Any security professionals considering working for CSA/Kuwait; DON'T..They will promise you the world, but deliver you a grain of sand, if you're lucky. STAY AWay froM CSA-KUWAIT

Did you work for them?

I was planning on applying soon.

What happened in your case?

CSA does alot of promising and does not deliver. Right now so many people are leaving CSA because of a lot of bag things going on in the company. Like with security once you are in they will not let you out no transfers out after 90 days so when you get in that is where you stay. I worked with CSA for a long time they fired me because I saw managers, and supervisors stealing from supply and time sheet fraud try to turn them in and I am the one that got fired now the other people that saw it or knows what is going on are afraid to talk. I was a hard worker and was at work before my shift started everyday but management was late everyday and left early every day and still got paid over time and got away with it because upper management turns a blind eye to what is going on. When I did say something outloud the manager started writing me up on bogus things. I hope this gets out to a lot of people so they know how bad CSA is.

I back you 100%. This company has several issues and what happened to you is happening to me right as we speak. Theft is going on in every department and time sheet fraud happens everyday!!! Explain why all the big wigs are leaving this company and fast.

I have a phone interview with this company on Saturday what type of other problems are you having is the pay good.

So how did your telephone conference go. I had my conference on 16 June. .I was told as in the packet they sent out to me that the process should take no longer than two and a half weeks, and thats if you get the app and contact signed and faxed back to them as soon as you get it .well I did everything I needed to do and was complete by the first week in July, that's when I completed my Physical and Drug test. You should recieve your initial packet either today or Tuesday. If you don't have your passport I advise you to apply for it asap and pay for the expidite service it costs total $190.00, but I recieved mine in 10 days. My advice to you is to constantly keep in touch with the recriuters and check your e-mail often. The only other thing that sucks is that after my Physical got to Kuwait I have to wait at least 3 to 4 weeks to hear from the medical staff in kuwait, but that is almost exactly 60 days from the day of my phone conference. I have looked on the forum page and it's always good to hear different points of view but everyone is different. I am going over to get paid and watch my back in the process, but I know that CSA is bigger than all of us and if they are doing some of the things that people say then they will continue to do them long after we are gone. So keep the overall goal in mind of what you want to achieve personally. I f you would like to call me to get more info just let me know. I can tell you what to expect at least from where you are in the process. Good luck

I was also thinking about joining CSA but don't know much about them, mosy important is the pay! Can anyone help me.

quote:

Originally posted by 4389485:
So how did your telephone conference go. I had my conference on 16 June. .I was told as in the packet they sent out to me that the process should take no longer than two and a half weeks, and thats if you get the app and contact signed and faxed back to them as soon as you get it .well I did everything I needed to do and was complete by the first week in July, that's when I completed my Physical and Drug test. You should recieve your initial packet either today or Tuesday. If you don't have your passport I advise you to apply for it asap and pay for the expidite service it costs total $190.00, but I recieved mine in 10 days. My advice to you is to constantly keep in touch with the recriuters and check your e-mail often. The only other thing that sucks is that after my Physical got to Kuwait I have to wait at least 3 to 4 weeks to hear from the medical staff in kuwait, but that is almost exactly 60 days from the day of my phone conference. I have looked on the forum page and it's always good to hear different points of view but everyone is different. I am going over to get paid and watch my back in the process, but I know that CSA is bigger than all of us and if they are doing some of the things that people say then they will continue to do them long after we are gone. So keep the overall goal in mind of what you want to achieve personally. I f you would like to call me to get more info just let me know. I can tell you what to expect at least from where you are in the process. Good luck

Hear back yet? I'd like to know how the process goes. I currently work with csa everyday out here in kuwait and am thinking about joining once my deployment is up

quote:

Originally posted by 9180638:

quote:

Originally posted by 4389485:
So how did your telephone conference go. I had my conference on 16 June. .I was told as in the packet they sent out to me that the process should take no longer than two and a half weeks, and thats if you get the app and contact signed and faxed back to them as soon as you get it .well I did everything I needed to do and was complete by the first week in July, that's when I completed my Physical and Drug test. You should recieve your initial packet either today or Tuesday. If you don't have your passport I advise you to apply for it asap and pay for the expidite service it costs total $190.00, but I recieved mine in 10 days. My advice to you is to constantly keep in touch with the recriuters and check your e-mail often. The only other thing that sucks is that after my Physical got to Kuwait I have to wait at least 3 to 4 weeks to hear from the medical staff in kuwait, but that is almost exactly 60 days from the day of my phone conference. I have looked on the forum page and it's always good to hear different points of view but everyone is different. I am going over to get paid and watch my back in the process, but I know that CSA is bigger than all of us and if they are doing some of the things that people say then they will continue to do them long after we are gone. So keep the overall goal in mind of what you want to achieve personally. I f you would like to call me to get more info just let me know. I can tell you what to expect at least from where you are in the process. Good luck

Hear back yet? I'd like to know how the process goes. I currently work with csa everyday out here in kuwait and am thinking about joining once my deployment is up

Well it's going well and I should be leaving soon the process is pretty smooth for the most part just make sure you get your passport as soon as you get back stateside. It helps the process.

Working for CSA is a story in itself & thankfully I didn't take a security job. Those in security once assigned to a post are stuck there for 12 Hrs. at a time usually outside anyone with any rank must be called by that title or Sir/Maam. If you're stuck at a post with no car or a guard shack that has a non-functioning A/C unit that's tough. The heat, humidty & dust are intolerable at times. Luckily I'm working outside before the heat really starts and inside an A/C building before it gets brutal outside.

As for the people all I can say is some have come very close to being executed. If arrested by the police if & once released you are terminated immediately & sent home never to return again to any Arabian country.

I have seen many posts here and at other forums where people complain about having to work 12 - 16 hour shifts for this company. What the hell do you expect for 68-73 thousand dollars in one year? I worked 16 hour shifts routinely in the military and did not freakin complain about it. If I was being paid what CSA got paid I would have been higher than Whitney Houston on crack. I remember talking with the CSA guards in Kuwait and not one of them - young, old, retired - complained about working for that company. They all recommended working for the company. Personally I found the Kuwaitis and Turkish people very affable and polite. They have no qualms about hard work, and niether do I.

The whole process can take from start to finsh up to 3 months. It is noty of CSA's doing, all documents must go through Kuwati Ministry Office.



But then again, this is not a job for everyone either. I have benn working security for almost 3 years. One thing I have not seen is that there is no mention of our 24/7 operations no matter what the weather or the issue - mission goes on. we do our job - reguardless of how the customer is upset/irate/mis-informed. This is a desert enviroment,not a hotel or back home job. Things move a bit slower in this part of the world.

Has CSA denied employment to anyone? I had my phone interview for security on July 7, 2007. I completed every thing more than a month ago but I have not heard from CSA. Has any one received a notice of their time of departure? If so, how long did it take for you to receive that notice after you completed the paper work and submitted your passport?

quote:

Originally posted by use2binf:

quote:

Originally posted by 9180638:

quote:

Originally posted by 4389485:
So how did your telephone conference go. I had my conference on 16 June. .I was told as in the packet they sent out to me that the process should take no longer than two and a half weeks, and thats if you get the app and contact signed and faxed back to them as soon as you get it .well I did everything I needed to do and was complete by the first week in July, that's when I completed my Physical and Drug test. You should recieve your initial packet either today or Tuesday. If you don't have your passport I advise you to apply for it asap and pay for the expidite service it costs total $190.00, but I recieved mine in 10 days. My advice to you is to constantly keep in touch with the recriuters and check your e-mail often. The only other thing that sucks is that after my Physical got to Kuwait I have to wait at least 3 to 4 weeks to hear from the medical staff in kuwait, but that is almost exactly 60 days from the day of my phone conference. I have looked on the forum page and it's always good to hear different points of view but everyone is different. I am going over to get paid and watch my back in the process, but I know that CSA is bigger than all of us and if they are doing some of the things that people say then they will continue to do them long after we are gone. So keep the overall goal in mind of what you want to achieve personally. I f you would like to call me to get more info just let me know. I can tell you what to expect at least from where you are in the process. Good luck

Hear back yet? I'd like to know how the process goes. I currently work with csa everyday out here in kuwait and am thinking about joining once my deployment is up

Well it's going well and I should be leaving soon the process is pretty smooth for the most part just make sure you get your passport as soon as you get back stateside. It helps the process.

use2binf, have you left for Kuwait?

I have started my app in june of 2007 and completed everything in less then 6 weeks the longest part was waiting for my passport. I expeditated and paied $ 205.00 and it still took 6 weeks. I have received a confirmation today for a one year contract. I should leave around the first week of Oct. Csa seems tobe a ok company I wont know until I get their. I have heard a lot of complaints but they seem to be personnel complaints about the working conditions. Being retired from the military with 30 years and being in harsh enviorments that is part of the job. I dont knoe about what you were promised but I was not promised anything but a job that pays a good salery for the job. Conditions of the job were disclosed to me, plus I asked questions about the job when iIwas on the interview. I asked about promotions and the enviorment etc. I was told that if them you can do a better job then most personnelyou want to be promoted you have to do more then just show up for work. Porformance is a must and showing them you really want to be promoted is the only way to get ahead. That should be the only way to be promoted and that is the only way I want to be promoted. Again CSA did not promise me anythig other then a job.

It seems that there are many people in this thread that started the CSA hiring process in June. I too, started with my phone conference in June and completed all that was required of me in July. I now seem to be in limbo. Is anyone else out there that started the process in or around June still waiting to move forward? The recruiter has told me that they are waiting for the Army to get back to them regarding my military background. He says that they are backlogged. Anyone else in this situation?

I was under the impression, after the phone conference, that I would be moving out within 45-60 days after finishing all of my paper work. Does anybody know if this long of a wait is normal? I have found that it is very difficult to contact my recruiter at times. Emails seem to never be answered, and the phone number seems to rarely work for me. I hope this is not a harbinger of things to come.

Keeping on topic; i have heard many things about CSA. I would say it is a 50/50 type of thing. Half the comments seem to be bad, while the other half seem to be positive. I have noticed that the negative things all seem to be of a personal nature such as long shifts, and hot sun. It seems to me that all of that has been put out there by the company in an up front manner. I have even heard complaints about race being an issue. I will not dignify that issue with anything other than to say it is rediculous. I only bring it up to show that there are many people out there that will complain about anything.

As long as the company gives you your check on time they have done their part. The rest is up to you. Just make sure you get ANY AND ALL "promises" in writing. It is not wise to rely on the word of anybody whom you barely know. It is even less wise to be upset about a "promise" that is not upheld when you have no proof of it on paper.

On a final note, if anyone is around the same timeline as me I think it would be great to get in touch with each other. It might come in handy to be familiar with someone once you arrive in country. Feel free to PM me and maybe we can join forces to overcome any lack of info. flow.

I also started my application around June 2007 and completed everything within a few weeks. But now, I am unable to get any response from ACS whenever I ask about the status of my application. I don’t know what’s going on but the problem maybe with the investigation of Blackwater. I can’t understand why ACS would need the military to comment on your military background if you received an honorable discharge. However, I am certain that the issue with Blackwater will change a lot about contractors in Iraq and Kuwait. I guess we should have applied in 2006 rather than 2007. I don’t think that many of us will be going to Kuwait in the near future.

I don't think that the Blackwater issue will affect CSA very much. They have a contract and that contract must be filled. Companies in Iraq and A-stan I am sure will be affected however since they are actually in the area of hostilities.

What I suspect in my case is that I was given some generic excuse since the real reason may be too hard to explain to me in a short period of time. I keep reading how long the visa approval process is for Kuwait so I am hoping that is the problem.

If anybody, anybody at all has any clue as to the normal routine for hiring at CSA I would love to exchange emails. That goes for anyone seeking further info as well. Maybe we can all link up via emails in order to exchange info. and stay in touch. At least some of us are bound to see each other once we get there.

The issue with Blackwater including the decision to hold Blackwater entirely responsible for its acting and to not allow Blackwater to hang onto the Military’s shirttail and immunity may not only result in any and all Middle East contracting companies scrutinizing future employees more cautiously but can also result in Kuwait authorities scrutinizing potential American employees more cautiously for VISAs and may even result in Kuwait limiting and/or delaying the authorization of American employees. Additionally, this added to the media’s constant assertion that there is no need for there to me more contract employees in the Middle East than there are Military employees can result in all contract companies re-evaluating their need for more employees.

Federal Contracts are readily voided when the federal government says that are void, especially contracts pertaining to the Middle East. Seldom does the Federal Government lose federal civil cases in court especially since the federal judges are paid by the federal government and the contracts depend upon our troops being in the Middle East which can end any day and any second. The latter is a lawful reason to terminate a contract. I am not saying that CSA may have to leave Kuwait. As long as the military is there and the U.S. refuses to bring back the draft, CSA will also be there, if its employees don’t harm others. However, if the Senate decides that Blackwater can not operate under the same immunity that the Military possesses, all American companies will lose this immunity, including CSA, and CSA (and possibility Kuwait) will re-evaluate its need for additional employees and scrutinize future employees more closely which will delay employment of many applicants.

Like you, I am also hoping that CSA’s delay in responding to our applications for employment is due to Kuwait’s busy schedule and not Blackwater’s investigation. However, I am unable to discard that which is currently occurring in Washington DC with Blackwater.

You may or may not be right. Only time will tell.

I based my opinion on the fact that the apparant delay in the employment process seems to have happened prior to the BW incident. I also do not put CSA in the same league as Blackwater, Triple Canopy, Ageis, Armour Group, etc..... Therefore I truly feel that CSA, if affected at all will be affected to a lessor degree.

Of course I could be wrong. Just don't tell my wife.