what is your target salary as a spark???

[tuckerkop81]

Right, bit of a sensitive subject here guys.....

How much money are you guys looking to earn, im not asking how much you earn now but would like to know what is your target that youd be HAPPY with ( realisticly ). Im asking as i find this quite interesting, some people are very happy with plodding along with life earning 12k, whereas some people would be over the moon with 18k.

Ill start to get the ball rolling.

As im unemployed right now, a cup of tea and a hobnob.
5 years down the line, with experience and qualifications complete 40 - 60k.

Thanks

 

[Kevin]

I have posted this once before on another thread, but things are not as good down in South Wales, I've been doing it for 4 years.

2330 level 3, 2382 17th edition, 2377 PAT Testing, 2391 Inspection and Testing, AM2 and finally finished My NVQ Level 3.

All courses been paid for myself bar my apprenticeship. so over £1000 in all! I'm very hard work and I feel my quality of work is the best! So here we go: I work a 40 hour week at £6.50 an hour, no pension, No van... Nothing. Not a happy electrician at the moment!

!!! You need to have a word, thats terrible, my apprentice is almost on that, and is only halfway through his 2330 and NVQ.

 

[i=p/u]

well i go to tech 1 day per week and throw up odd light which is at least£20 change switches and sockets for £10 and clean windows and earn on a day £20 a hour. i would not work for someone for £6 per hour and show them loyalty.

 

[SirKit Breaker]

Self Employed and my break even is £217.75 per week. I earn a lot more. But as long as i break even we can use the wifes monthly wage for spends. Hence some of my other posts regarding working when i want etc etc.

Cheers...........Howard

 

[Newsome3]

Self Employed and my break even is £217.75 per week. I earn a lot more. But as long as i break even we can use the wifes monthly wage for spends. Hence some of my other posts regarding working when i want etc etc.

Cheers...........Howard

What line you mainly do?
Domestic, commercial?

 

[robsparky1975]

most ive ever earned..... $2500 Aus dollars per week after tax ( rio tinto iron ore mine , yandi , northern australia) 7-12's
self employed house bashing at the min - work as hard as I did in the mines for sod all, be lucky to have cleared 20k over the year.
am ditching it hopefully very soon to go to iraq for a year, on returning im going to specialise in something, be it motor controls, gate automation or home automation or depending how many companies have sprung up PV

there is NO money in house bashing - Im totaly over it

yep deffo house bashing finished with,too many sparks have spoiled the broth,i think even though you have not cleared much is it not your first or 2nd year on your own,i think you have probably done better than most in such a short time,i bet the pv courses are gonna be packed out soon.

 

[robsparky1975]

right - One main reason I started this thread was to see if i were expecting too much and if my ambition met reality, after these few posts I see i am way off. However, I did not go to college for 3 years, plus no doubt another at least a years worth of studying ( 2391, part P, GNVQ 3 ) to earn less than 30odd k. If im honest i think id rather study for longer to reach my goals.

One thing that i find strange, the salary that sparks earn vary from one scale to the other extremely, and the qualifications arent on ratio with them.

what does make you laugh though is all these courses and the internet displaying"get qualified as an electrician and earn 56k average a year",ha working for a firm on the cards i doubt it.

 

[Mark_Burgess]

Self Employed and my break even is £217.75 per week. I earn a lot more. But as long as i break even we can use the wifes monthly wage for spends. Hence some of my other posts regarding working when i want etc etc.

Cheers...........Howard

I pretty much work the same as Howard at the moment, main reason is with my back problem.

When I am fitter again, will aim for £30 - 35k again.

 

[robsparky1975]

!!! You need to have a word, thats terrible, my apprentice is almost on that, and is only halfway through his 2330 and NVQ.

sorry but someone is taking this p out of you.get yourself with the JIB and ask for some money,i had the same sort of thing albeit in 2004,i was on £7 an hour as an improver,when all certs and 2391 etc i asked for payrise,didnt expect full rate,just a £2 an hour rise,they offered me crap i said stuff it,and i know its a recession and jobs are thin on the ground,but whoever you work for are taking all the money from your hard work,i hate to see people taken advantage of,have a look at JIB website 2010/2011 rates,see where you are on the chart and try and see what you can get.

 

[cdavies33]

Thanks, thats exactly the plan. I only just finished my NVQ level 3, so now just waiting for that to get approved and I'm off! Not even gonna give him the chance! Its the same throughout the company, the highest paid spark there is on £9.50 an hour and he got all the quals. I never seen such a good electrician, he's example for all of us and such a good grafter with quality results in his work. The man literally does not stop!!! I think there one thing all the sparks are missing that I work with...... A brain and thats includes me!! lol

 

[alarm man]

Thanks for the the advise, I've just been sitting in this job waiting for all my quals to come along and now I just waiting for my NVQ to be assessed. when thats approved I will move wherever the money is really! so can't wait!

your dreaming mate,its not the 70's anymore,you go where the work is now not where the money is..if you want to earn more than 30k expect to put the hours in,except theres not enough work where theres unlimited overtime,expect to come back to earth with a big bump.

 

[cdavies33]

your dreaming mate,its not the 70's anymore,you go where the work is now not where the money is..if you want to earn more than 30k expect to put the hours in,except theres not enough work where theres unlimited overtime,expect to come back to earth with a big bump.

Who the hell said anything about 30k??????? and I won't be coming back to earth with a big bump as I don't think a spark can get paid less than £6.50 an hour! Read the rest of the thread before you throw you weight around.

If the money isn't there, I'll stay put thank you!

 

[alarm man]

Who the hell said anything about 30k??????? and I won't be coming back to earth with a big bump as I don't think a spark can get paid less than £6.50 an hour! Read the rest of the thread before you throw you weight around.

If the money isn't there, I'll stay put thank you!

sorry boss..

 

[somersetsparks]

I am only going by what i read on this forum, i am nearing the end of my quals and am unsure what route to take. Many people have stated that as cheap labour has come and the state of the climate house bashing is hard to get at a good rate as youll just lose the job.

Well there is money to be made in house clouting, many people on here do and I think in a couple years things will proably better.

I think it comes down to what you want to do really, Do you want to be shifting furniture, bashing walls etc.
Do you want to be on big sites getting herded like sheep (sometimes!)?

Personally, I hate house bashing but some people like it. On the other hand, I like big jobs but they can be very repetitive, I spend months doing nothing other then tube and trunking or just rack and traywork etc.
Its up to you mate and what you want to do, I think theres a living for you whatever path you choose.

 

[Newsome3]

Most of my mates that are sparks say I'm sick cos I love house bashing and would choose it over any commercial work

 

[robsparky1975]

a qualified electrician getting paid £9.50 an hour,thats just sick