the district board is patch together. I have many ideas, but I know scouting is local. My heart is in the right place, I dont want to play scout. I want to build my volunteers and point them in the right direction if I take this job. I enjoy fixing problems, but dont want to move fast. My question for everyone is:

 

If I were to take this job; what do you need to make sure every boy has the opportunity that I have had?

I have not decided and I have a few weeks. Many thanks,

 

Yours in Scouting,

WWW,

CampSalmen

 

[Eagle92]

Camp Salmen,

You will NOT be working with youth, but with the adults to ensure they scouts get what they need.

 

If you are in the council I think you are in, SELAC, I thought some of those problems were solved when Willie was SE, or did Katrina cause the problems to reoccur?

 

Now a few questions for you.

 

1) How much expereince do you have on a district committee?

 

2) How Much FOS expereince do you have?

 

3) What type of relationship do you have with the Volunteers in the district currently?

 

4) Is your wife prepared for you to be gone most evenings and some weekends?

 

5)Are you prepared to move around every 3-5 years as it is very unsual for a pro to stay in one palce for a long time.

 

6) Do you have kids still inthe program and are you prepared to not be as active with them in scouting i.e. DL, ASM, etc?

 

PM if you like as I think I mayu be familiar with your council, and maybe even know ya. If it is SELAC, I was there when it was NOAC, and am a former pro. I also worked at Camp V-Bar for three years.

 

 

[scoutldr]

A DE's job is not to run the District Committee (contrary to how some see it). The District Chairman does that. Your primary job will be to get more 1) money, 2) units and 3)membership. It's basically an outside sales job, as I understand it. Long, irregular hours, working most nights and weekends. Little pay. It's not for everyone.

[Eagle92]

professional Motto: Ashes to ashes

Dust to Dust

When volunteers can't

The professional must

[Crew21_Adv]

CampSalmen,

 

Greetings!

 

You've received some expert advice already. Not really an answer to your question. "what do you need to make sure every boy has the opportunity that I have had?" But here are my thoughts....

 

Sometimes a new DE may re-energize a District.

 

From my observations of the years; If I may describe an example of what Ive seen and would expect. If you take the geography of a Council and overlay it, as if it were concentric circles like a bullseye.

 

The more urban or metropolitan downtown towards the inner part of the circles is where it is only a city block between troops. A DE may conduct all his business in a few city blocks. The outer circles are rural neighborhoods, farms and agricultural areas. A few miles between families, and miles between Packs and Troops. The council executive committee and CE usually know this, and set realistic goals for the different districts.

 

A DE may drive for miles to conduct one single item of business a day. The unit leaders and District Committee may be exhausted from either the rural long work day life style or a long commute between home and the downtown area.

 

The outlaying districts are usually adjacent to other outlaying districts of the adjacent councils.

 

Obviously, a Council will be concerned about all youth. But they will concentrate their efforts where the majority of the youth population resides.

 

I feel the success (or failure) of a DE is based off of location. For example, If we used two average, good, normal working DEs (maybe even twin brothers), same experience, same background, same demeanor. Place one in the downtown urban district, he may thrive and be wildly successful. Place the other in the rural district (somebodys got to do it) and he may become burnt out after a couple of years attempting to meet minor benchmark goals.

 

I do feel empathy for the rural DEs. They come in ready to take on the world and work towards the improvement of their District, Council and the BSA. But most rural DEs give up from exhaustion or are eventually transferred to a more Urban district closer to the downtown area.

 

So my question is. Where is the Council Executive offering to place you? If you are in the downtown area, it may be a dream job!!! If you are in the country and rural environment, the constant obstacles may take the fun out of it.

 

Good Luck in your decision and hopefully you get one of the downtown districts!

 

Scouting Forever and Venture On!

Crew21 Adv

 

[Eagle92]

Camp Salmen,

 

Crew21 is definately right. You know my background Sweatpea since we worked camp together and served on the LEC together. I grew up and worked in a large mostly metropolitan district with a few rural communities. Being a volunteer was a lot easier because everything was within a 15 minute drive except the ocassional meeting at a rural unit. BUT when I took over my mostly rural district, and it was a small one at that, It could take me 45 minutes to get somewhere. The when you added council responsibilities, I remember having to drive 3 hours one way to attend a 1.5 hour council meeting. One of my coworkers who also lived in a rural district had to drive 5 hours one way to get to the same meeting. And since he had another meeting nearby the next morning, he ended up getting a hotel room. Rural districts DO take it out on you. As I said in the email I sent you, my mostly rural council went through 10 DEs, 1 FD, and 1 FiD in a two year period. Average length of stay for the DEs was 9 months. Three lasted less than 6 months.

 

And you are doing this traveling and seeing minimal growth because the financial opportunities are not there. And while the potential membership growth is there, trying to recruit leaders or start up units is a challenge since you are dealing with small communities. Parents don't want to drive 30 minutes to the nearest pack or troop, and they don't have enough interest to start a troop. It can get you down when you see your coworkers in one of the few metropolitan areas (my council had 3 big cities in the 21 counties it served) just "outperform" you in membership and FOS, which is your basis for professional growth, when you are doing twice as much work to get the minimal growth.

 

And let's not forget the personal life. Since you are gone most nites and alot of weekends it is very stressful. I had one coworker, a pro with 15 years, who was on wife #3. Two of my coworkers had their wives leave them, and my wife threatened to divorce me after 3 months of marriage. Further as a volunteer, I've seen 2 additional DEs' marriages end, including one of our camp directors. And let's not forget that your Aqautics boss in '96 also got a divorce when he was a pro. LOTS of stress.

 

Remember what I told you Sarge said when I asked for that letter to become a DE!

 

Not to be so negative, but you need to know what is involved. Yes you are making a difference. yes you get to work with great volunteers, whose friendships will last a life time as I've been shown. yes you will see great satisfaction as the CS you recruited and started a pack for grow up and you are invited to their ECOH (if you are still in the same district 10 years later). But the the stress is killer. As one pro told me, being a DE is a single man's job or a great second career for retired military since their wives are used to them being away.

 

Eagle92

aka Master Yoda

(This message has been edited by eagle92)

[SctDad]

I have often thought of this factor myself many times. There is one district in my council that is lacking a DE. Eagle92 you may know which one. It is in the county next to mine. But before anyone thinks that this would be too great a commute, we live in a part of NC where traveling between several counties in one day to go to work or something like that is normal.

 

Some of the things that stops me from doing this right now are my vehicle, I would need something a little more fuel efficient. And my education. I do not have the required degree. Not even close. And without know what the starting salary is, I am not going to jump right into this. It sounds like it would be an interesting job. But I don't think I am ready yet. The long hours do not bother me or my wife, we are used to it by now (military and my current job can take me away for 36 hours at a time.

 

Maybe in a few more years, when my boys are out of the scouting programs I will consider it.

[Eagle92]

SctDad,

Yes I know exactly which district as it is my old district as a pro AND the one I volunteer in. DON"T DO IT

 

Seriously since you have kids that are CS age, be a volunteer and enjoy it b/c as a pro you won't be able to do much with them. I don't know if they were serious or joking, but a few people approached me for the job and i said NO! Six month and counting before I can join the Blue Terror as a TC DL

[SctDad]

Eagle92

 

wanna see what you are in for, come'on down to one of our den meetings. Our tigers are doing a Go-See-It at the fire station tonight.

 

If you are ever interested you know where to get a hold of me at.

[elfdream]

And let's not forget the personal life. Since you are gone most nites and alot of weekends it is very stressful. I had one coworker, a pro with 15 years, who was on wife #3. Two of my coworkers had their wives leave them, and my wife threatened to divorce me after 3 months of marriage. Further as a volunteer, I've seen 2 additional DEs' marriages end, including one of our camp directors. And let's not forget that your Aqautics boss in '96 also got a divorce when he was a pro. LOTS of stress.

 

 

I'm the wife of a DE. He's in charge of a rural district and is gone several nights a week AND he is also the Camp Director in the summer. I'm not about to leave him because I believe what he is doing is important and the fact that I'm also in Scouting myself helps. (I'm a Venturing Advisor). When Summer camp comes we take the family up there and work...I'm the Head Commissioner and our son is a merit badge counselor. Its great BUT I also realize that not every couple has this "Steve and Terry Irwin' relationship when it comes to Scouting or even working together. I realize that we are the exception rather than the rule which is why I am able to support him completely in this. If your wife doesn't realize the importance of this job and can't agree to support you 150% don't do it. Perhaps it might be a good idea if the wives of other DEs could talk to her so she would know what to expect.

 

My husband had to prop up a sagging district and so far he's been able to meet the recruitment and fund raising goals. His biggest head aches are trying to play peace maker between warring personalities. He's had to 'fire' on Scoutmaster and a woman who did NOT want the job had to step up and take over just to keep the troop going. He's had to mediate with another group who wanted their Cubmaster out and for reason's we still can't figure out because she runs a great pack and on and on....if he could just get the people involved to settle down and do what they are supposed to without messing in business that is no concern of theirs maybe he could get more done!

 

He was a SM when our oldest son was in Scouts and now he goes to troop meeting and is just a 'dad' with our youngest. If you have kids in Scouting be prepared to pull back on your involvement in that area.

 

Can you get along with the other Pros on the Council? There's always that 'one' person in every office that drives everyone nuts. Can you work with this person?

 

I would say that for the most part with a few exceptions he's pretty happy and glad that he took this job. So am I.