correctional officer

data scientist

plombier

registered nurse

psychologist

Correctional-Service-Canada

I will be blunt, but fair and honest, and not jaded like most with more than 5 years in the service.  I don't like the direction things are headed, it used to be good, not anymore.

So it says to outline the following as part of this review:

Give us your opinion about:

A Typical Day at Work:

Depends, you could spend your whole 12-16 hours just doing the typical Corrections Officer stuff, doing reports, conversing with colleagues.  Escorting inmates around, watching them in the gym/yard/chow hall...  Or you could be fighting for your life, covered in bodily fluids, pepper spray and your backup is a long wait to get there.  

What You Learned:

Humans are capable of horrific horrific atrocities - Trust is hard to find.  I know what I am truly capable of.

Management:

The good managers get suppressed by the executives, marching orders, do as I say not as I do, always stuck in the middle between the officers and upper management, so the managers that truly do have your back and care about you often burn out and either quit or drink the Kool-aid.  The rest would step over your lifeless body to get ahead.  The Offenders are always put before the staff.  Often the offenders word is taken as truth over the officers, investigations against staff are rampant and unwarranted.  At least at this particular prison.

Workplace Culture:

Horrific, Absolutely horrible, no one looks after each other until its too late, the place runs on rumors and gossip.  The typical dark humor found in any first-responder role except there is nothing positive in corrections whatsoever.  You save the lives of people society wants to forget all the while getting zero support from the public and politicians for what we do.  PTSD stigmas still very rampant, and harassment is fully alive and well.  Its absolutely TOXIC!

The Hardest Part of the Job:

Leaving work at work, and not coming home and exploding on friends and family for no reason.  You get a lot of says off, lots of leave hours, and yet most of the time you cant enjoy them because you're either winding down after a rough week, or getting "amped" up subconsciously because you know you have to go back again.  Constant state of hyper-vigilance takes its toll on your body, mind, and well being.  Often the best officers burn out and either transfer, quit, or kill themselves.

The Most Enjoyable Part of the Job:

Some of the officers I had the honor of serving with are friends for life.  The skills you learn about your abilities under extreme stress, ie Life or Death, puts a lot of Real Life things in perspective.  First world Problems.

Reasons for the Stars Given:

Overall rating (1)* I'll be leaving this place asap.  The person it can turn you into is not the person you once were, just an ugly broken shell of a human being with zero empathy and compassion.

Job Work/Life Balance (2)** - Lots of Days off depending on your schedule, but spent most of them recovering.  Couldn't relax enough when on vacation, burn a week just trying to become relaxed. Average life expectancy is 52, and divorce rates are north of 70%.  Your odds are you'll have a heart attack before you collect your first pension cheque.

Salary/Benefits (4)**** Not hard to make 100k a year on a grade 12 education, decent benefits, but not the best. The Pension is the only real reason people truly stay.

Job Security/Advancement (4)**** Pretty sure that people wont stop raping or murdering or stealing or dealing any time soon, every day you wake up you will have a job. You can advance upwards, but often only by compromising your morals and integrity.

Management (1)* No Comment.

Job Culture (1)* See above.

The entire agency needs an overhaul from the top down.

I really enjoy my job as a Parole Officer at SMI. The work hours are consistent and stable (weekdays from 8-4) and the pay and benefits are excellent. There is a good work/life balance and there are opportunities to work a flexible/compressed schedule, which I enjoy (i.e. working an extra hour per day and getting every second Friday or Monday off work). 

I enjoy helping people make change in their lives and find that this job is very rewarding. A large part of the job involves interacting directly with offenders and motivating them to make positive changes and I really like this aspect. You work with all types of offenders from various backgrounds and with different needs, like mental health issues, substance abuse addictions, etc. There is a good balance in this job between meeting with offenders and report writing and there is freedom to structure your day however you like. I feel valued and appreciated and receive constructive feedback on my reports. The job is always interesting and busy, as you are managing 25-28 offenders on your caseload. There are a lot of various reports to write, based on assessing and analyzing risk and progress. It's important to be able to justify your recommendations, whether it be for parole, temporary absences, etc. The job also consists of presenting cases to the Warden and the Parole Board of Canada. 

The environment can be negative and stressful at times and it's difficult to read details of offenders' crimes and the impacts on their victim(s). It can take a toll on your mental health. The most important thing I've learned so far in doing this job, is to remember to take time for self-care to prevent burnout and attend to your mental health. We have EAP which offers free short-term counselling and this can be a really useful resource. Psychologists are also covered in our benefits. Don't take your work home with you and draw the line between work and home life. The job can be demanding with report deadlines, so time management and organization are key! 

When first starting this job, the learning curve is pretty high and there are a lot of policies to learn and comply with. I found that the first 6 months to a year were the most challenging, in keeping up with the demands and continuously learning the policies and job, but after that time, I felt much more comfortable and confident. I am always learning new things in this job and every offenders' case is interesting and different, presenting new challenges. 

You have to apply for jobs on the Government of Canada website and the process can be slow and lengthy. For the Parole Officer position, there is an online written test, 3 week training, and an interview consisting of a role-play, written exercise and interview. 

There are lots of opportunities for professional development training and growth in this job. I really enjoy it!

A typical day at work would be to compose and return correspondence via written and/or oral via telephone for clients on behalf of my superiors.   I would comfortably deal directly, one on one, with CEO's, Presidents, high end clients, employees, serviceman, doctors and inmates on behalf of my superiors.   I answered telephone calls, prepared salary packages, procurement, have experience in power point, excel, IFMMS, OMS, Quicken Accounting programs, excellent letter preparation, and working with confidential information, etc.

I have learned to be patient, professional and yet keep a caring persona, while working with each individual.   As well as, learning many "on the job" tasks and computer programs.

I hold a high regard for my superiors and respect their position as my leader.   I am a very dedicated employee and each business I have worked at, I have a good relationship with management (as you will see by some of my reference letters).   

Working with different ethnic, physical, religious, financial, social and intellectual cultures, (regardless of colleague or client)  I am very aware of privacy, confidentially, and the professional level to address each situation.

The hardest part of each of my positions, I think, would be how employees treat each other and the conflicts which occur therein.  As an executive secretary (and on site human resource liaison) most of my life, I heard complaints, issues and problems; each one is unique and has to be dealt with in a fragile manner.   Also, during my latest tenure with inmates, confidentiality is of the utmost importance, albeit, I would need to know when documentation would be necessary.

The most enjoyable part of each of my positions would be pleasing my superiors with a job well done, in a timely manner.  I appreciated their recognition of my superior work ethics, within short deadlines, relying on me to go over and beyond my job descriptions, giving me more responsibilities.     I also, thoroughly enjoy working with the doctors, clients, and colleagues, etc., via meetings, telephone and/or writing communications.

Typical day at work:
-High level of autonomy and trust
-Always things to do, but some periods will be busier than others
-The occasional time it is slow, you can have time to work on "projects" that need doing

What I learned:
-Don't burn your bridges because chances are you will work with the same people again eventually 
-Don't take work home with you
-Work as a team and everyone gets ahead
-Move on to another position ASAP if you're not happy where you are

Management:
-It really depends on which section/area you work under
-Has a huge influence on whether or not you will like working there

Workplace culture:
-Again, depends on which area you work in. 
-National Public Service Week is an awesome opportunity to network outside of your section
-Go on coffee breaks with your colleagues - build rapport!

Hardest part of the job:
-Some days it feels like the work you do is not meaningful
-It can be boring (but I guess all jobs can be like that)
-When others don't care about their productivity it can negatively influence your teammates attitude
-Not knowing if your pay will be correct (the entire federal government centralized all the departments' payroll and there does not have enough resources to deal with work load, the nuances of pay, and the gaps and lack of automation that is from the Phoenix pay system
-Regular employees don't get extra pay for doing exceptionally good work (though, there is the award system where you can be nominated for a gift - personally I would rather have a gift card for coffee.)

Working in the federal government has many perks, including:
-Pension
-Leave with income averaging
-Flexible working arrangements
-3 weeks of sick leave a year (with no maximum carry over)
-3 weeks of annual leave (and increases with years of service based on your collective agreement)
-Working from home occasionally (depends on your job)
-1 week of family related
-Bereavement leave
-Personal day
-Volunteer day
-Employee assistance program
-Career growth opportunities
-Job stability (though, depends on government priorities - layoffs do happen occasionally.)
-Maternity and Parental leave top up payments

The experience I had at CSC was great overall. The people were awesome and the environment taught me a lot about how I handle stressful situations.
A typical day at work included working with male offenders, a lot of collaboration with co-workers to ensure the same thing wasn't completed by different people (the environment in the warehouse was fast paced and required constant communication), and some work on the machines (forklift and other equipment).
Management was excellent, I always felt like I could come to them with problems and they laid out what was expected of me in an easy to understand manner. They also allowed me to come up with my own ideas of how I thought certain things needed to be done; I wasn't babied all the time throughout the day. The co-workers were also excellent; in an environment like a prison, communication and safety are key at all times. Everyone was friendly and I didn't feel alienated in any way, it was a very stress free and comfortable environment.
The hardest part of the job was definitely working with the male offenders. The first few months were difficult because I wasn't really sure what to expect and I wasn't sure how I should treat the offenders. Over time, I accepted the fact that I was the one in charge and learned how to exercise this right which increased my leadership skills. It was also uncomfortable for a month or two because it is a high risk work environment and it took a while to feel safe. I also gained my forklift license there so I learned how to operate a forklift.
The most enjoyable part of the job was running the equipment. Once I learned how to do it properly I felt empowered. Many of the jobs that needed to be completed at the warehouse required the use of some come kind equipment, so once I gained the knowledge on how to use the equipment I felt like a more important of the team.

You must maintain confidentiality for your clients, the inmates. You must maintain a respectful demeanor with the clients, as well as to your managers. You must be able to communicate effectively, not only with inmates who are not well educated or socially adept, but also with supervisors, managers, Wardens, the public, the National Parole Board, etc. You must maintain sensitivity for victims and the public, as well as to inmate needs. You must understand families in distress, as well as the criminal justice system and the legal acts and laws of Canada. You must be able to work with lawyers, parole board members, other CSC employees (doctors, nurses, program officers, trades personnel, clerks, managers, chaplaincy, etc.). You must have reports done on time and you must ensure you have reflected a good analysis of the inmate's case, since you are recommending such things as conditional release to the parole board, or transfer to minimum security to the Warden of the sending institution. The job has always been extremely interesting and challenging - never a dull moment, whether working directly with inmates or working as an Executive Assistant for the Warden, or with Incident Investigations. The work has always been hectic and you must manage your time effectively, as the work is often very time sensitive. You must also be able to justify your analysis and why you are doing what you are doing. There is a lot of team work involved, as this type of work depends on many other staff being around you as well. You must be able to work with unruly and often dangerous persons, including deviant offenders, murderers, the mentally ill, and the addicted.

  I was employed at CSC as a Registered Psychiatric Nurse for 25 years. I have been retired for three years. Corrections is a difficult environment simply because working with confined people with a great deal of problems including psychiatric, emotional and physical They suffer from addictions and personality disorders. I found the last few years of my employment more difficult as Offender behaviour became more problematic. To be honest for most of my career I was proud to say I worked for the Correctional Service of Canada. 
  CSC is not a good environment for young people. I often told students if they were young ( nowadays students are often a bit older) don't start your career here but get some life experience before starting here,  
  CSC does employ a great many different professions: Psychiatrists Doctors, Psychologists, Nurses and Social Workers and Correctional Officers. Hope I didn't miss any.      
    I should close. CSC is a difficult environment there is no question about that. I believe the most stressful part of corrections is the unknown. A staff member never knows for sure when a traumatic event will occur.  However if a career in Law enforcement is what you are after    I would advise you to look at the Correctional Service of Canada. 

Working in a prison is not for the rainy of heart. Even the toughest people can fall and fall hard. The CSC will train with most of the tools available to them but the job is not just about trading, it's about what makes a good fit for the environment. If a people is even a little bit aggressive in real life, corrections will help fuel that behavior not always for the best. If a person is fearful corrections may assist in getting strong in confidence but make also break a person.
Work place culture is very tough. You need to be strong in you own integrity beliefs and be able to stand firm with decision making or others will walk all over you.
Management is not necessarily your "friend" and some laws and policies are very difficult to follow even when your intuition tells you the opposite. 
Best part about the job...the people you work with become family. Trust is a huge part. 
Worst part of the job...some of the people you work with. Not just inmates but colleagues can be a problem.
Everything I learned while a Correctional Officer helped develop me as the person I am today. How to handle stressful situations, except diversity, equality and inclusion as we are not all cut from the same cloth. The job strengthened my ability to like myself and be proud of my accomplishment.
The job is not for everyone but is a good career choice if you are one of the those individuals that can make a good thing out of a bad situation. 

The hardest part of the jobs was the safety aspect and it was the utmost concern especially with the number of gang members incarcerated and who entered our area every day.
The best part of the job was the number of inmates who sincerely wanted to change but did not have the skills to and part of my job was to assist them in obtaining these skills and see them released with these skills.
The coworkers worked well together and were often played against each other by inmates, in particular, gang members.  The main goal was communicating amongst each other when this occurred.
Management was constantly changing due to job assignments, maternity leave or other leave which caused insecurities, a lack of communication and direction.
A typical day at work was meeting with inmates on a variety of issues related specifically to Aboriginal issues, meeting with other staff on inmates, daily briefings, ensuring contractors attended areas they were responsible for, assigning projects to liaisons, telephone contacts with regional headquarters and community organizations, report writing, quality control of reports and supervising activities.
I learned a lot during my tenure with CSC but what I learned most about myself was the fear that had developed in working with gang members which changed the dynamics of doing my job.  I was no longer feeling safe in my environment and this was beginning to affect my work and home life.  The interaction that I had enjoyed working with inmates was now gone within this environment.

My morning starts by planning ahead as much as possible to manage my workload. I create schedules to keep track of deadlines and prepare as much as I can in advance because I need to be able to adapt to incoming requests and changes in transfers.
While receiving incoming files or preparing and updating them for transfer, I simultaneously answer phone calls and keep a record of the file movement. It's a demanding job that requires concentration and attention to detail but I enjoy it.
My co-workers are extremely helpful and reliable when I have questions, and over time they recognized me as team member who became quickly adept at the job because I'm not afraid to ask for help.
The workload is huge, and there is never enough time in the working day to consider getting everything done. It's all about keeping up and changing priorities if necessary without neglecting any other part.
I like to come to work and having a plan worked out how to master my daily duties efficiently. It's never dull or boring. I have to think on my feet, sometimes delegate tasks and explain parts of my duties to co-workers in such a fashion that they are capable of taking over while I tend to something more urgent that just came up.
I have to be flexible and adaptable but also able to communicate in a straight forward, yet polite and professional manner which can be challenging when working under pressure.
So far I am very comfortable in this position and enjoy this job tremendously.

Top Job Titles	Average salary
Correctional officer 3 salaries reported	$79,469 per year
Data scientist 5 salaries reported	$117,797 per year
Plombier 15 salaries reported	$35.67 per hour
Registered nurse 1 salary reported	$100,440 per year
Psychologist 1 salary reported	$112,190 per year

Working at Correctional Service Canada: company overview and reviews

Correctional Service Canada

Correctional Service Canada ratings

Popular jobs at Correctional Service Canada

Salary satisfaction

Job seeker tools

Employer Tools

Browse

Stay Connected