Company's Need for Entry Level

[Sloop John B]

So I recently left my first company, primarily for relocation reasons. I was the only EL there, but the position they posted following my resignation was for a more senior position. It's a small department without much of a study program. I asked a guy about why they weren't hiring an entry level position and he said that the entry level students always just come for a year or two and then leave after getting a few more exams and that they wanted someone who would potentially stay longer. The department typically has had very high turnover of those credentialed or pursuing their credentials.

So what does the AO think? I feel like there's a lot of grunt work that EL does that would frustrate/bore more experienced hires. There were also a lot of processes in place that I improved/completed rebuilt, which I think comes from having a fresh pair of eyes. I suggested them adopting a more competitive student program, but I'm not sure how likely it is that it's going to happen. None of this really affects me anymore, I just think it's a bad approach to solving their problem.

Abbreviated version: Does a small department really need an entry level employee?

[Dr. John Zoidberg]

1) They're not paying ELs enough.
2) They're possibly hoping to get a permanent 5-7 exam person who doesn't want to take exams and keep them around forever, knowing that older people are less likely to insta-jump, especially if they don't take more exams.

[abt5]

intern > entry level hire.
lower pay, same drone work, no benefits, and leave after some time anyway.

[silverfox]

Don't need entry-level actuarial. You still need someone to do the grunt work though. Possibly a UW assistant where you can tell them they're doing "actuarial work" and they'll be happy.

[Ionic Order]

Originally Posted by abt5

intern > entry level hire.
lower pay, same drone work, no benefits, and leave after some time anyway.

Intern=6 weeks training, 2 weeks drone work.
Entry level=6 weeks training, xxx time drone work.

This is why the job market sucks for young people. Once they have experience they jump ship because other companies are so god damn desperate for people who sat in a cube for a year doing trivial VB work. Mind is blown.

[silverfox]

lol wut?

[ditkaworshipper]

We're going through a weird economic situation right now. Everyone's still scared to hire people without experience, so you can get ELs at a discount right now. Some people abuse this, and their ELs leave quickly since experienced hires are still in high demand. Not too complicated.

The problem appears to be that people are leaving really quickly (after a year or even less). This is not "experienced" at all. Its like "okay hes probably not a nutcase".

[Sloop John B]

Originally Posted by urbansombrero

The problem appears to be that people are leaving really quickly (after a year or even less). This is not "experienced" at all. Its like "okay hes probably not a nutcase".

How long do EL people usually last (in other fields as well)? I figured a 1-2 years is pretty standard for kids straight out of college.

I feel like for a company for this size, having one is sort of an awkward number. You spend a lot of time training the person and they finally start doing some decent work and then jump ship. I think it would be better to hire two, and then just replace as they eventually leave, presumably at different times so not quite as devastating. This is of course assuming it's in the budget and there's enough work to go around.