I cant see any logic in going back on the books these days , when it comes to the crunch your just a number and easily off loaded as anyone and when you are offloaded you enter the rat race of looking for decent job.i dont know any gas engineers down the merchants that are content in the work they do .
I couldn't agree more. The only happy people I see when I go the merchants are the self employed or people who work for smaller family run firms. The blokes who work for the larger firms just whine, and I don't blame them really, I've been there done that and got the t shirt.
The employed folk seem to be rushed off their feet and get given stupid jobs late in the day. The last time I was in the merchants I was chatting to a bloke picking up two rads that had to fit that day, and this was at half four. I'd popped in for a can of coal paint and a coffee. I got in the van and had a little smile to myself. I'm glad I don't have to put up with that stuff anymore.
I like the way I work being a contractor and subbing from place to place, ok sometimes I have to work late because the office cocks up but it's few and far between, but at the end of the day when the office call and ask me to do a late job at least I have the choice to say no. I never do as I like my job and I've been looked after at the few places I've contracted, but my point is that it doesn't happen everyday and if it does its my choice weather I do or not.
One of the best things I've seen happen when I worked on the books was that the office staff came out with an engineer to see what we did and the engineers spent a day in the office seeing what they did. There was a new found respect between the the two parties and work was a lot better from them on, then six weeks later we lost our jobs but a happy medium can be found. A lot of office staff thing we just sit in the van all day reading the paper and taking the preverbial and a lot of us think that office staff are just pen pushers who sit behind a desk all day drinking coffee and Internet shopping.
I personally think that every engineer should have his or her own gas safe registration and work off that and maybe all be self employed in this game. I think it would eliminate a lot of dodgy work and wages would increase that way.
The thing is with work at the moment is there is a lot of people chasing not many jobs and companies know this and will take the Micky to get staff at Lower rates and conditions. I saw a job advertised in Birmingham the other day that was PAYE and 17k a year service only but you had to have your own van and pay your own fuel.
If anyone takes this job they don't deserve any respect in my opinion and don't know how to play the game. I could earn 17k contracting round here in 5/6 months and still have to pay my own fuel and van costs then have six months at home sitting doing nothing and still earn what the other job pays in a year. But the sad fact is someone will take this job and sit there getting raped everyday for a salary I could earn in tescos.
But at the end o the day people have to eat and will do what they have to to get by, I personally happy the way I'm working and know that if there was no contracting work about, I could easily earn in 8 months what I'd earn on the cards so ill take my chances. I know id rather work 8 months for 32k than work 12 months for it, and have to do call outs and evenings and weekends.
I have given some thought into go back on the cards, but then I think WHY? I think being self employed shows you another side to working life and I think once you've done it there's no going back, but I'm happy and ultimately that's what matters. I know the risks associated with self employment, but I'm a betting man and ill take my chances.
