Downhill slide

[cliffed]

Got another 5 yrs to go,& finally I can retire,will not miss the hard work & rushing around like crazy people.
where it seems the older you are the more responsibilty you get.We as electricians are working harder & longer than other trades & doing the hard graft for others,containment for fire alarm,data,security & others.
The up & coming lads,they really don't have a clue,certainly advise them to get another trade.
Mention testing ,its I don't do that,pretty sad really our industry just gets worse.
Have a good weekend,cheer up you miserable old sod.

 

[Richard Burns]

Think how much fun sliding downhill would have been when you were young, why not enjoy the ride now as well!

 

[cliffed]

Think how much fun sliding downhill would have been when you were young, why not enjoy the ride now as well!

Very good,old Skool rules make it kinda hard to enjoy when you look around at the rest ,but quite like the idea,cheers.

 

[GMES]

I seem to be seeing more and more threads like this and also talk to lots of electricians with the same opinion alot of unhappy guys saying how hard the job is and how it's doomed etc etc( no saying you're saying those exact thing cliffed ).
But I must be one of the lucky ones, I am 49 this year and can't imagine wanting to retire, I have 3 lads now on the books fulltime and We still can't get down the workload.
As most know I only do Ind/comm so don't know if that's the reason I love my business because thinking about it it does only seem to be the Domestic lads that complain and Moan in the wholesalers.

 

[cliffed]

I seem to be seeing more and more threads like this and also talk to lots of electricians with the same opinion alot of unhappy guys saying how hard the job is and how it's doomed etc etc( no saying you're saying those exact thing cliffed ).
But I must be one of the lucky ones, I am 49 this year and can't imagine wanting to retire, I have 3 lads now on the books fulltime and We still can't get down the workload.
As most know I only do Ind/comm so don't know if that's the reason I love my business because thinking about it it does only seem to be the Domestic lads that complain and Moan in the wholesalers.

The work our company gets is good,Schools,industrial etc,it's the work attitude ,it's all aggressive,not willing to listen,turning up late,going home early & can't be bothered.

 

[GMES]

The work our company gets is good,Schools,industrial etc,it's the work attitude ,it's all aggressive,not willing to listen,turning up late,going home early & can't be bothered.

Are you the boss or staff, if you're the Boss then I would say you need some new and dedicated staff?????

 

[cliffed]

No ,on the books,& yea at this moment of time,got a pretty crap load of fully qualified sparkies
Maybe out of 10 workforce we've got,I would only work with 3,the rest I've worked with & makes your day pretty frustrating.
Dedication,common sense, loyalty,& hard work,hard to come by.

 

[GMES]

No ,on the books,& yea at this moment of time,got a pretty crap load of fully qualified sparkies
Maybe out of 10 workforce we've got,I would only work with 3,the rest I've worked with & makes your day pretty frustrating.
Dedication,common sense, loyalty,& hard work,hard to come by.

You sound like me when I was employed but my issue was with the Boss, he was fine at first but then got greedy as the years went on to the point where he was asking us to cut corners to save money, He got to the point where his customers didn't matter to him as long as he got his money.
I stuck it for as long as I could andthen set up on my own and ironically he is now on his Ar$e having lost most of his lads and customers.

 

[telectrix]

he is now on his Ar$e having lost most of his lads and customers.




2 true sayings come to mind here.

you reap what you sow, and what goes round comes round.

 

[colshaws]

I am self employed, domestic only and loving what I do, earning good money compared to 5 years ago. Perhaps you need a rethink of your situation.

 

[davesparks]

Some parts of the industry are bolloxed beyond repair, but there are still some good areas.
Domestics is pretty much a race to the bottom, along with any new-build work in domestic/commercial sectors in my experience. It seems to be all about quantity with no care for quality.

I'm quite happy as I've carved out my own little niche in the world with a couple of customers who value quality over quantity and are happy to pay well for it, plus working in theatre and events as and when I can.

 

[7029 dave]

I read all your posts, and am glad that I am out of contracting, metering these days is just cool for me, hope I can reach retirement in it,however listening to you all still gives me great joy and memories of a trade that I enjoyed made lots of money at it too, like to think I was pretty good at it.

 

[NDG Elecs]

Some parts of the industry are bolloxed beyond repair, but there are still some good areas.
Domestics is pretty much a race to the bottom, along with any new-build work in domestic/commercial sectors in my experience. It seems to be all about quantity with no care for quality.

I'm quite happy as I've carved out my own little niche in the world with a couple of customers who value quality over quantity and are happy to pay well for it, plus working in theatre and events as and when I can.

I can imagine new-builds are definitely as you say, but my experience of domestic is different. It depends a lot on how you sell yourself/come across to the customer in my view. Recommendation is the best way to attain new customers, who consequently are generally then happy to pay a fair amount I have found. You also get a feel for the potential new clients, and can weed them out accordingly. I have had a couple of recent repeat offenders who would ask for numerous quotes and knock each one back. Now I just tell them I can't even get round to look at the job for three months due to work. There's a fine line between overcharging and being competitive whilst maintaining good quality workmanship.

Re the original post; I have had a 24 yr old lad shadowing me on and off for the last couple of months. OK, granted, he is doing it off his own back. But he is an absolute pleasure to have tagging along. I don't tend to have 4wks hols a year as most employed folk do, but I generally work shorter hrs each week to spend time with my little un's. Life is too short, and I am sure the majority on here will recall barely seeing their dad when they were young due to them always being at work.

 

[davesparks]

I can imagine new-builds are definitely as you say, but my experience of domestic is different. It depends a lot on how you sell yourself/come across to the customer in my view. Recommendation is the best way to attain new customers, who consequently are generally then happy to pay a fair amount I have found. You also get a feel for the potential new clients, and can weed them out accordingly. I have had a couple of recent repeat offenders who would ask for numerous quotes and knock each one back. Now I just tell them I can't even get round to look at the job for three months due to work. There's a fine line between overcharging and being competitive whilst maintaining good quality workmanship.

Re the original post; I have had a 24 yr old lad shadowing me on and off for the last couple of months. OK, granted, he is doing it off his own back. But he is an absolute pleasure to have tagging along. I don't tend to have 4wks hols a year as most employed folk do, but I generally work shorter hrs each week to spend time with my little un's. Life is too short, and I am sure the majority on here will recall barely seeing their dad when they were young due to them always being at work.

My experience of domestic recently is that you cannot get on the right side of £500/day so just isn't worth the bothering with.

 

[NDG Elecs]

My experience of domestic recently is that you cannot get on the right side of £500/day so just isn't worth the bothering with.

Now I know Surrey, and dahn sarf is pricey but blimey! I am more than happy up here with £200 per day. Get occasional ~£400 days but not that often.