Just interested in your opinions of either company.

What's it like to work for them?
Can you move around?
Salary?
Security?
Benefits etc?

I have a few friends who work for QinetiQ.

and they are still there after knowing them for nearly 8 years.

I have a job offer from both and am attempting to weigh up….

I thought this was going to be about this 😯

Not currently with either but I have worked for BAE twice at different divisions and worked closely with QinetiQ.

BAE is a good organisation to work for, pay is pretty good, benefits is not so good in comparison with competitors. They reward a strong work ethic and offer good chances for movement within the business.

Which business area are you looking at?

My opinion of QinetiQ is working with them from a supplier to BAE point of view so can't comment on what they are like to work for. As a supplier, not overly impressed.

I've been offered Jobs at Submarine Solutions in Barrow and at Military Air Solutions in Warton.

I'm an (or will be) an Aeronautical Engineering graduate.

So far BAE has a MUCH better wage, with cheaper living in the north, but less oportunity to move around. QQ has more oportunity associated, but less security and substantially less pay, especially once the cost of living around Farnborough is taken into consideration.

Riding is also a consideration, in which case it's another tick in the BAE box.

Still not sure though. I like the idea of lots of different projects, but i also like the idea of almost another £5-8k

Security?

I was told yesterday that the DVA have been making cuts so waiting times have gone up. When I started I was offered a job in Sept, but didn't get it through until Jan!
EDIT: job security or security clearance?!

I did a lot of work with the chaps at Warton on the Typhoon program and it seems like a great place to work. I have also worked with the QinetiQ human factors facility at Farnborough and it seemed quite, ermm, behind the times with a lot of their working methods.

One consideration for Warton is their future growth and sustainability of the site? BAE have not been doing well across the board of late and it would be worth asking some probing questions.

I've been offered Jobs at Submarine Solutions in Barrow

You've been to Barrow I take it?

Security – as in job security

Worked in Barrow during the summer – not such a nice place, but the people were nice…+ theres plenty of nice spots near to Barrow.

QQ have been going through their business and cutting out the bits that were left-over from DERA that aren't profitable. A load of jobs went last year. I would have thought if they are recuriting it's a growth area within their business. Best things about Farnborough – M3 and mainline railway station 🙂

QQ don't just operate at Farnborough, they're all over the place, often on former MoD sites.
I don't know why you think BAE wouldn't have as many opportunities, MAS is a big organisation. Potentially you'll get a bit of travel out of either job.

The one thing you need to know working for any corporate like them is that nobody will look after your career path for you, it's down to you to make noises about moving around if you want to – i.e. between projects/business areas/sites, etc.

QQ still strike me as being a bit of an old fuddy-duddy company, although that may be due to the division I deal with. Of course, that can be said on areas of any large engineering company TBH!
Some colleagues worked for them when it was DERA and loved it, mainly because they were doing cool stuff.

Where'd you do your degree, out of interest?
If you have any aspirations to get into software side of it, let me know – though of course I can't comment on who I work for, i think that'd still be breaking the OSA… I work as a… err… plumber?!

I was lead to believe BAE were offering redundancies at the moment.

I was told that QQ would most likely put me in either Farnborough or Boscombe Down… :-/

I'm graduating from Leeds in May with a predicted 1st class.

*looks around and checks room*

…[whisper] What aspects of "software" are we talking about?! [/whisper]

Aren't there a couple of large helicopters somewhere in Wiltshire that are in need of some software?

snigger…

Daffy, happy to discuss away from the forum, send me a mail…
I don't think i could live in the general Farnborough area, but granted you'd be surrounded by opportunities there. Don't forget BAE have a rather large presence there too, for future ref.
Boscombe… hmmm…

Samuri – only certain bits of the company.

I was in Barrow for an interview this year to say it's a bit of a shithole is an understatement! You get the feeling the BAE Systems yard is the only thing keeping the town going. The place feels exactly like the Govan area of Glasgow, which is also centred around a BAE Systems shipyard.

But there are some very nice places around it so I think I'd happily work there. The train from Lancaster goes through some nice places and you're near the lakes for great riding.

I'm at Warton Daffy (MAS), and work very closely with QQ.

QQ are going through a time a change at the moment and have just made quite a few redundant, but so, I believe are BAES going to.

which bit of MAS are you looking to move into?

My brother works for QQ firstly at Boscombe now Farnborough he seem happy.

I work for BAE Systems Insyte, and there has just been 650 redundancies announced, the site I work at are getting rid of 45% of the workforce, so things aren't looking great.
Having said that Barrow have 3 more Astute class submarines being built/to build so there should be work there for a few years.

Doug

Doug,

Which Insyte site do you work for? I used to work for Insyte before moving to Platform Solutions. Now not with BAE and both sites are making redundancies.

hainey

I work for the Simulation part of Insyte at Hillend.

Not a bad company to work for, I have been with them for 13 years through various incarnations and at different sites. Unfortuneately my current site has been shrinking from approx 500 employees to 100, and now 45% are to go.

If you are wanting to join a defence company, I would choose one that has several other similar companies in the area, to keep your options open in the future.

Doug

BAE Systems (Southampton) was the worst job I ever had. I was taken on as an engineer but when the project I was involved in had run it's course I was given secretarial work and told that I wouldn't be geting a pay riase until my pay fell in line with the work I was doing. 25 year service awards were ten a penny and I got the impression you had to be there at least 5 years before anyone would talk to you. A friend of mine got similarly shafted there.