Are all cards-in jobs now basically slave labour?

[Electrics]

For you guys out in the trenches, are electricians being paid less?

I look through job postings regularly and it seems now even in bigger cities like Manchester and London that electricians are being paid rubbish salaries. They seem to actually be going down. £15-18 an hour for people with every qualification going? £35k a year pre-tax? Some as little as £28k a year.

These wages are rubbish but i've yet to see a single cards-in job on the likes of Indeed that are £40-50k a year +. I mean yeah if they're paying for all your gear, testing equipment, PPE, workwear, van etc then fair enough, but they're not.

Where have all the higher paying jobs gone? Or are they now solely the reserve of the self-employed?

 

[Strima]

I was offered a QS/supervisors role for by previous employer, they offfered me £8k under the national average, needless to say I'm not there anymore.

Contracting isn't much better at the minute.

Put it this way, next month I'm moving to three days a week and will be out of this game in the next twelve months, working in McDonalds looks a better option at the minute.

 

[Electrics]

I was offered a QS/supervisors role for by previous employer, they offfered me £8k under the national average, needless to say I'm not there anymore.

Contracting isn't much better at the minute.

Put it this way, next month I'm moving to three days a week and will be out of this game in the next twelve months, working in McDonalds looks a better option at the minute.

It's genuinely that bad?

In my situation i've done the online benefits calculator and with 3 kids and just me working for less than minimum wage (so say equivalent of £9 an hour for say 15 hours a week) the government will top us up to £26k a year.

Hardly seems worth working at all full time unless you can go it alone and charge £30-50 an hour.

 

[rapparee]

I was offered a QS/supervisors role for by previous employer, they offfered me £8k under the national average, needless to say I'm not there anymore.

Contracting isn't much better at the minute.

Put it this way, next month I'm moving to three days a week and will be out of this game in the next twelve months, working in McDonalds looks a better option at the minute.

What's the national average?

I haven't heard

 

[Gavin John Hyde]

I have been looking at hourly rates to work out what to pay people as I am at the point of recruiting, will have no choice if I win some tenders... The rates on offer per hour has surprised me as lower than expected, I was thinking at least £20 per hour - but it seems most adverts are around £15-18 ph... for a sparks as has already been said.
At same time I have seen adverts for sparks mates on that and know first hand of labourers being paid £180 per day.
It really does seem to be down to the company.

 

[Electrics]

I have been looking at hourly rates to work out what to pay people as I am at the point of recruiting, will have no choice if I win some tenders... The rates on offer per hour has surprised me as lower than expected, I was thinking at least £20 per hour - but it seems most adverts are around £15-18 ph... for a sparks as has already been said.
At same time I have seen adverts for sparks mates on that and know first hand of labourers being paid £180 per day.
It really does seem to be down to the company.

I think there's a small chance that companies are advertising rubbish wages to chance their arm. I know American job adverts do this quite often - if they're willing to pay you say $55 an hour they will put the job posting at $35-45/hr.

I guess one could always try to do some negotiating.

Wages seem terrible tbh at least compared to all the stuff you need. Plasterers need a drill, a paddle, a bucket, and 2 trowels. Harder graft yeah but still.

 

[telectrix]

my lad chucked his job of 6 years the other week. (skilled electrical work on 34 tonners, cabs and trailers, wiring cameras, tail lifts, electronics etc.). pay was just under £10/hour. he's now on his own, private domestic jobs and some subbing, earns in 2 days what his job paid him a week. ( he's still not getting my 1721. MFT while I is still breathing though. he''l have to manage with the 1553) . ?

 

[Strima]

What's the national average?

I haven't heard

At the time the role attracted £40k, that's as QS and managing 15 sparks, customer quotes, daily admin, overtime etc.

I would have took less but they tried to take the p!$$.

 

[Electrics]

At the time the role attracted £40k, that's as QS and managing 15 sparks, customer quotes, daily admin, overtime etc.

I would have took less but they tried to take the p!$$.

Never accept salaries, they're a way of getting you to do more hours for less pay.

My old dear, God rest her, was on nearly £100k a year for '40 hours' but the role meant it couldn't be done properly if you were putting in less than about 80. She used to leave at 5am and get back at 8pm after driving about all day (regional director role). We worked out after tax for her proper hourly rate she was on something daft like £14 an hour.

Seeing £30k a year being deducted from your wages is pretty brutal too.

 

[David Prosser]

Depends on what you do I guess. there are plenty of jobs £40K plus with all the kit included. Most of the electricians I work with will be closer to (or over) £50K but it only advertised at £32-35K as that's the base payment beofre any extras such as overtime or call outs.

 

[Gavin John Hyde]

I get emails from an agency with cvs attached.
Some of what they are asking seems high.
This is for people just fitting ev chargers...
Not overly complex. Some looking for 45k a year....
Had other week, only had 18th, 2382, 2392 and 2391 plus ev installation quals. 3 years experience asking for 35k.... Basically did short course plus 2391....
Thing is some of these national firms will pay it in exchange for 2 installs per day.

 

[LukeD]

100% private domestic work is the easiest route and good money

 

[Megawatt]

What's the national average?

I haven't heard

I do all my work by myself and charge $ 60.00 hour for jobs and $ 100.00 for service calls plus parts. The problem is that you can’t hardly find electrical parts you need. This is in the US though

 

[UNG]

I get emails from an agency with cvs attached.
Some of what they are asking seems high.
This is for people just fitting ev chargers...
Not overly complex. Some looking for 45k a year....
Had other week, only had 18th, 2382, 2392 and 2391 plus ev installation quals. 3 years experience asking for 35k.... Basically did short course plus 2391....
Thing is some of these national firms will pay it in exchange for 2 installs per day.

Even the quality of CV's is going downhill, they look like they may be professionally produced without the professionalism that you would expect
Out of those four CV's I doubt I would actually offer any of them a job if I had a post to fill as they all were lacking

 

[Dustydazzler]

A mate of mine is the main electrician cards for a leisure company that has a bunch of gyms, pools, sports halls etc
He is cards in on £18,000 (he even uses his own car to get from job to job and just claims mileage)

Been with them since he was 17 he is my age 43

He is a good sparks who I have used to help me do some rewires years ago

I keep telling him he is a mug and could earn 3 times that out on his own in the domestic market

but he has some weird bling loyalty to the company which i will never understand

 

[Dustydazzler]

my lad chucked his job of 6 years the other week. (skilled electrical work on 34 tonners, cabs and trailers, wiring cameras, tail lifts, electronics etc.). pay was just under £10/hour. he's now on his own, private domestic jobs and some subbing, earns in 2 days what his job paid him a week. ( he's still not getting my 1721. MFT while I is still breathing though. he''l have to manage with the 1553) . ?

HE will have your veto pac and epic screwdriver collection if you arent careful ?

 

[Electrics]

A mate of mine is the main electrician cards for a leisure company that has a bunch of gyms, pools, sports halls etc
He is cards in on £18,000 (he even uses his own car to get from job to job and just claims mileage)

Been with them since he was 17 he is my age 43

He is a good sparks who I have used to help me do some rewires years ago

I keep telling him he is a mug and could earn 3 times that out on his own in the domestic market

but he has some weird bling loyalty to the company which i will never understand

That is absolutely scandalous. You literally get more on the dole if you've got a wife and kids and work minimum wage.

He's being treated like that because he's happy being treated like that. Fair play to him if he's happy with his lot but for me, it just drags down the rest of the industry as soon as anyone agrees to work for that little money.

 

[Electrics]

Like do a calculation at entitledto. If you work 40 hours a week on an apprentice's wage of £4.30 an hour and have a wife and 2 kids, the govt top you up to £26k a year AFTER TAX.

 

[LukeD]

That is absolutely scandalous. You literally get more on the dole if you've got a wife and kids and work minimum wage.

He's being treated like that because he's happy being treated like that. Fair play to him if he's happy with his lot but for me, it just drags down the rest of the industry as soon as anyone agrees to work for that little money.

This !!! Most domestic cleaners in london are on £15 cash a hour and can do 8-10 hours a day every day. I know one that has been for 4 years and is having a 6 bedroom / 5 bathroom very nice house built in a good part of Romania . If someone has trained or studied and wants to take home peanuts , then thats their issue

 

[Electrics]

This !!! Most domestic cleaners in london are on £15 cash a hour and can do 8-10 hours a day every day. I know one that has been for 4 years and is having a 6 bedroom / 5 bathroom very nice house built in a good part of Romania . If someone has trained or studied and wants to take home peanuts , then thats their issue

It boils me though because if everyone refused the crap wages they'd have to put them up.