I don't know for sure, but I think all Tesla Technicians are paid by the hour. They are not flat rate like most dealership and independant shop Technicians.
I would think that even if they were to plan on going flat rate they would have to start paying salary. They would loose all of their techs if they were to go about it any other way. One of the plans from Tesla which is a big check mark in the win category in my opinion is that all the store fronts will be company owned and operated, unlike a traditional dealership which is either owned by an individual or group. Theoretically that should create a much more standard product when you walk into a dealership anywhere in the country/world. That is my biggest gripe about the auto service industry.
Yes, ASE has done a nice job with their online interface. However, rather than making a very busy Tesla Service Manager look up your credentials through the ASE website I would suggest scanning your most recent ASE certificate and sending an image file with your resume and the other scanned images that I mentioned to his/her e-mail address. My personal ASE Certification history dates back 6 years and 17 pages if you include the score report for each test.
That's some nice sounding credentials. I wonder how relevant ASEs are to Tesla though since there is no EV or HEV certification, they have no transmission like the ones tested by ASE. I hold current Infiniti Master level hybrid certification and I have "sat in" on 90% of the Leaf training but am unable to be certified since I do not work at for a Nissan dealer. My HEV experience is pretty limited as we have had great luck with the first batch of hybrids.
I was thinking the overall credentials I have worked years to develop would matter less when working with a completely different vehicle than would a complete list of references and client resolution skills. Although my record and CSI scores are almost always above the national average I have little idea what the ideal candidate would hold as far as credentials.
Contacting the Service Manager at your local Tesla dealer would definately be the proper way to go about it. They will interview you face to face before they hire you and start working with you on a daily basis. The headquarters in California don't have much to do with hiring Technicians in Virginia
You would think that...I have been following the Tesla hiring site and it seems that every job ever listed in the stores goes through the company site. They hired a DC area store manager, service manager and shop foreman last year through the listing there. They also had a listing for a part time front desk clerk so it seems to cover a broad spectrum. One of the items that struck me as a foothold was the comment in the article about Arnon Geshuri the comment about hiring through referral so pursuing the local employees seem like a good idea. The site was how I managed to get (and subsequently blow
) a phone interview with one of their head recruiting agents from HQ for the DC shop foreman position...That position was made for me...I didn't have enough experience in a leadership role (stupid small dealer not having a foreman). Oh well I check the site bi weekly and just cross my fingers I get another chance. I'm going to try adding a little recon though. Also Tesla has been posting many of their openings on their FB page.
I was very displeased to learn they were bringing the beta model s to DC while I was out of the country on the one vacation I take annually
I've been wondering about trade-ins as well. I don't know if Tesla takes vehicles on trade. As far as I know they're only set up to service electric vehicles. Your last comment about HV systems brings me back to my original question: How's your hybrid training/skills? The more experience the better. If you don't have any, you could still get hired. I hear they send you to California for a few weeks of training before you touch a customer car.
If they are keeping the boutique level service facility as a primary point of operation then I do not see much need for the infrastructure needed for servicing ICE vehicles although they would still need waste fluid removal and tire equipment to service EVs.
I have a ton of book experience on Nissans EV and HEV setup although that will actually do very little in another brand. The battery technology and runnin gear are similar but very different. I feel like the redundant safety feature might be similar and personal protection equipment requirements will be similar since the voltage is similar. I have a lot more low voltage experience working on the ancillary system that make the creature comforts work. Working with the tech package items and that massive AV system from the backend will require more time learning that how to rebuilt a drivetrain in one of these, especially when it comes to answering owner questions.
