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International SOS

ISOS ->used<- to be an amazing company to work for until CIP stuck their hands in there.  This is why it hurts to write a negative review for a company that's run by CIP but holds the ISOS name.

Management was the worst!  Trying to get reimbursed for KM/fuel ect was a nightmare.  You weren't a priority for reimbursement unless it was over a certain amount.  So, it would take weeks to see the money you are owed.  Speaking of pay, good luck with filling out your own time cards.  Those sneeky buggers at CIP know some shady loop holes in the pay system.  

Also safety wasnt a top concern if it costed them money, for example: as a firefighter we are required to be fit tested before we wear a mask.  I, and many others, were not fit tested.  As the company kept falling through on promises/contact requirements, they were to pay for these fit tests themselves.  Our lead for the site was not fire trained, and more geared towards medical, which made it extremely difficult for him to understand how important respiratory protection is.

The crew you're placed on is the make or break in regards to sanity while you're employed.  They have been struggling keeping properly qualified firefighter/PCP/ACP as per whatever contract.  You are not paid for the amount of certifications you hold. IE a firefighter/pcp with 8 NFPA/IFSAC seals is paid a standard $425/day; as is a firefighter/pcp with zero other seals.  What hurts even more is that you work along side a ACP/firefighter who has zero other certifications and you're expected to train them in every aspect.  How do you expect no animosity within the firehall?

Overall, if youre looking for a resume builder then sure.  This isnt a place you retire from, its a place where you stay for a year or so and then move along to your dream department.

“ A lot of people think that the distress signal is an abbreviation for “save our souls” or “save our ship.” But in reality, "save our souls" and "save our ship" are backronyms, and the letters don't actually stand for anything.” 

I couldn’t think of a better way to describe this company. If you’re a doctor or nurse ISOS has lots of opportunities for you. If you are EMR, PCP, firefighter or rescue tech then prepare to be disappointed. No interview or physical orientation process, endless online training that has nothing to do with job description, terrible scheduling department that will send you all over the province within 72 hours, no in-house training for rope techs or firefighters, no education or retirement programs, cheap gear, ugly uniforms, random trucks that say CIP or Heartlake on them, co-workers with extremely questionable skills or ethics, horrible management that refuses to listen to any feedback. 

There are some pros. If you get hired you get benefits immediately since they are so desperate for people. Some sites have really good crews on them that are insulated from head office. They have some work local to big cities like Fort Mac or Edmonton. The pay is pretty low for industrial standards so the good doesn’t outweigh the bad. Only apply if you are desperate for work or really need to get your teeth fixed.

SOS or CIP was very keen to use my level of education (ACP) and have myself mobilize to site in less than 48 hrs notice. Once onsite, I was never contacted again from deployment and kindly opened an email a week later directing me how to properly fill out billing. I strongly feel spending quality educational insight towards the informing the practitioner prior to sending off into the wild blue yonder. No practitioner needs to feel ill prepared; it’s our license on the line!! ALL of us (EMR, PCP, and ACP) expect respect and transparency and you shall receive that in return. Works both ways! 
At no point was there any structural direction on how to complete your Timesheet! Yes, I too would like my money in a timely scheduled manner just like you. 
Never received return emails or phone call from upper management for insight direction with contractor. We got you there; now fend for yourself!

Interviewed and 9 months later confusing emails & two days notice of Education in another province. No welcome email with start time or location or education overview/outline or time requirements of  indep or in class learning., contract still being developed & educator read off power points & seemed more interested in cell phone. Education was not clear, links to documents  broken, in class time did not include mandatory face to face courses as I was told. Which meant I would have to find course after. Unable to access content. Then spent too much time on basic nursing skills instead of on advanced primary care above normal scope tasks. Not open to feed back on learning needs. Found out first nurse only participant in ed & then jumping randomly thru content. Luckily paid my flight home. Office not near food & not able to make a lunch at hotel. Too disorganized & not worth pay which is below other agencies contracting to same areas.

The company is a joke. They lost their main rescue guy and replaced him with someone who works overseas. If you have any any rescue training they pull you from good sites to do random ones. If you dont get along with your partner theyll drop you without warning. I worked with someone with no rope instruction and he refused to train. Im the one who got fired without any warning or sitdowns. I was told I would be working as a firefighter on site but got into trouble for having firefighter gear. The rescue teams have no idea what they are doing. Some rescue techs are good but some are just paramedics who happen to have the tickets. Management only cares about making themselves good even if they have to disrespect frontline staff. they will fire you without warning even if you do a good job. You might be on a two person rescue team with a partner who doest train. They dont do interviews or skills testing anymore so good luck. ISOS will get someone killed someday selling false goods to customers.

Honestly it could be a good opportunity but management is really just looking for people to make them look good and have no desire to see people succeed and therefore there no succession planning.  It's also so small there are only a few people in the office so don't think you're "going anywhere" if you want a career and advancement.

The hours are long and management expects you to be available no matter what and no matter when, "it's what we pay you for" according to management.  There are no vacations permitted for the scheduling, recruiting and supply teams from October to April and on call 24/7 for job start ups.

They're always looking for a scapegoat to take the blame or push under the bus.  They hold you accountable, but don't train or support teams when questions or concerns arise.  It's a family business and family employees have a different set of rules and cant be relied upon.  It's all about who you know and what you can do to push someone else down to get where you want.

This place is garbage. Ever since getting bought out, CIP has been a sinking ship kept afloat by Singapore. There is a high rate of turn over with management and the current crop at head office has little to zero industrial or municipal experience. Instead of investing in employees they just keep hiring new people. This leads to an endless cycle of employees being hired and then moving onto better opportunities, often at the expense of jobs or contracts. This company has lost several contracts due to a lack of attention to detail.

Not a good work environment. The pay is not on par with other companies like they say were are. Other companies pay more. You get no sick time. You jump through hoops for everything on the fire side. Always a fight to get new gear. Still using old Wapose gear. ISOS took the contract and had no idea how to run the fire side. We had 2 awesome fire chiefs, one quit and who knows how long the other will stay. They get micromanaged and aren’t allowed to run the crews how they should be, corporate office always involved and making decisions. 
Would be a good place to work if corporate stepped aside and let them do their jobs. Officers of crews are to young, some are very immature. They need to be demoted. They were Wapose pass off’s that stuck around and kissed butt to get where they are.
The medical staff get Exec rooms while we get jack and Jill’s, no favouritism at all!!
Only good thing is the shift rotation. Get a holiday every 10 days.

I started my job application process from a referral in August 2022. The initial recruiter was friendly open and honest about what to expect, and what their expectations are.  The process took a few back and forth emails to ensure all certificates and licenses were present. The onboarding process is extensive but not overbearing. International SOS has a vast network of programs and apps to allow me to learn the processes and company policies. It was a little challenging at first but the crew and leads helped with the adjustment. 
Management has been welcoming and helpful. 
Having worked for ISOS for 5 months now, there isn't much I can say that paints them in a negative light. As with any employer, there is always some aspects that can be improved upon. That said I am happy with my new home here at ISOS. 

I've never seen a company somehow do so well while being woefully inadequate to offer the services it is selling. Some of the staff currently employed in full-time positions are simply terrible human beings. It's like the penalty box of emergency services. This is the result of not doing interviews, background checks, or skill assessments. If you got the ticket you get the job no questions asked. After a supply chain failure I tried warning about several times, I had to quit despite a very lucrative position. The perks, location, and full-time work are not worth compromising contractor and public safety. Management should be ashamed of themselves for selling a false bill of goods. I'm happy to have washed my hands of this terrible company. There's a reason why they are desperate for new employees all of the time - the good ones jump ship when they can.

Top Job Titles	Average salary
Paramedic 32 salaries reported	$584 per day
Registered nurse 24 salaries reported	$69.79 per hour
Nurse practitioner 5 salaries reported	$1,010 per day
Firefighter 5 salaries reported	$463 per day
Licensed practical nurse 7 salaries reported	$400 per day

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