What to do - shoddy mentor/supervisor

[Mushybees]

Hello all, I was wondering if you would be so kind as to check out my little dilemma and offer a bit of advice.

I'm 25 and fought tooth and nail to find an apprenticeship with a local firm. After six months i'm finding that the guy I work with is sloppy and lacking in a lot of basic plumbing knowledge.
I know people tend to develop habits and get stuck in their ways but this guy is only 22, having finished his apprenticeship 3 years ago.

Just this week he had me:

-Tee into the bottom of the cold feed to the cylinder in order to drop down and feed the hot to a washing machine. He said it'll work and he "doesn't have time to mess about".
-Tee into two central heating pipes to feed the flow and return to a new rad even though he didn't know which was which and didn't care. Luckily he popped out so I got permission from the home owner to pull up the carpet and floor boards to trace them.
-Tried to make me use leaded solder on the feed to a basin and bath. He not only didn't know you can't use leaded solder on potable water but he didn't know what potable meant.

I know no one wants an apprentice who thinks he's a smart arse and doesn't know when to shut up so i've kept my head down and done what's been asked of me but it's starting to concern me a little.
My problem is I know I have to have a word with the boss so I can work with one of the other guys but, without good reason, they won't switch me and I don't want to drop anyone in it.
The guy I work with has been pulled up on his time keeping and other things loads of times and I really don't want to make things worse.

Any ideas how to deal with it? I don't want to come across as a troublemaker and I don't want to get anyone's back up.
What would you do in my shoes?

Cheers and sorry if I rambled on.

 

[gas4you]

Unfortunately only you can decide in the end.

Personally I would tell him that if he can't be bothered to do it properly then **** off and get another job, but then I have never been known for my tact and diplomacy.

The main thing is that YOU know what is right and that not to follow his bodging

 

[corgiman]

This is a hard one.

Have you spoken to any other chaps on the firm? do they rate him?

 

[Mushybees]

Thanks for the replies.

The main thing is that YOU know what is right and that not to follow his bodging

True enough, i've heared it said you can even learn from a bad example.
The only problem is when I get into things i'm not too sure of myself and he's my only point of reference.

This is a hard one.

Have you spoken to any other chaps on the firm? do they rate him?

There are three other guys.
One does showers constantly and might have been sat on the same pirch for too long. He doesn't know much about how the other blokes work.
The second is related to the fella I work with and has an apprentice of his own (who is coming on leaps and bounds). I've obviously never brought it up with him.
The third plumber thinks the other three are a waste of space and he's not very well received because of it

I find the place quite cliquey so it's probably a shining commendation. That said he may not be very happy having to take on an apprentice as he can be a bit aloof.
I think that's probably the biggest hurdle I face. Trying to get my point across to my boss so he realises he has to put up with the available plumber whinging because I have no one else to work with.
All the while I have to be careful not to stitch anyone up.

 

[corgiman]

My Advice is to use what you have gained where you are and get out ASAP

any experiance you have gain will help you get on with a less cowboyish firm.

In the mean time keep it shut and look elsewhere

 

[daytona]

i would get in with the third bloke.somethings stopping him getting along with the others(proffesionaly).he may be shirty,but at least you will know where you stand.some people(myself included)will call a spade a spade,not a shovel.

 

[saxondale]

the boss knows, he isnt bothered - get out and use what you`ve already gained to get another place

 

[Mushybees]

With regards to getting out of here my hands are a little tied. The firm pays a lot more than any other within 20 miles and I have a mortgage and every other conceivable bill to pay
I work nights in a supermarket on weekends just to stay afloat, with even a small drop in pay i'm up the swaney.

I think the boss is just a bit soft to be honest, the guy I work with runs rings around him with employee's rights and all that lark. I think he's fed up with the deadwood working here and wants to improve the workforce. He took me on (which at my age is a bit of a gamble) and he was adamant that both myself and the other apprentice get our level 3 NVQ so he must have plans for us beyond muddling along like the rest.

I'm gonna have a word with him tomorrow and lay it out straight. Worst case is he tells someone and it gets back to the guys. I'll just have to work with the moody fecker then

Cheers lads.

 

[corgiman]

With regards to getting out of here my hands are a little tied. The firm pays a lot more than any other within 20 miles and I have a mortgage and every other conceivable bill to pay .

well you pays your money and you takes your choice

I would shut the hell up and lay in the bed you obvious want to be in

And do you really think that if it gets back to that moron you are working with that all he will be is Moody with you???

if that was the case why lay your soul open on a forum if thats all you think he would do.

Also if you cannot afford to be a plumber, or train to be a plumber might it be worth thinking that you should not BE a plumber?

or are you expecting your wages to be delivered in a wheel barrow once you get that bit of paper?

if so you are wrong

sorry



Sorry for the rant but if you cannot move on you, and as saxondale and you say the guv'nor knows about this numpty nugget and accepts him what the heck do you expect you will get but bursting the bubble?

 

[Mushybees]

And do you really think that if it gets back to that moron you are working with that all he will be is Moody with you???

The moody bloke I was referring to is the plumber that doesn't get on with the rest, not the guy I work with now.
If it got back to him he'd be furious [EDIT - I meant the guy I work with here, not the other plumber. He'd probably pat me on the back]. If that was an option I was happily willing to accept I could have solved my conundrum a long time ago without having to trouble you.
As it stands that may be my only course of action. I'm a grown man so I can deal with the fallout though I don't relish the thought of getting someone else in trouble.

Also if you cannot afford to be a plumber, or train to be a plumber might it be worth thinking that you should not BE a plumber?

By that rationale we should never strive to be anything if it isn't handed to us. Everything that's worth anything is hard to obtain.
If the solution was as simple as changing firms I wouldn't have asked a group of strangers for their advice. I'm not that guy.

At my age my best/only route into an apprenticeship was to go to college and do the tech cert full time for a year. To do that i've had to swallow my pride, forgo all my free time for two/three years and stack shelves like a teenager. So no, it's not worth thinking.
I could conceivably look elsewhere but then i'd have to work full time as an apprentice, work nights at weekends and on top of that work at some kind of evening job to cover the shortfall.
Why would I opt for that if there is a possibility I could work with someone else in the firm I currently work for?

or are you expecting your wages to be delivered in a wheel barrow once you get that bit of paper?

I'm not quite sure what you mean.
I'm expecting after i've finished my apprenticeship i'll no longer be earning less than minimum wage at the very least.


You're right, i've made my choices and i'm going to have to stick with them. It's nice to say jack it all in and go somewhere else but you are looking at it from the other side of the fence.
In an ideal world there would be loads of plumbers looking for eager apprentices regardless of their age or the cost to hire them. Unfortunately this is the real world and some of us have to play the cards we're dealt.

I'm going to do what I have to do to make the most of what I have, I was hoping someone might have been in a similar situation and know a more tactful way of dealing with it but alas no.

Thanks for the advice.


EDITED to clear up any confusion.

 

[corgiman]

I do apologize My rant was uncallled for

Why not try looking around for alternative employ, you have a bit more of what employers are looking for now, experiance.

got to worth a shot as IMHO saying anything in such a small firm is bound to cause you ballache.

 

[Thermo]

Why not tactfully ask to be put with one of the other guys so that you get a good all round experiance. Surely you must get some sort of review as an apprentice to see how you are getting on. Could you not point it out there?

 

[Mushybees]

I do apologize My rant was uncallled for

Why not try looking around for alternative employ, you have a bit more of what employers are looking for now, experiance.

got to worth a shot as IMHO saying anything in such a small firm is bound to cause you ballache.

No need to apologise, you're advice would be correct in 99% of similar cases and at the least it's opened my eyes to the fact that other people would feel just as strongly about it as I do.

I was going to have a word with the boss today but heeded your warning and kept schtum. Instead I asked if I can work with another plumber under the guise that I can see how they all work.
In the mean time I'm going get friendly with the other plumbers I bump into in the merchants and quietly look for somewhere else.
I may not find it so hard finding somewhere from the inside.

Cheers again,

Tony.

 

[Mushybees]

Why not tactfully ask to be put with one of the other guys so that you get a good all round experiance. Surely you must get some sort of review as an apprentice to see how you are getting on. Could you not point it out there?

I was supposed to have a review after the first month then at 3 month intervals after that. Haven't had one yet in 6 months
Starting monday I'm working with the apparently cranky plumber but after speaking to him I've found him quite friendly. Just a little jaded but what goes on here.

Maybe things will look up from here on in but i'll keep an eye open for other places.


Thanks for your help and keep up the posting fellas. You'd be surpised how much i've learnt by lurking on this forum

 

[Thermo]

i think that says a bit about the boss and the firm then! I reguarly have reviews with my apprentices, and i certainly want to know if somethings not right

Learn what you can and keep your eyes open as you say. Good luck with the new guy, hell probably be alright once he knows youre ok