I just breathed a sigh of relief that the apprentice took the hint and got a job with my roofer m8. His dad (who is a trained plumber but never set up in business, went and became a fireman instead, and continued to support he black economy) said to me last night when asking to collect his tools "I think you are expecting too much of him he's only just turned 17"
Well it's been like talking to a plank of wood for the whole year, and he doen't jump in and pick up the tool bag or have the next fitting I might need ready or anything. Sent him to cap off the open vent, and he came back "can't find the tank". When I had to leave the important work I was doing and go up three flights of staris I was little cross to find I could touch from the step ladders. This is just one of many stories, you wouldn't believe what a patent man I am.
If I ever come on here saying I've got another apprentice, someone shoot me please.
I don't know how the nation is going to fix it's float valves in 20 years time.
I have decided to give up employing other people to try and get through the huge amount of work we have to handle, because you spend even more time going round patching up and making up for their uselessness.
I think the answer lies in truning down work instead of taking it just to provide jobs for twits.
Even on the electrical side it's hopeless employing. I had a electro mechanical fitter who I paif £8 an hour, on a really good day I maybe made £2 an hour out of him, and some jobs his wages cost me £500 more than the profit on the job, I'm not kidding. He was careful and neat and safe but oh so slow, (and another thing I'm defo banning mobile phones if I ever employ again) cause he was always engaged when I phoned him. Anyhow he got a job in an agency paying £13.50 hr and seems to be geting plenty of work. Another guy came for electrical experience, he was a lilly handed office worker with 2330 a one year useless course e;ectricians like to have, but makes them of no value to me. He was absolutely hopeless. I said you can come along for experience but I can't make a penny out ofr you so you won't get any money. Never saw him again but he turned up at merchants other day, he's on £8.50 hr as electricians m8, hands still looked as useless as the day he was with me. I have to say I looked at the electrician he was standing with like you would look at a starving child, I felt his pain. Fancy having to pay that thing £8.50, unthinkable.
This might seem hard, but with all the government imposed overheads and the pressure from the oversubscription to the band of slef employed jobbing plumbers which entails there being vertual no phone calls resulting from massively overpriced flag waving advertising overheads, and the problems with theft of tools , the massive increase in the cost of the tools required for the job, and then the public psyche about us overpaid plumbers, it's not actually worth being in buseness at all.
When Matt took that job for £13.50 an hour I nearly shut up shop and went with him, and am still pondering why I am happy to earn less net of overheads for working 120 hours a week than he gets for 40 hours and he can switch off when he goes home.
It's a tough world, if we employ to train we are a charity, but we are now poor, so we can't afford charity.
Best thing for the public reading this is brush up on your diy skills and we'll just advise you in our spare time.
No ex-house bashers need apply.
