Hanging up my toolbox

[jammysparks]

Its a very sorry state at moment, ive myself just taken a small loan from a family member to buy a van and start out on my own, cant afford to get my 2391 but have a brand new tester i bought when i was more flush ready for when i do...guess ill have to add testing into price to get people i know to do it untill then.
I actually learned plastering because i was tired of botched jobs by so called profesional plasters so im actually starting up as electrical and building in the next month in the hope that i get calls regarding work other than electrical.

The firm i work for on the cards at moment is treating me like utter ****, i work nights/days/weekends whatever they chuck at me and dont see my wife or babygirl much and for my efforst in the last year i have taken a £1.40 an hour pay decrease and we no longer get paid ANY overtime rates, flat rate all the time.
They only give me enough work for 3 days a week sometimes since january, theyve sent me to work away from home for weeks at a time for no extra money...........the whole situation is depressing.

Why is it that most the idiots i know in this world who are dishonest and do a **** job seem to be ticking over nicely.

Btw live in brighton, so its **** down south also m8.

 

[jellen]

that a reall shame mate . just wish i was qualified to do something else. Im a DJ but thats even harder to get any work

 

[Skint Eastwood]

Only a newcomer would say that if you realised how many sparks are out of work the last thing we need to hear is the higher paid are leaving and I'll work for less we have fought hard to get our rate up the last thing we need is people working for less and doing a worse job.

Fair point about the rate, but one of the other points I made was that poor workmanship will be found out in the end, don't you think?
It's happening already, with a lot of the buildings knocked up during the boom lately. Letting agencies are finding that a lot of new builds don't meet their standards. That's one reason why a lot of places are sitting empty - they won't take them.
One thing that will always be true is that You Get What You Pay For. If cutting corners means inferior product, and that product can't sell (especially in a buyer's market) people will realise standards need to be kept high. When factories and apartment blocks develop electrical faults it costs, so hiring cowboys is a false economy.
Well I'm gonna stay optimistic anyway.

I agree mate just shows the naive attitude of todays apprentices (although paying £5000 your self means prob only ever done college and foreigners never work on a real site, no offence), it's all me me me and I'm the best spark in the world you can't teach me a thing! Christ every time I open my tool box I learn something new it's called experience hence WHY we expect the pay we deserve

Not sure what you mean about the £5000 or the foreigners. I paid around £800 a year for my course, and my petrol costs were about the same, hence that figure. What has that got to do with anything? I'm 33 and been working since I was 13, I ain't some naive college boy.

Of course experience is valuable, and learning new things all the time was one of the main attractions of the trade for me. My main point was that replacing old hands with ignorant youngsters won't work out in the end.

 

[Plan]

Didn't mean to insult you, I don't know you, what I meant was their is a lot of kids out there that think they know it all, it takes years of experience to be a decent spark, and learning from others on site as well as college is the best way. I've had loads of apprentices over the years and their getting worse, hell, I've known them after a year of apprentiship take on foreigners (cash in hand) jobs like domestic rewires and they can't even connect a 3 plate lighting circuit. Then you find out they've undercut a decent spark buy £2k just like the post above.
It just annoys me that their spoiling the BEST contracting trade going. We a the educated tradesmen who worked hard to get where we are.
Don't under rate yourself, you ARE an electrician and derserve the correct pay

 

[jellen]

Didn't mean to insult you, I don't know you, what I meant was their is a lot of kids out there that think they know it all, it takes years of experience to be a decent spark, and learning from others on site as well as college is the best way. I've had loads of apprentices over the years and their getting worse, hell, I've known them after a year of apprentiship take on foreigners (cash in hand) jobs like domestic rewires and they can't even connect a 3 plate lighting circuit. Then you find out they've undercut a decent spark buy £2k just like the post above.
It just annoys me that their spoiling the BEST contracting trade going. We a the educated tradesmen who worked hard to get where we are.
Don't under rate yourself, you ARE an electrician and derserve the correct pay

the one thing that stands out to me with apprentices these days is that as soon as they qualify they think thats it, im a spark, my qualifications are newer than yours so im better!

What a load of BS, every day i work i find out something new, learn a new trick etc. I think one big problem is that trainers are advertising big money potential at the end of the course, but im sorry, it wont happen, you need to put the time in to get good at what we do.

My dads a retiered electrician, spent 30 years on the cross channel ferries, was senior electrican for the fleet. I have never met another spark with his talent and skill, When i started he gave me a very good tip, "dont expect the big money to come right away, it dosent matter what bits of paper say you can do, you have to prove it in the real world, thats where it counts" and "the day that you shut your mind off is the day your finished in this trade, can't teach an old dog new tricks, I beg to differ"

 

[alland1979]

for me it isn't apprentices making the step up to tradesmen level with their attitude (we all thought we knew better than our tradesmen and could rewire the world single handed lol) its the TV and newspaper adverts that are telling people "4 months of training and you could be earning £40 to £50k a year". If I went on some dodgy course for 4 months and claimed to be a lawyer the law society would have something to say about that but the electrical industry boards and union seem to be keeping their mouth shut and basically devaluing the trade. Should I have wasted 4 years training to be a spark on crap money or just went on a course for 4 months and hey presto £50k a year?

 

[jellen]

for me it isn't apprentices making the step up to tradesmen level with their attitude (we all thought we knew better than our tradesmen and could rewire the world single handed lol) its the TV and newspaper adverts that are telling people "4 months of training and you could be earning £40 to £50k a year". If I went on some dodgy course for 4 months and claimed to be a lawyer the law society would have something to say about that but the electrical industry boards and union seem to be keeping their mouth shut and basically devaluing the trade. Should I have wasted 4 years training to be a spark on crap money or just went on a course for 4 months and hey presto £50k a year?

But as we both know, £40 - £50 k isnt gona happen

 

[sparkswillfly]

at the end of the day the day i really dont think the grass is greener on the other side i think this economic problem is across the board no matter what your trade is

 

[ezzzekiel]

dont care hanging up my toolbox on monday and taking an axe to it, and to be honest ill be glad to see the back of it.....................

 

[Plan]

Me thinks you just don't like your tools and are just looking to buy the nice shiney ones in the screwfix catalogue!
Seriously though don't ruin your tools they cost too much, put them in the shed and when your ready come back to the trade, you will always be welcome on site cos I bet you've got some great tricks to play on the youngsters and it'll be a shame to waste them!

 

[jellen]

Well as the OP i was gona hang my tool box up but now realize that i love this trade....will do some PT work till it all comes good again

 

[scotsparky]

woohoo welcome back mate have alook at the link i sent. But as a newcommer to the trade you make the coffee

 

[jellen]

What ya mean newcomer!!!!!, ive been in the trade for 14 years . As a newcomer to the firm i would happly make the, tea. make a blinding brew . you can ask anyone ive worked with, he makes a great brew but his electrical work is ...................

 

[bazza2541]

Ahh, the old 'You're not only slow, but rough too, I hope you make a mean cup of tea' line. I've used it many many times in the past.

 

[scotsparky]

14 years still a pup worked out its been 20 years since i started...................................................ferk i feel old now wheres the beer.!

 

[bazza2541]

14 years still a pup worked out its been 20 years since i started...................................................ferk i feel old now wheres the beer.!

I started my apprenticeship in 88, how long ago is that? Feels like its last century its so long ago.

 

[ecclescake]

I started my apprenticeship in 88, how long ago is that? Feels like its last century its so long ago.

21 same as me I started the end of june 1988 I can still remember my first day.

 

[bazza2541]

I can't remember the first day, but I can remember the last, I was working in a clothing factory and the foreskin got a call from my Ma to say I had got my AM2 results in the post, he had me stripped and tied naked upside down onto the forks of a forklift, then brought out four old biddies from the factory to smear cutting compound all over me. Finished up with him throwing a bucket of filings from the threader over me.
Ahhhhhhhh the joys. I still hate him.

 

[ecclescake]

I remember my last day your card is the post get your tools you've got two weeks notice March 92 zero work about 6 months on the dole I loved it all my mates were students at the time never played so much golf in my life.

 

[ash.ns]

All I can say is I am very new just few months back got my 17th edition i am strugling definatly but youhave the golden upper hand mate you have EXPERIENCE. belive me time will change just hangon a bit more. And top of it i just join this site. just dont give up hope.

 

[baldsparkies]

Started my apprenticeship 1971
Qualified out under fourteenth edition
Wow thats 38 years as a sparks
Still enjoy it
Still learning from it
Wouldnt change for any other trade (Well maybe hairdressing)

 

[ash.ns]

thats what i wanted to hear from you, belive it i was really upset that I have taken a wrong decission of being a sparki as i told you i have just got my 17th edition now u gave me some hope. thankyou

 

[scotsparky]

Bald you were finnishing your first year when i was being born !!!!!!!!!!!!!! and am now 37.

 

[jellen]

Started my apprenticeship 1971
Qualified out under fourteenth edition
Wow thats 38 years as a sparks
Still enjoy it
Still learning from it
Wouldnt change for any other trade (Well maybe hairdressing)

you started 9 years before i was born, now thats what i call time sereved...hats off to you sir.

 

[Andy Smith]

Well as the OP i was gona hang my tool box up but now realize that i love this trade....will do some PT work till it all comes good again

Glade you decided to hang around ! ill have a cup of tea Too, hear you make a mean brew, cheers

 

[jellen]

Glade you decided to hang around ! ill have a cup of tea Too, hear you make a mean brew, cheers

One lump or two

 

[Dannyg83]

never realised electricity was discovered that far back , lol

 

[Doomed]

I have been doing general maintenance for 20ish years, with a specilisation in electonics, recently decided to get some sparky qualifications (I have done so much work assisting on installs I thought I may as well qualify), just got my 2330 level 2, but after the tone of this thread am wondering if its worth continuing....

 

[Plan]

Keep the faith been out of work for two months now have the pick of job offers and are turning them down cos I've got the job that pays right and is right for me.
The jobs are there you've just got to keep plugging away and have that bit of luck
Ps mines a coffee no sugar, crap I'm now the new boy, what do you want from the shop?

 

[baldsparkies]

I was offered a job in the states at a prison, they wanted me to service the electric chairs. I turned the job down, damn things were a death trap.