Hawkesworth Testing - Anyone here work for them..?

[golfpaul]

Seen a few jobs in my area for the above company and am wondering what they're like to work for.
Ive heard a few grim stories about them but wondered what they are actually like to work for, ie - supply enough work, pay you on time...

Any advice would be good as i need a new employer

Ta.

 

[rocker]

No actual experience with them myself, but I have heard that working for them is a nightmare....

 

[Sintra]

There has been a previous thread about them http://www.electriciansforums.net/pat-testing/20341-hawkesworth-appliance-testing.html

 

[longshanks]

I work for them at the moment and its not a nightmare as people have said on here, although you only get 50p per appliance you get issued with some good stuff (althugh you have to pay £30 per month for rental)

I suppose it depends where you live as to the amount of work provided and even though people may disagree and call me a cowboy it is not to difficult to reach 200 appliances daily if the conditions are right.

Hawkesworth send you a cheque at the end of the month and i have had mine on time all the time.

I think there are still some cowboys out there and i maybe have seen some at work but if you apply yourself to the task at hand and when you have left the job can say to yourself "i have done everything correct" even if you have done 200 + appliances you (or i know i can sleep easily)

Cheers

 

[G77]

No actual experience with them myself, but I have heard that working for them is a nightmare....

i echo that. i almost went up to do a week with them but as they were arranging it i got the feeling that they weren't exactly organised

 

[nikmet]

200 appliances a day for £100!! Doesnt seem a good rate?

 

[golfpaul]

Had a meeting with one of there guys recently - didnt seem too bad a place to work.
Just trying to weigh up what outlay there would be per month...

Anyone elso work/ed for them?

 

[72-van]

I have once or twice come close to that number in a shift but only when i have come across a box of cables or class 2 psu 's or similar where i could sit at a desk and batter thru them.
8hrs times 60 mins = 480 mins /200 items = 2.4 mins per item to inspect test and label
remove the item from its location and replace it after testing ..

If this firm is encouraging their lads to push 200 + per day every day to make a living then my own thoughts... are human nature being as it is ......i wouldnt use them

72-van

 

[bassl1ne]

I have worked for Hawkesworth.

You will attend a short days in house training and issued with the necessary equipment, tester, leads, company shirts, logging equipment etc. Be aware you will need to sign a contract that basically says you cannot work in the industry for a few years when you leave them. You will also be asked to get your City and Guilds within 3 months although I was able to wait a year before they pressured me for this. You will also need to take out public liability insurance and insurance to cover their equipment which you are renting from them.

You make up your testing technique as you go, I noticed when I started that almost all of their engineers did not know you have to use the probe to test a Class 2 appliance. Working with various engineers you will slowly work out all the shortcuts that allow you to do up to 400 tests per day, some will do the job properly and you will see others just putting stickers on, this will be annoying when you are working on the same job and the other guy is earning double what you are. This is where you self regulation comes in.

You will get paid extras for repairs, fuses and plug changes etc, again you will see some engineers just ticking boxs to say they have changed a fuse, so that is one way to increase your rate. It takes about 6 months or so to gain the knowledge to earn £100 a day, you will have good days and bad days depending on the environment your testing in, i.e in a dirty factory you might only achieve £50 a day compared to a clean organised office, guess you have to take the good with the bad.

My work was fairly regular to begin with, the few months around xmas seem to be very quiet. Payment by cheque was always quite reliable, as was delivery of stock, plugs fuses etc which you must purchase directly from there, no a bad thing as its the lowest price you will find.

I found that Hawkesworth did give preference to engineers who do the most tests per day and are willing to travel the furthest. This was the bad point for me as I realised I was getting little work because the engineers just putting stickers on were doing up to 400 tests per day and so getting more preference of work, penalising me for trying to do the job by the book.

Hope this helps.

 

[BUZZBAR]

News to me that you need a probe for class 2 ? I was lead to believe the probe was for class 1 so you could obtain an earth.
Anyway I worked for Hawkesworth for a number of years , yes you can get the work and yes they do pay you on time.BUT they expect you to travel (that could be up to 120miles a day)If it's further than that they will pay you £25 per night to stay over.They do mess you about a lot and when you add it all up what with petrol,car, travelling time you probably end up with minimum wage.You are also self employed so there is no holiday or sick pay and you pay your own NIC and tax.

 

[bassl1ne]

News to me that you need a probe for class 2 ? I was lead to believe the probe was for class 1 so you could obtain an earth.

I did have a rant in another thread somewhere about the probe and class 2, you are not alone, almost every engineer I met at HW didn't know about requiring the probe which is required for the insulation test, just plugging in a class 2 and pressing the button tests nothing at all. Probably means around half a million tests per year are done incorrectly.

 

[BUZZBAR]

Think you need to check a Kewtech manual.No were does it state you have to use a probe for class 2 appliances.As I said it is used to obtain an earth on a class 1,that's why there is a class 1/2 test.What about the soft test?would you use a probe for that too?

 

[bassl1ne]

Do you understand how a class 2 test operates? The phase and neutral are joined and act as 1 leg of the 500v, the earth probe is the 2nd leg. With no probe you are simply sending a phase to the L/N join which has no effect. The only test between L/N is a quick resistance check to see if the device is turned on or off.

Please see your Kewtech manual page 7: ᾋ PE / Class II insulation probeConnect the Test Lead with crocodile clip (M-7208) (fig 5) to this
terminal for the measurement of protective conductor resistance and
Class II insulation, and clip metal parts of the appliance under test
with the crocodile clip.

Please see page 22: It clearly shows the probe being used on a class 2 device.

If you speak to Kewtech they will advise exactly the same. In the case of a class 2 with no exposed metal kewtech advise probing a suspect weak joint on the casing or screws etc.

 

[bassl1ne]

Do you by any chance work for Hawkesworth main office, I notice they pretend to be a normal punters and customers in defence of anything negative? (Usually indicated by a new user with his first post about them) Im pretty sure this thread will be removed/locked before long.

 

[BUZZBAR]

Work for Hawkesworth!!! No mate , used too but not now. Still think what you are saying regarding class 2 is bolox. I have worked with many pat testers over the years some good and some bad.If you knew Hawkesworth engineers you may have come across C.C. who is by far their best engineer(by the book) , I have worked with him many times and never have I seen him or anyone else use a probe on class 2.So if you were to test a class2 table lamp were would you put your probe?If you were to test a class2 glue gun were would you put your probe?.....and don't tempt me!