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bahco

hi guys

havnt been on this site for quite a while had internet problems seems like loads of new members....anyway to the point

ive got my 2330 level 2 and im half way through my level 3, ive got my 17th edition.

im currently working for a guy who pays me £6.20 a hour and i basically run his business for him, he works at a college 3 days a week teaching the other 2 days he shys out of work.

i go to the jobs price them sort them test them certificate them the lot, all we do is domestic work and most of the stuff i find i can do no problems fault finding takes me a while but i dont do that much.

i rung the nic last week because i felt used and wanted to go on my own, told them the qualifications i had they said all you need is a morning assesment if you pass your a member.

they said i needed one big job and one small job to show the assesor, ive wired my own extension which is quite large so that classes as a big job.

anyway the point im getting at is im not sure if im 100% confident i can go it alone..... there will allways be something you havnt done before etc i just dont want to look stupid and think im not ready for this yet

do i wait longer and try and gain more experience or jump in and try my best alone?

i know lads who know less than me with no qualifications on there own and they seem to do well......anyway what do you think guys?

thanks

sorry for the long post lol
 
Go on do it!!! If you dont you will spend the rest of your life thinking - what if.

Life is full of regrets - most of which are missed oportunities.
 
the fact you are asking advise tells me you have gave this a lot of thought
there will be things come up you have never done before but that is the way of this game if it works out (witch i think it will) then great if not i am sure
you can do better than you are now give it a go and goodluck
 
I hope this reply helps, i have been working for a local contractor working in the building trade for 15 years, great life, hard work but good money; thought i would be working for them forever, early this year knew something was going wrong in the building trade so had to decide, work for someone else or work for myself, i did the same thing every day for fifteen years, decided to go it alone, brought a van, tester updated qualifications and joined nic, asessment end of this month, few adverts in the paper and bingo; within 3 months am now earning good living.

Yes there are plenty of things i have never come across but if you ask people at the wholesalers, fellow sparks if you know any and especially people on this forum you can get through anything, and remember if you really aint sure quote ridiculous amount or tell them you booked for six weeks, normally this puts them off.

I can honestly say if i had known it was going to be this good i would have done it years ago, do not be fooled it is really hard work, you work in the day and quote at night, but you are doing it for you and not some muppet boss.

Good luck, remember not to have any regrets, if it goes ---- up just go work for someone else.
 
I hope this reply helps, i have been working for a local contractor working in the building trade for 15 years, great life, hard work but good money; thought i would be working for them forever, early this year knew something was going wrong in the building trade so had to decide, work for someone else or work for myself, i did the same thing every day for fifteen years, decided to go it alone, brought a van, tester updated qualifications and joined nic, asessment end of this month, few adverts in the paper and bingo; within 3 months am now earning good living.

Yes there are plenty of things i have never come across but if you ask people at the wholesalers, fellow sparks if you know any and especially people on this forum you can get through anything, and remember if you really aint sure quote ridiculous amount or tell them you booked for six weeks, normally this puts them off.

I can honestly say if i had known it was going to be this good i would have done it years ago, do not be fooled it is really hard work, you work in the day and quote at night, but you are doing it for you and not some muppet boss.

Good luck, remember not to have any regrets, if it goes ---- up just go work for someone else.

Must say how reassuring this is to hear. I too am at a crossroads but what with the current economic status and the way the building game is I think I might be mad to even consider setting up alone. Problem is I dont think im going to have much choice in the matter.

Local authority who I was working for through an agency have had to let me go, along with other tradesmen from various agencies. Knock on effect after the councils money got lost/frozen in that Icelandic bank saga, £15 million in total.

Bit p!ssed off to say the least, I was close to completing the current contract which I personally started back in June with a view to have work on another 100 properties. Works been a joy and my evenings and weekends have been full of private work.

Now ive just my private work keeping me ticking along. I think the time might not be right to start up but when is? Go for it I say, im gunna.
 
thanks for all the replys lads

i guess the thing im really worried about is if and when i decide who to go with nic or napit, is the asesment what if im not as good as i thought...dont wanna look a dick in front of the guy and knock my confidence.

its all a big learning curve, im sick of busting my arse for peanuts for my boss who treats me like ****

thanks again
 
There is a thread on here somewhere about what questions have been asked on assessments. Have a good troll through and you will find other threads that will help. Remember the assessor is not there to trip you up he is checking your competency and will help and point you in the right direction.

I know how you feel about setting up on your own, i was in the same boat 10 years ago now i have a successful business and employ 5 people. Go for it, as others have said, if it goes ---- up you can always go back employed.
 
Some good advise on here, cant realy add any more.

If you dont do it, you will spend the rest of your life wondering 'What if......'

The worst that could happen is you get a bad debt early on, so protect the downside by getting some money behind you, or dont take on too bigger jobs until you are a bit more established.
 
do i wait longer and try and gain more experience or jump in and try my best alone?

Looks like your on your own anyway..the only thing your not doing is reaping in the financial benefits....I can't see the risk £6.20/hr is almost minimum wage so if it does go all wrong you could easily find another job
that pays more than your on now...I guess

As for gaining more experience, if ya boss isn't there then you must be gaining the experience on your own anyway..(if that makes sense)

Its a no brainer, go for it and good luck!!!!
 
join nappit and they throw in a free two trade assement prior to onsite visit to make sure you up to scratch gives you a good insight into what the inspector is looking for
 
Get in with the ££££££ clients as soon as possible. Make them feel your a real pro and they will recomend you on to their friends . Do not give too much financial credit at first. Stage payments and fast payments are a absolute must these days.
 
a very reassuring thread!

after getting made redundant a few months ago i have gone self employed and im subcontracting, ive started getting the odd call from friends of friends to do the odd job but i keep putting it off as i dont have any test gear etc.

all crap excuses really! so im gonna try and do a little more private work (minor) and go from there! ive put the car up for sale so i can buy a van and hopefully have a bit of cash left over for a fluke 1651.

then its just 17th ed and nappit.

the other thing that i always worry about (dont laugh!) is not having a tall enough pair of steps, i live in brighton and alot of the places have VERY tall ceilings!
 
many thanks for all the help guys, sorry its took so long for me to reply

im going to have a think about it for a few more days lol then make my decision

thanks again
 
im self employed.

its hard work, your phone drives you mad people think hey own you, holidays are a myth big gordon brown nails your --- down, when your van engine gos pop its down to you to fix it.

i done it now since 1995 so i guess its okay, but its a big commitment.

van
tools
enrolment to scheme
insurance
advertising

good luck
 
i went with elecsa,they only (?) charged 520 ish with vat. the assessor who came round was pleased i i was a time served spark. (instead of the 5 minute wonders).he gave me plenty of pointers. i've spent a few quid (17th ed update,tester,van lease.certs,etc) but its been worth it. i spent 5 years at heathrow(like prison) prior to going alone but so so so glad i did. good luck
 
Some true and good advice.........so what could I add?

Well if you are serious about going it alone, find yourself a good accountant early because any money that you do earn you want to keep and not give away to Mr. Taxman! :)
 
some good advice, if i were you i would ask for a payrise to coincide with your wage, anything from £10 - £15 per hour, (domestic and employed i would say £12 is realistic though this could vary by location). if your current employer doesn't agree that you are worth these rates then i'd swallow my pride for a while, get some business cards made up in your own name and hand these out to his clients as you're doing the job, build up a rapport with them, when you get calls in on your personal mobile do them for cash and better rates.

once you're getting plenty of calls on your mobile for private cash jobs then i would say that you're in a position to go out on your own.

it's not very nice for your present employer but if he is really treating you so harshly then perhaps you can put it down to karma.

i would personally recommend setting yourself up as a limited company, the tax benefits if you work the system properly and have a good accountant far outweigh being self employed IMO
 

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