What are good employed GSR engineers being paid these days?

[CG44]

I've spent most my 20 year career self employed but for the past few years have been employed as a service and breakdown engineer.

I shut my firm and joined a bigger firm to help kick their service department into shape and get it running slick and efficient - which it is now. Lots of promises have been made and broken in that time by the owner regards pay/bonus/OT/responsibility etc.

I think I'm being sold short for what I do. I take home £20k and have a van + fuel supplied by the firm have to work pretty hard for that - 10+ breakdowns and or services a day all day every day. I'm pretty good at what I do too so they tend to pile the work on thick.

I need to negotiate a better deal or get out of there back into self employment but don't really know what a good GSR engineer earns in employment.

Any thoughts?

 

[firemant]

The companies that pay £25000 per year are not charging £75 every hour.going on your assumption that it generates £3000 a week.
A guy on 32,000 will generally be charged out at 45 first hour, then 34 from then on. A day rate would be worked on £32 per hour for a 8 hour priced day.

I don't see how you can possibly state that with such implied authority. A boss's job is to maximise income and minimise expenditure. Some will apply that to the fullest extent that customers and employees will allow.

 

[CG44]

I don't see how you can possibly state that with such implied authority. A boss's job is to maximise income and minimise expenditure. Some will apply that to the fullest extent that customers and employees will allow.

Typically the minimum price on my head is £65 per job and I do 7 calls a day on a slack day, and I rarely have slack days. We are often made to fit used parts that he'll happily bill out as new.

Like today I just swapped a main heat exchanger on a Vaillant. I was given a used one taken from an old boiler we took out of somewhere. The customer left the quote stuck on the boiler. £300. I was there 30-40 mins doing the job that was my 7th job of the day. Right now I'm being pressed to work over and 'just' re route a cold main a few metres feeding a block of flats. He'll probably slip me an extra tenner in my pay packet.

I'm about ready to rip his throat out and feed it back to him.

There is maximising profit, which im all for, and there is taking the pish out of customers and staff.

Roll on self employment!

 

[Rob876]

I used to get 26k gross as a delivery driver, Gas engineers surely should get paid more? Seems unfair considering the skill you have and high safety aspect!

 

[Stigster]

We are often made to fit used parts that he'll happily bill out as new.

Like today I just swapped a main heat exchanger on a Vaillant. I was given a used one taken from an old boiler we took out of somewhere.

Blimey! I've very rarely used a "second hand" 22mm service valve in good nick when I've been in a pinch on the very rare occasion but what your boss is doing is downright out of order, criminal even.

 

[Harvest Fields]

I do not for any second hand parts. I have a rep to protect.

 

[CG44]

Blimey! I've very rarely used a "second hand" 22mm service valve in good nick when I've been in a pinch on the very rare occasion but what your boss is doing is downright out of order, criminal even.

Last year he gave me a 'new' (clearly used) electric shower to fit. The box was a bit dusty because it had 'been on the shelf for 6 months'. I fitted it and it didn't work.

Customer called Mira warranty line and it turns out that particular shower model went out of production 10 years ago...

The customer quite rightly went ape. Pretty embarrassing tbh.

 

[CG44]

I do not for any second hand parts. I have a rep to protect.

He somehow maintains a very good reputation locally..... How, I don't know.

 

[Chuck]

Typically the minimum price on my head is £65 per job and I do 7 calls a day on a slack day, and I rarely have slack days. We are often made to fit used parts that he'll happily bill out as new.
[...]
There is maximising profit, which im all for, and there is taking the pish out of customers and staff.

There's also 'conspiracy to defraud' (Fraud Act 2006), which can win you and your boss a criminal record and possibly a spell in prison.

 

[Rob876]

Infuriating how your boss carries on, I hope he gets what he deserves.

 

[Lee Davies]

I get 40k basic, Mon-Fri, 08:00 - 17:00. After stoppages I get around 30k take home per annum.

I am going SE this year for 1) the challenge and 2) to see if I can make more money that way. (Opinions would be good on the likelihood)

I don't mean to be offensive but for 26k basic, I would expect to be working in a non-skilled job.

By the sounds of it, you know you are being had over and you're not enjoying it, so do the right thing and look around.

 

[firemant]

I get 40k basic, Mon-Fri, 08:00 - 17:00. After stoppages I get around 30k take home per annum.

I am going SE this year for 1) the challenge and 2) to see if I can make more money that way. (Opinions would be good on the likelihood)

I would guess that by working strictly 8-5 you would struggle to get much more than £40K after expenses, if you can even achieve that, assuming minimun 28 days holidays. I know I worked a lot more hours, all in - altbough if I could go back in time, I would do things differently. There is a lot of admin, quoting, courses etc. In fact, I would be surprised if there are many on your money, on the books, for a standard day. But could well be wrong.

 

[Lee Davies]

I would guess that by working strictly 8-5 you would struggle to get much more than £40K after expenses, if you can even achieve that, assuming minimun 28 days holidays. I know I worked a lot more hours, all in - altbough if I could go back in time, I would do things differently. There is a lot of admin, quoting, courses etc. In fact, I would be surprised if there are many on your money, on the books, for a standard day. But could well be wrong.

I see what you are saying.
I would be willing to work outside those hours, 100%. I only do those hours now because there is no overtime here. Contracted hours, that's that. I would be willing to do an emergency hours service Mon-Sat.

I wasn't really going self-employed to earn MORE money, but more for the experience of "Woulda, Shoulda, Coulda". I would at least like to give it a go.

There will also be the incentive of private, off books work of course which isn't an option here. not to mention tax reliefs.

I am hopefully, but is it realistic?

 

[firemant]

I see what you are saying.
I would be willing to work outside those hours, 100%. I only do those hours now because there is no overtime here. Contracted hours, that's that. I would be willing to do an emergency hours service Mon-Sat.

I wasn't really going self-employed to earn MORE money, but more for the experience of "Woulda, Shoulda, Coulda". I would at least like to give it a go.

There will also be the incentive of private, off books work of course which isn't an option here. not to mention tax reliefs.

I am hopefully, but is it realistic?[/QUOTE

Private work when SE is, err, work.
Obviously you can choose to fiddle the tax.

Tax relief: to save £20 via tax relief you have to spend an additional (roughly) £80.

Expenses are ALWAYS more than you expect.

To put SE against employed in perspective, to earn £40K in your existing 4o hours, you would have to earn £22.22 per hour, after every penny if expense has been costed. That assumes 35 days unproductive: Holidays (4 weeks plus bank hols) and a conservative 7 days spent on courses, sick, family emergency, accountant meetings etc. It also assumes you are charging for EVERY one of the 40 hours- which is unrealistic.

No personal pension is better than a company one, which is something I would urge every SE guy to consider.

All that said, being SE. gave me a good life, but longish hours. I was able to attend every school play, assembly and parent meeting for my 2 kids. It is only now as employed that I realise what a privelige that was.

So, go for it, but make sure you do a proper business plan and cash flow to work out the £££’s - and do not be afraid to charge enough.

In my experience, undercharging is the biggest downfall of new SE - but we did not have the benefit of computers and free resource like this and DIYNOT.

Good luck