How much does best buy pay their geek squad?

mvastarelli

Just curious. I know there's different ranks in the geek squad, but can anyone share how much they actually make?

Megadeth4168

My buddy works for Best Buy and I guess he is making 10 per hour as an in store tech... In house Tech (ones that drive the cars and go to a customers house) start around 16....

There is of course teh senior techs... In store I think makes around 12 per hour to start....


I can confirm more of this at a later time when I talk to my friend.... This information probably changes based on location as well...

NPA24

16 bucks is not too bad to drive around to people's houses.

Megadeth4168

I used to do a business on the side where my buddy and I would go to customers homes and work on their computers....

I found that I hated when the customer is standing over your shoulder watching you.... Especially for problems where the hardware is damaged beyond repair and they act like you don't know what your doing because you can't fix it without telling them you need to order a new part.

I think they want you to at least have an A+ cert for the in house tech job....

mobri09

Megadeth is pretty much correct with pricing.
There are many threads posted about this topic. Just search for geek squad, to even get more info about it.
Good luck

crap I forgot my old pwd

Ok, I must clear this all up.

A COA is someone in the store who makes phone calls to customers, handles incoming calls, and pushes paperwork. I guess they are now also dealing with digital cameras and iPods etc. Not really a tech job.

An in-store tech (called a CIA) makes about $11.05/hr without A+.
No, they will not give you a raise or pay you more if you have A+.
You can have CCIE, CISSP, RHCE, and MCSE and they won't pay you a cent more.
The CIA-senior and CIA-supervisor (called a DCI) MUST have A+.
A CIA-senior position is a horrible job. You will not work on PCs, you will get all the angry customers to stop harrassing your techs and deal with angry people on the phone.
A DCI position is unattainable unless you have previous work on Geek Squad.

The next level up, a Cadet, is a better-paid job. They do in-store work, and do some field work. A cadet is not required to hold any certification, but instead must be a good salesman. Able to sell PCs, accessories, etc. and must be able to go to someone's house and perform the necessary work. A Cadet is also called a "Double Agent in Training"

A Double Agent, is a field work position. Almost NO time will be spent in the store. Instead, you make about 4 in-home calls a day or so. You must also spend some time "on-call". While on call a Double Agent must have a phone, and a laptop with internet access at all times and may not leave the area. If you end up talking on the phone with Mission Control (people who work wiht field agents) for more than 2 minutes, you get paid for an hour. (These are the guys with the badges)

A Special Agent is a Double Agent but who can also perform work to servers and will typically work with business customers with Best Buy for Business accounts. A Special Agent must at least have MCSE and CCNA. As a Special Agent, you may be required to be available on a 24 hour basis. (Also has a badge)

A Precinct Chief is a position only offered in free-standing Geek Squad locations. About the same as a DCI (Has a badge)

And then there is the almighty Secret Agent, who goes one month long assignments. (Such as recently when U2 went on tour, there were a few Secret Agents with them) They were responsible for managing communications for the band on their tour. Most Secret Agents are Special Agents that get recuited for this task and become a Secret Agent.

Pay Rates:
COA - $8-$9/hr
CIA - $11-$12/hr
CIA-senior - $12-$14/hr
DCI - I believe about $18 - $20/hr
Cadet - $14-$15/hr
Double Agent - $16-$22/hr
Special Agent - $25/hr +
Secret Agent - no idea but i can assure you they are well fed.

Hope this helps.

raross

lol these ranks are ridiculously funny

mvastarelli

Thanks for the info. The reason I asked is because I'm trying to guage how much I'm making as a tech for a small company. In addition to my certifications I also hold a BA in computer science, and according to my current employer who pulled me in full time after a 3-month contract, asking for more than $25k/yr would be "pricing myself out of my own market". $25k equates to roughly $12/hr.

Needless to say I'm not planning on hanging around for very long. Plus I'm a programmer at heart anyways. I was just desperate to get my foot in the door.

keatron

mvastarelli wrote:

Thanks for the info. The reason I asked is because I'm trying to guage how much I'm making as a tech for a small company. In addition to my certifications I also hold a BA in computer science, and according to my current employer who pulled me in full time after a 3-month contract, asking for more than $25k/yr would be "pricing myself out of my own market". $25k equates to roughly $12/hr.

Needless to say I'm not planning on hanging around for very long. Plus I'm a programmer at heart anyways. I was just desperate to get my foot in the door.

It'll depend on other things such as how much experience you have, the area you live and work in, and what qualifications you have, but honestly I think 25k is a little low no matter where you are. A good quick and dirty check would be to go to careerbuilder, dice and monster and do a job search for your area. Compare what the current salary offerings in your area are to 25k. I have a feeling you just might be surprised.

ubergeek

NPA24 wrote:

16 bucks is not too bad to drive around to people's houses.

Not bad for a part time rate where do i sign up? All I do is drive around people's houses aight? Can I ram the car to their garage as well??

Megadeth4168

The ones who drive to peoples houses ect are full time only according to my buddy and you are "on call".

"Crap I forgot my old pwd" seems to have a lot more info than I do about it.

Although this is good stuff to know incase I do want to ever take on a second job part time myself.

rainman03

COA - $8-$9/hr
CIA - $11-$12/hr
CIA-senior - $12-$14/hr
DCI - I believe about $18 - $20/hr
Cadet - $14-$15/hr
Double Agent - $16-$22/hr
Special Agent - $25/hr +
Secret Agent - no idea but i can assure you they are well fed.

What qualifications and/or experience is required for anything double agent or higher?

rainman03

ignore my last post...i didnt look up...sorry!

RickItaly

crap I forgot my old pwd wrote: »

Ok, I must clear this all up.

A COA is someone in the store who makes phone calls to customers, handles incoming calls, and pushes paperwork. I guess they are now also dealing with digital cameras and iPods etc. Not really a tech job.

An in-store tech (called a CIA) makes about $11.05/hr without A+.
No, they will not give you a raise or pay you more if you have A+.
You can have CCIE, CISSP, RHCE, and MCSE and they won't pay you a cent more.
The CIA-senior and CIA-supervisor (called a DCI) MUST have A+.
A CIA-senior position is a horrible job. You will not work on PCs, you will get all the angry customers to stop harrassing your techs and deal with angry people on the phone.
A DCI position is unattainable unless you have previous work on Geek Squad.

The next level up, a Cadet, is a better-paid job. They do in-store work, and do some field work. A cadet is not required to hold any certification, but instead must be a good salesman. Able to sell PCs, accessories, etc. and must be able to go to someone's house and perform the necessary work. A Cadet is also called a "Double Agent in Training"

A Double Agent, is a field work position. Almost NO time will be spent in the store. Instead, you make about 4 in-home calls a day or so. You must also spend some time "on-call". While on call a Double Agent must have a phone, and a laptop with internet access at all times and may not leave the area. If you end up talking on the phone with Mission Control (people who work wiht field agents) for more than 2 minutes, you get paid for an hour. (These are the guys with the badges)

A Special Agent is a Double Agent but who can also perform work to servers and will typically work with business customers with Best Buy for Business accounts. A Special Agent must at least have MCSE and CCNA. As a Special Agent, you may be required to be available on a 24 hour basis. (Also has a badge)

A Precinct Chief is a position only offered in free-standing Geek Squad locations. About the same as a DCI (Has a badge)

And then there is the almighty Secret Agent, who goes one month long assignments. (Such as recently when U2 went on tour, there were a few Secret Agents with them) They were responsible for managing communications for the band on their tour. Most Secret Agents are Special Agents that get recuited for this task and become a Secret Agent.

Pay Rates:
COA - $8-$9/hr
CIA - $11-$12/hr
CIA-senior - $12-$14/hr
DCI - I believe about $18 - $20/hr
Cadet - $14-$15/hr
Double Agent - $16-$22/hr
Special Agent - $25/hr +
Secret Agent - no idea but i can assure you they are well fed.

Hope this helps.

I am starting my own little computer repair company....?

#2 QUESTIONS does the geek squads kids pays their gasoline?what happens if the ran over a pedestrian who gets SUED

kimanyd

RickItaly wrote: »

what happens if the ran over a pedestrian who gets SUED

Well, that's typically worth 100 points, but there are various multipliers that can affect the overall score, such as if the person was pushing a stroller or was in a wheelchair.

the_Grinch

10x bonus if it is a group of teenagers and 100x bonuses if it is a group of kids under 10...

msteinhilber

kimanyd wrote: »

Well, that's typically worth 100 points, but there are various multipliers that can affect the overall score, such as if the person was pushing a stroller or was in a wheelchair.

What if it's an older lady in a wheel chair who happens to be pushing a stroller and the baby lands on a triple word score (uninjured, of course)?

bgrablin

And the post takes a turn for the worst.

sagewalkinthere

kimanyd wrote: »

Well, that's typically worth 100 points, but there are various multipliers that can affect the overall score, such as if the person was pushing a stroller or was in a wheelchair.

Nominated for best post ever.

Megadeth4168

What a way for a more than 3 year old thread to be revived!

Daniel333

Lol! That had my crying, "100 points" Ha!

RobertKaucher

What's really sad about it, though, is that the wages for Geek Squad Agents have not changed really in those three years!

Dynamik, how much did you have to pay to get such a fan club? I mean so many lols over the point system? That's like a standard joke and they rofl like you are a 20 year old hot chick whose g-string is showing!

wastedtime

That still isn't bad pay though.

Anyone else have the misfortune of drawing mental images while reading/listening?

networker050184

RobertKaucher wrote: »

Dynamik, how much did you have to pay to get such a fan club? I mean so many lols over the point system? That's like a standard joke and they rofl like you are a 20 year old hot chick whose g-string is showing!

I was thinking the same thing....

RobertKaucher

wastedtime wrote: »

That still isn't bad pay though.

Anyone else have the misfortune of drawing mental images while reading/listening?

I don't know... I could not live off of $12/hr, which is relatively high for their in-store techs.

Glad my post was so vivid for you... The thought of Andrew in a g-string does turn my stomach a bit.

wastedtime

I kind of look at the first few as high school/college/entry level jobs. I am not sure what minimum wage is any more but when I first started working it was $5.10 so even $8 to me would sound good for a high school student. I do see how this would be less then optimal for the experienced person. I figured right now I am making about $17.00 an hour after 7 years with my current employer and started at about $4.25 with meals/bed provided.

sonofjorel

Does Best Buy make a Geek Squad employees sign a non-compete clause contract? I am an out of work Network Administrator for 2 years now and recently earned my A+ certification and working on a MCITP. I figured I would could work for them for a while until I found something else or wanted to go out on my own but I don't want my hands tied by some legal non-compete clause. Am I better off just better off starting my own company?

SteveLord

You're better off actually looking for real IT work. I'd find it hard to believe you can't find work in the Long Island area...much less anything else in the area you have public trans to.

WayneW

I worked in Geek Squad for 2 years. I can say that he pay will vary depending on the market you live in by cost of living. Average is between 10.50-13.50/hr for in-store Tech(CIA).
I will say that if you are looking to progress beyond Geek Squad I think the only positions that would help you get anywhere else would be DA(in home agent), SA(in home for small business repair). I was a CIA for 2 years and was practically laughed out of interviews because that was my only 'IT' job. And it is apparently a joke to a lot of people in the field. All in all though not a terrible job though with the company in the state it is in they are mass cutting hours so full time = barely 32 hours a week(although 32 hrs is mandatory for all ft employees most best buys pretty much ignore that until you either quit or call HR.) part time gets about 20 hrs a week if you are lucky.. hope that gives a little insight. I can answer any other questions you may have about it.

sonofjorel

I have been looking for "REAL" IT work for 3 years now. I knew the axe was coming at my NA position and I was looking for another place of employment for 1 year before the axe finally fell. I am registered on Career Builder, Monster, and Dice with at least 4 or 5 different IT Job Titles on each site. I have sent out hundreds of resumes and been on many interviews but no offers. Being out of work for 2 years doesn't look good on a resume and I already feel like I am being laughed out of interviews. I am still on unemployment but I don't know how much longer that is going to last. I recently earned my A+ and MCITP: EDA on W7 certs hoping it would open some doors to something in the IT Field. I am currently working on my MCITP: EA on W2K8. I figured doing anything in the IT Field is better than doing nothing, even if it is working for Geek Squad.

The job market for IT work on LI is laughable. I know someone with no certs that just took a position as a Network Field Engineer for slightly more than $30K/yr. You can barely eat every day let alone live on LI for that kind of money. Moving out of state just isn't an option for me right now. Believe me if I could, I would in a second!

Oh, I forgot to mention that I have 12 years of experience in the IT Field. You would think that would be enough to land a job offer, but no.

Thanks for all the input.

SteveLord

Have you looked at Craigslist? I just did and there are several in the Systems/Network and TechSupport sections. Expand to NYC and even more. I avoid the big sites and use CL + websites from employers themselves + universities + hospitals + all tiers of government. The big sites are mostly contract/recruiter junk anyway.