That's me done now blah blah

[hammers4spanner]

Thats it finished as a sole trader back on the books found easy number

 

[Scott_D]

Still plumbing?

 

[hammers4spanner]

Yes still plumbing doing voids for housing association, 37 hour week no OT but 5 weeks hols and all other perks

 

[Scott_D]

Yes still plumbing doing voids for housing association, 37 hour week no OT but 5 weeks hols and all other perks

What does that involve?
Draining down and capping the meter?

 

[hammers4spanner]

Small works change flues , taps , boilers ,rads .
I know the manager said its pretty easy stuff mostly voids.
Hours are decent for the money plus it works out i can do my own small works.

 

[Millsy 82]

Thats it finished as a sole trader back on the books found easy number

You'll be back!

They all start off easy to get you on with them then all of a sudden bam back boiler out and combi in in a day!

 

[Millsy 82]

Oh and dont do what I did let everything lapse and sell your stuff like analyser etc. Costs a fortune to set back up again.

 

[hammers4spanner]

You'll be back!

They all start off easy to get you on with them then all of a sudden bam back boiler out and combi in in a day!

All combis now and they do most of the big stuff with subbies.
I know the job tbh but i defo wont be selling any kit

 

[townfanjon]

Well done pal , good decision , you can be poorly now and go on holiday knowing you are getting paid.

 

[Jim Goodenough]

All the best Hammers & Spanners!!

 

[Harvest Fields]

Still popping in on here I hope.

 

[hammers4spanner]

Who me??

 

[Harvest Fields]

Yep, you.

 

[SimonG]

Nice one, hope it goes well.

 

[hammers4spanner]

The irony is when i applied i had not much work coming in.

Now have a large extension ,3 flats to convert, 2 bathrooms and loads of little stuff ringing in lol

 

[Millsy 82]

The irony is when i applied i had not much work coming in.

Now have a large extension ,3 flats to convert, 2 bathrooms and loads of little stuff ringing in lol

You'll be back.

 

[hammers4spanner]

I hope not tbh all depends what it is like , although beating your own drum can be good at the same time it can be so troublesome.
Main reason I'm going employed is for health reduce the stress and as I'm getting older things do go wrong in your body.

So if something does happen I still get paid

 

[Millsy 82]

I hope not tbh all depends what it is like , although beating your own drum can be good at the same time it can be so troublesome.
Main reason I'm going employed is for health reduce the stress and as I'm getting older things do go wrong in your body.

So if something does happen I still get paid

Very few places unless you get on with a council pay sick pay. Apart from statutory sick pay which is less than £100.

When I went back it was good for a bit finished by 5 every night not doing prices etc when I got home my stress levels went, then when it went quiet for a couple of days instead of doing what I want you end up sat in an office doing nothing.

Or other times if you want to finish early for 1 reason or another (surf was absolutely pumping) and ask to finish at 3 because you have finished all your work and happy to go home unpaid they say we need you to go and do these 2 jobs got there and the customer didnt know I was going to them and it wasnt a desperate job, whilst on the phone to the office one of the other lazy duckwit others was back in the office from 5 minutes after I left until 4 having a cuppa and doing sweet fa then going home whilst getting paid and I'm stuck working to 5 and by the time I get out surfing all the hordes have finished work and were trying to get down to catch the last hour of daylight and surf.

Or on a Friday afternoon after you've worked your ballcocks off to get a job finished get back to the office to tidy your van out on a Friday afternoon to be asked to go and help someone who was struggling to get finished turn up they have spent the last 5 days moving a boiler 3 mtrs and it was still nowhere near finished most people would of had the job sorted in 3 days easy. Then there is a gas leak I said how was the 1st test oh I didnt do one 5.30 comes Duck this I'm off.

Once you have been self employed it's difficult to go back the worst i find is the holidays you have to give 3 weeks notice. If the forecast is good and i have a free day during the week and the family are around I'll take the day off and not worry, it makes up for the late nights sometimes.

 

[firemant]

Once you have been self employed it's difficult to go back the worst i find is the holidays you have to give 3 weeks notice. If the forecast is good and i have a free day during the week and the family are around I'll take the day off and not worry, it makes up for the late nights sometimes.

Although I get most of what you are saying, how do you have a "free day"? I never worked outside an 8 mile radius, and rarely had any "free days", unless I had booked myself out or a punter let me down, which was rare. TBF, I did a lot of small jobs and did not overload the day, but someone would always phone in with an urgency so if things went smoothly, I could do those. If the sun was out, I would do the promised jobs and probably finish earlyish.

I now work for a LA, and they would probably be awkward if I wanted to finish early to go surfin', as inevitably an urgent call would crop up. they would also be a bit puzzled, as the nearest sea is 70 miles away, and cornwall a working days drive .

But Good Luck to H&S - he may be doing the right thing. I find life is a lot less stressful, and still do the odd private, but even those are limited to small but decent paying, and only on Tuesday teatime or Friday at 1.30 . I am on my drive between 5pm and 5.05pm, and leave home at about 8.15. Lunch break every day, and finish at 1.30 on Fridays.

But there are drawbacks - the main thing being some of the morons in charge, and I struggled for the first month to get my head into the right gear, and to slow down into the new job. If I had to go back SE, I may struggle to rev back up, but not too long till I finsih anyway.

 

[hammers4spanner]

Well that lasted long back to SE it is then

 

[townfanjon]

The irony is when i applied i had not much work coming in.

Now have a large extension ,3 flats to convert, 2 bathrooms and loads of little stuff ringing in lol

Its been the weirdest trading year I can ever remember .

 

[ShaunCorbs]

Well that lasted long back to SE it is then

? lol already

 

[rpm]

Well that lasted long back to SE it is then

Err, so what broke the camels back?

 

[Millsy 82]

Well that lasted long back to SE it is then

I said you'll be back.

 

[hammers4spanner]

They fluffed up the job tbf.
They made it sound like majority of my work was gas and heating, started and its just been grotty toilets and kitchen wastes blocked.
Im not really interested doing that in my own work never mind getting pita and doing it

 

[Millsy 82]

They fluffed up the job tbf.
They made it sound like majority of my work was gas and heating, started and its just been grotty toilets and kitchen wastes blocked.
Im not really interested doing that in my own work never mind getting pita and doing it

They always make the jobs sound better to get you through the door.

 

[rpm]

They fluffed up the job tbf.
They made it sound like majority of my work was gas and heating, started and its just been grotty toilets and kitchen wastes blocked.
Im not really interested doing that in my own work never mind getting pita and doing it

Have suffered the same dirty trick a few times myself.

 

[Scott_D]

Well that lasted long back to SE it is then

How many days did you give it?

 

[hammers4spanner]

3 days which isnt much but the operative im replacing has been showing me what the job is . Not impressed to be honest and if i give it more time and still dont like it then im stuck for work

 

[Millsy 82]

3 days which isnt much but the operative im replacing has been showing me what the job is . Not impressed to be honest and if i give it more time and still dont like it then im stuck for work

You can get an idea within a couple of days what the place will be like to work at. You get to see what your colleagues are like and see what your work is going to be like.

 

[ShaunCorbs]

@Millsy 82 whats the Lotto numbers for this week end ?

 

[Millsy 82]

@Millsy 82 whats the Lotto numbers for this week end ?

I'm saving that for myself.

 

[hammers4spanner]

What i did notice is how it has changed to how they jazz it up. We give you a new phone , a tablet and a new van but you cant use it out of hours.
Then next day fleet management comes in tells you about the traker and what it does but we dont monitor you but it does go on a system for your driving to be logged.
Then the tablet and phone has a safe guarding app for you to log in every two hours.
But we dont monitor you , yea right treated like a child in fairness.

 

[Millsy 82]

I can remember the days before trackers and when you could use your van. Used to be awesome do your days work then go home.

Trackers weren't too bad on their own as long as you didnt take the mick but when they brought in pda's as well then the job just took a nose dive. It became too easy to send jobs to you without even speaking to you. At least before hand they had to phone you.

Too many people high up need to warrant the stupid money they earn so take it out on those that actually earn the money.

If I was to go back employed it would have to be for a 1 man band

 

[Best]

All this tracking and monitoring workers just makes a worker stretch each job they can.
No point in completing a job in 5 minutes that would be estimated at an hours work and then rushing to the next job, without being appreciated and paid extra.