How do/did you apprentices cope ?

[solo53]

Hi all, might just be me but been an apprentice and getting the mick taken out of you everyday really gets to me somedays.

Just wanted your guys opinions of how you dealt with it if you was in the same position ?
As sometimes it makes me feel like just giving up.

Cheers

 

[Electricalserv]

Hi all, might just be me but been an apprentice and getting the mick taken out of you everyday really gets to me somedays.

Just wanted your guys opinions of how you dealt with it if you was in the same position ?
As sometimes it makes me feel like just giving up.

Cheers

Think of it this way, in 4 years you'll be taking the mick out of other apprentices.

Try and take the mick back., Play practical jokes on your seniors and try and get the other lads involved!!!

 

[Kamikaze]

Look at it as character building. A bit of tongue and check won’t hurt you. Once your qualified and out into the big wide world on your own, it will help you deal with all those that try and insult your intelligence. And believe me, there will be loads of it. Learn to give some stick back…lol If you get stuck, come back on here and we will sort them out for you.

 

[Sparky Ninja]

We all have to start at the bottom of a ladder, weather it's buying property, learning to drive or training for a new career. Just keep your head down with your studies and you will soon find yourself gaining more respect.
I myself started as an apprentice for the family firm, with my old man and grandad both being on the job. Needless to say I was made an example of with regard to apprentice duties. I kept to it and after a couple of years gained new skills that made me shine when compared to the skills of the existing sparkies. I then had my own apprentice, and have had a couple since. I treat them with respect as I know what it is like to be in their position. However some electricians do take advantage of their apprentice and it is quite often for the apprentice to be given the crappy end of the stick when it comes to manual tasks.

What's the problem in your case? Is it the way you are treated? The work you do?

 

[solo53]

Cheers for the replies guys, widdler, I dont have a problem doing all the crappy jobs, cleaning up, carrying etc.. its more to do with a bit of respect and how they talk to me sometimes really, I must admit sometimes ive got to bite my tounge.

And I dont think it helps with it been a 2 man company, who are best mates and have worked together for the past 11 years.
Suppose its just something ill have to deal with.

 

[Penance]

It can be tough mate, try to grin and bare it.
I had one guy who really had it in for me, drove off and left me on site more than once, had me round the throat against a wall, threw hammers at me and more. I hated that time but had to try and carry on.
I did eventually leave the company because of it, I don't recommend it as it stuffed my indentures.

 

[KWCFC]

I'm an apprentice.

I find that if you are willing to give a load of stick back, while running around and working hard at the same time. The sparkies will give you a break.

You have to remember that you need confidence and charachter to work on a building site or in a trade. I've often found that the lads without that are normally the ones who get the most stick.

 

[solo53]

kwcfc, yes I think thats where i struggle a bit as im naturally a quite person and only usually speak out if spoken to and have something to say.

 

[rocker]

KWCFC has pretty much hit the nail on the head......

If you really can't take the banter you're in trouble, cos there's always jokes and mic taking on sites between trades and you're going to get it for the rest of your working life. Just try thinking of what they are saying to you as them saying it to someone else, you may then see the funny side. Basically you need a good sense of humour, so if you ain't got one, develop one! Try and be confident in what you do - the key thing is to give as good as you get, BUT as KWC has said you need to be doing your job better than you're supposed to in order to do this. If you are, they'll respect you for it. If not, you'll just look like a lazy, chopsy little ********.

 

[simpson93]

hiya mate just look at it this way , they may take the **** but if they didnt want you they wouldnt keep you. should count yourself lucky to have a job at the moment, im sure they dont mean any harm in what they say.

 

[millwall ken]

Hi all, might just be me but been an apprentice and getting the mick taken out of you everyday really gets to me somedays.

Just wanted your guys opinions of how you dealt with it if you was in the same position ?
As sometimes it makes me feel like just giving up.

Cheers

If you can't take a joke - then go be a H & S officer. Its all part of the male bonding process son, WORRY when you don't get the p*** taken out off you. Just consider yourself lucky that you wasn't an apprentice forty years ago. S*** in your boots, tallow round your nuts and every crap job you could think of.

 

[alarm man]

give back as good as you get,ive always loved a good p take with the yougun's,its what gets you respect once you have a good bit of banter on site the days goes quicker,also you will have to toughen up,once your out on your own on sites,you have all the other trades to deal with in a working way,if you dont stand up they will take the p and your work gets harder wait till a plasterer starts a wall you havnt got your cables in,sometimes you have to tell them to ! off and hope they take the hint..its all expeirence i wouldnt worry..

 

[scotsparky]

that was just you ken!!

the firt year is the worst i think all will agree but when you start to show you are listening and can solve problems yourself its gets better Prove yourself by listening and never grumble that is the worse be keen and ask questions if you are not sure. Nothing worse than getting a somebody who "thinks" he knows everything after 6 weeks

 

[bugsy]

If there is onlt two of them play one on the other , offer to clean one 's tools but tell the other one you were told not clean his as they never come out the box,
but don't put eye drops in ther tea!

 

[mattmoo1974]

Fight back with grandad jokes! youth is on your side.
Hair loss pick on that. Size of there bellys(You have nt got a big nail, Just a big hammer to bang it in with)
Your so ugly only your mum could love a face like that
Im either helping you out or giving them fresh idea's!

 

[Knobhead]

Stick with it, your not the first and won’t be the last. It’s a part of you rite of passage in to the real world. Believe me when your let out in to the real world you’ll need the thick skin you develop.

I had a great time with the last apprentice I had. He’d had two years of p**s taking before he came to me so I laid off. He turned out to be a good friend never mind a good apprentice.
I enjoyed showing him little tricks in things like faultfinding, installation and maintenance. Leaving him for a couple of hours on his own didn’t bother me as he had the nouse to look after himself.

 

[millwall ken]

Stick with it, your not the first and won’t be the last. It’s a part of you rite of passage in to the real world. Believe me when your let out in to the real world you’ll need the thick skin you develop.

I had a great time with the last apprentice I had. He’d had two years of p**s taking before he came to me so I laid off. He turned out to be a good friend never mind a good apprentice.
I enjoyed showing him little tricks in things like faultfinding, installation and maintenance. Leaving him for a couple of hours on his own didn’t bother me as he had the nouse to look after himself.

There you go son, this post says it all. To be honest with you, its alright for some of the administrators and other senior members to just post 'welcome' messages to apprentices/mates BUT thats because they are usually senior blokes on site anyway; and they usually have little to do with their employees on site on a daily basis - yes I know that some of them, do actually get out of the portacabins and onto site, but I reckon for the most part, most of the senior blokes on here couldn't even name half of their crew.
Never mind actually having the chance now a days to be one of the lads. As I stated in my earlier post, being able to take a joke and enjoy the banter in work is what makes going to work one of the most enjoyable experiences of it. Who wants to go to work where you are governed by PC rules that forbid this, that and everything else.

 

[pennywise]

I still get the urine extracted out of me on a daily basis at 5yrs post time served, even the apprentice gets in on the act! being the bosses son etc, just smile and take it, it's just fun listening to the new jibe of the day that they think is the finniest thing ever.

 

[robsparx]

Can only echo what's been said. As long as it's just banter and not anything more than that. Was a guy I used to work with who could be a particularly vicious **** sometimes, went a bit beyond banter, but you just need to keep your chin up, carry on and not bite

 

[millwall ken]

Can only echo what's been said. As long as it's just banter and not anything more than that. Was a guy I used to work with who could be a particularly vicious **** sometimes, went a bit beyond banter, but you just need to keep your chin up, carry on and not bite

Sorry to keep going over old ground but the OP needs to understand that there is a big difference between day to day banter and real victimization. A friend of mine was put with a old school sparkie who hated apprentices/mates. He got my mate to spend the entire time that he was with him to thread lengths of conduit, under the pretence of making up bushes.

 

[sparkiegaz]

grow some fkin skin feller,,or get you mum to write a letter for you,,,,,,,so you kinda thought well im going to go into construction thinking no ones going to give u ****e,,,,,,when you can do something and prove yourself and listen to what others are telling you without getting gobby like 75% of nippers you will get respect and the ---- take will die down,,,my first governor wouldnt let me touch fk all til i could make a propper cup tea,,,,then i spent three weeks cleaning his car every day just to watch him drive through fkin mud ,,,,i stuck it out told the fat git he wasnt going to beat me so he be better off teaching me somethink to earn him money,,,,,,working for him from 16 til i was 19 were some best years of my life,,,,,,,sorry to say feller construction has changed so much i feel sorry for you, moan to your mum when you have to walk the last two miles to your house in your pants,,,,

 

[DurhamSparky]

i got hit witha stick when i never knew the answers to questions!!
i had all the ****ty jobs!
but when i developed quicker than lads who had been doing same job for years and started showing them things they never knew i got accepted and cut the slack!!

 

[sparkiegaz]

and beat with a fish navy boy,,,,,,

 

[DurhamSparky]

funnily enough we never had any fish on a sub apart from frozen ones with breadcrumbs on them..!

neither did we see any fish as contrary to popular belief we never had windows fitted to see where we are going!

 

[sparkiegaz]

no windows so thats how the bloke driving astute managed to put it on the sandbank,,,woops sorry they were on the surface must had captain birdseye blocking his view,,

funnily enough we never had any fish on a sub apart from frozen ones with breadcrumbs on them..!

neither did we see any fish as contrary to popular belief we never had windows fitted to see where we are going!

 

[DurhamSparky]

bloke driving astute managed to put it on the sandbank

that will be Andy Coles then!! my Ex skipper on HMS Turbulent and a friend of mine..!!

 

[CannockLee]

Mate i did 2 years in a rough as arse steel factory and some of those boys really did not play nice.

When i was 16 they put me on night time furnace watch which involved me monitoring a vat of molten iron. 20 minutes into my shift i got dragged into a dark corner by 3 of them and hooked up to a crane and hoisted up 20 feet for 30 mins whilst they all threw wee wee at me.

They were wetting themselves so I waited for my chance and ensured I got my revenge slowly and surely.

It is all part of growing up at work but just be careful and dont bite. You will get more respect for coping with it

 

[millwall ken]

that will be Andy Coles then!! my Ex skipper on HMS Turbulent and a friend of mine..!!

HMS Asute, or should that be HMS Jinks??? PS is it true that this baby wasn't blessed by a vicar?

 

[JD6400]

A few good posts !
Reminds me of my apprenticeship , two brotherinlaws as my foremen and proper vicious .
Put myself through three years of college three days a week self funded from 16 came out with distinctions for all , to be apprentice at £2.50 ph too one of them who was a ex London fly boy first year day release mature student on £15 ph .
They tried to break me mentally , leaving me to find my own way back from Swindon to bucks coating me nuts in polygrit hand cleaner then dragging me through the pipe fitters metal swarf and cable tyeing me in the back of the escort van with all windows shut for 14 hrs on one of the hottest days for 11 years stuff like that !
But that was how it was then if you got a bad bunch , and i was far from a little s--t at the time .
Trust me mate you do have it easy now days , Don't cry off give them some back but always with respect !!!
Never forget they do not have to give you the gift of their knowledge !
And just remember if you want it , you can get there with hard work and determination !
Good luck fella

PS Since them days i have employed two of my ex bosses currently one at moment who had nearly 40 blokes on for him when i was with him !

 

[brucelee]

It can be tough mate, try to grin and bare it.
I had one guy who really had it in for me, drove off and left me on site more than once, had me round the throat against a wall, threw hammers at me and more. I hated that time but had to try and carry on.
I did eventually leave the company because of it, I don't recommend it as it stuffed my indentures.

end of the day mate dont put up with stuff like that just because you work for them throwing hammer he would be wearing it
the way your employer treated you is disgusting and not the way to get a apprentice interested in the job and willing toput 100% in there is having a laugh and taking the ???? and you wont work hard for them idiots like that mate wind me up