What do YOU want to earn as an Electrician

[K-Electric]

Hi there,

Have been working self employed for over a year now and sometimes still struggle with pricing,

I’m based just outside of London but sometimes go into London for jobs.

Would be nice to find what other sparks charge? Hourly/ Day rates etc.

Normally my day rates are from 200-250 depending where and my hourly is £60 for first hour and £30 subsequent.

Any advise would be appreciated!

Thanks, Kevin

 

[James]

Sounds a bit cheep to me, is your order book full? If you are to busy to deal with the work you get offered, it might be time to put your rates up.

 

[Andy78]

That's pretty much the same as my rates. I'm up in Hull with none of the expenses of living and working in and around London. I'm constantly quoting against people working much cheaper but wouldn't drop my rates and am happy with the amount of work I get.

I'd assume you are cheap for your area taking into account working and living costs.

 

[Risteard]

Way too cheap for London. I can get that in Derry (one of the European blackspots for unemployment) for God's sake!

I think you're massively undercharging.

 

[K-Electric]

Ok thanks for the feedback, thought that might be the case as I've had others say I'm too cheap.
Think maybe I should increase to £60 as a flat rate per hour.

 

[Dustydazzler]

£200 per day for London is extremely cheap , that’s cash job rate knock off at lunch time jobs...

London you have got to start charging £350 per day or if they want you by the hour it’s £90 per hour.
Heck even gardeners charge £40 per hour in the city...

 

[bill01803]

Look what Pimlico plumbers charge
Pimlico

 

[snowhead]

Increase the rate slightly for regulars, if you have any, but quote the higher prices for new customers.

 

[Zerax]

Increase the rate slightly for regulars, if you have any, but quote the higher prices for new customers.

Or do what Pimlico do... have a standard price but give regulars a discount ? The net effect is the same... but everyone loves getting a discount don't they ??

 

[Dustydazzler]

Increase the rate slightly for regulars, if you have any, but quote the higher prices for new customers.

This is very common in the trades now

A company I used to work for offer a straight 5% discount off all work for repeat business , this might not sound much but they were dealing with massive orders. I think the last job i worked on was a full re-wire of a hotel in central London and the electrical was quoted at something like £198,000

So 5% is quite a bit off the price

 

[K-Electric]

Or do what Pimlico do... have a standard price but give regulars a discount ? The net effect is the same... but everyone loves getting a discount don't they ??

Good advice, thanks ?

 

[BruceBanner]

I am same as you, but in farthest southwest. You are way to cheap.

 

[Dan]

Wow I need a job change!

 

[Andy78]

Wow I need a job change!

Just use the forum search function for "Electrical Trainee" for an informed view of re-training possibilities.

EDIT: Haha, had no idea that got filtered.

 

[Dan]

You know, I've not read a single thread in there for about, I dunno, 3 years? - because the last time I did, I thought it was spam. It had about the same amount of Chinese in it as the spam we were getting at the time lol

Hieroglyphics everywhere.

If I were going to fall back on a trade it'd be tiling. But I tell you what, in a similar thread "What are tiling rates where you are?" they average about £100 per day. And a similar one on (water) plumbers it's £150. Gas plumbers about the same as sparks it seems. Harder to bend copper pipes than cable though so I think I'd become a sparks in another life.

 

[Andy78]

You know, I've not read a single thread in there for about, I dunno, 3 years? - because the last time I did, I thought it was spam. It had about the same amount of Chinese in it as the spam we were getting at the time lol

Hieroglyphics everywhere.

If I were going to fall back on a trade it'd be tiling. But I tell you what, in a similar thread "What are tiling rates where you are?" they average about £100 per day. And a similar one on (water) plumbers it's £150. Gas plumbers about the same as sparks it seems. Harder to bend copper pipes than cable though so I think I'd become a sparks in another life.

Well up here in Yorkshire I can point you to self employed tilers on £200- £300/day and gas plumbers on £45/hour. I can also show you adverts for jobs for sparks a couple of quid above minimum wage, and quotes from self employed sparks that cut 30-40% off my prices.
My mate is a bricky and his labourer/mixer is on more than £150/day.
Your tilers and plumbers are either singing it down a bit or need to pull their socks up.

 

[Dustydazzler]

Most ceramic tilers work on a metre rate , a good experienced tiler can earn £300 per day comfortably on by the metre bathroom job in London.
Gassafe in London and you basically have your own license to print money.
You are looking at £250 for half a day for a gassafe engineer in London...

 

[Who knows]

Interesting thread.... there’s always people who quote cheaper ....so let them

 

[Dan]

Well up here in Yorkshire I can point you to self employed tilers on £200- £300/day and gas plumbers on £45/hour. I can also show you adverts for jobs for sparks a couple of quid above minimum wage, and quotes from self employed sparks that cut 30-40% off my prices.
My mate is a bricky and his labourer/mixer is on more than £150/day.
Your tilers and plumbers are either singing it down a bit or need to pull their socks up.

Check that thread on tilers mate. There isn't a tiler on the planet earning 300 a day unfortunately because some are bloody worth it mate. It's a real shame.

There are no regulations at all in the tiling trade so these reviews sites have knocked down all trades like that.

I do know Victorian geometric tilers that might reach that. But that's a totally different type of tiling. That's an art.

But north south east and west Yorkshire there are very very good tilers on 150 max. Some okay ones 100. Some go in cheap as you can on my builder and Facebook posts type tilers that aren't so good tiling for 50 quid a day.

As long as the tiles dont fall off customers can be happy with the work.

I'm helping get customers see what good tiling is with some threads and categories on there. And getting our tilers who we know are good the work from the forum.

The directory on there was established until I upgraded the forum early this year so I've had to get on their directory first. But it's working.

 

[Andy78]

Check that thread on tilers mate. There isn't a tiler on the planet earning 300 a day unfortunately because some are bloody worth it mate. It's a real shame.

There are no regulations at all in the tiling trade so these reviews sites have knocked down all trades like that.

I do know Victorian geometric tilers that might reach that. But that's a totally different type of tiling. That's an art.

But north south east and west Yorkshire there are very very good tilers on 150 max. Some okay ones 100. Some go in cheap as you can on my builder and Facebook posts type tilers that aren't so good tiling for 50 quid a day.

As long as the tiles dont fall off customers can be happy with the work.

I'm helping get customers see what good tiling is with some threads and categories on there. And getting our tilers who we know are good the work from the forum.

The directory on there was established until I upgraded the forum early this year so I've had to get on their directory first. But it's working.

Shame really to know that guys are only on that money. If the forum members speaking of that then it must show that a good proportion of them are on those wages.
I have though met plenty of tilers, plasterers, and bathroom fitters all on over £200/day, and all busy.

One tiler I know got paid for £375 for a kitchen done in brick tiles I was working on, although he provided the adhesive and grout. He was at it like a whirlwind and packed up by 2.30. Chatted to him and he said it was a good day, but not far off his standard daily wage. Another was on on around £300/day travelling the country for a posh bathroom company. That was a bit specialist though.. massive tiles they were using and they did all their own prep work getting the walls sorted beforehand.