Hi all, i am after a little advice aswell as info.

Im currently a trained BTEC Mechanic but hate it.+

Im 26 and currently working in Innsbruck, AT. The life here is great and lifestyle etc but the pay is a big problem for me. I was on 24,000 pound plus bonus in the UK and here im on 21,000 euro without bonus

I am from Greenwhich, London originally but have travelled about.

So cut to the question…

My bro is currently a plumber in the uk and earning 34k a year for a private firm and being only qualified for 2 years out of an apprentaship is pretty good IMO.

I am practically minded and prefer working with my hands as i am not one to sit in a chair all day. So office type work isnt for me.

So i would like to know who out there who is a;

builder
electrician
plasterer
gas engineer

that can offer me some words of wisdom or advice on best to tackle maybe retraining into one of these fields.

Whats your views and opinions of these 6 week beguinner courses to get knowledge into something and then to build onto.

I read recently one company, 8 week course giving a level 2 NVQ in various fields for about 5000 GBP.

I then would obviosuly go on to do the 3rd and 4rd to become as qualified as i could.

Any advice or tips would be great.

On a real cheeky side note, if you could also say if your self employed or work for someone and if the money is good enough for you to get up for?

thank you

Self employed sparky working on streetlighting – was a Contracts Manager in the same industry on £40k plus car, pension etc, but got out due to stress. Took voluntary redundancy and set up on my own – earn £250 per shift local and £330 per shift away from home. Overheads & general costs run at between £200 & £300 pw.

Some of my mates are domestic sparks and plumbers working local and they get considerably less though.

so would you say going into commercia side is worth the extra pay? how did you get into that side of things instead of local domestic

British gas as an apprentice?

That’s just the way the company I worked for evolved, so a lucky break really – the actual work beats domestic hands down too. Fortunately I left my job with a lot of contacts.

british gas only take upto 25 and tbh i would rather pay for my training rather than earn 450 a months again 😉

Learn to spell before you start writing any job applications. Seriously.

Be very careful about companies offering short courses, do your research about what actual jobs you can get with the qualifications they get you to pay money for.

The life here is great and lifestyle etc

What was the problem again?

CaptainFlashheart – Member
Learn to spell before you start writing any job applications. Seriously.

didn’t realize i needed to as its hardly a professional place here is it 😉 or is it?

sorry are you any of the above actually…

miserable **** haha

jesus

In addition to the spelling, sort the attitude out also 🙂

grum – Member
The life here is great and lifestyle etc
What was the problem again?

the problem is, i want to earn more. im not happy in my job so would like to look into something else which is known to pay alot better once i return.

allthepies – Member
In addition to the spelling, sort the attitude out also

u can jog on to 😉

i wrote it quick on my phone so bare with it!

or just don’t reply if you got no info or actual advice to give 😉

there we go… nicely said for all you easily offended people.. 😉

Mine was a serious point. If I was an employer, regardless of the field, and I saw an application with that spelling, I’d file it under B for Bin straight away.

Sorry if you took constructive criticism the wrong way.

thanks then, but you didnt really help with the OP. once again written on a phone so don’t get to hung on it.

seeing as the building industry is on its arse over here mechanic on 21k sounds OK

The grass may not be as green as it looks from your side of the fence

You asked for wisdom or advice, I gave the latter. Deal with it, buttercup. 😉

A bit OTT, I’m afraid, CFH.

I know! 🙂

Wages in the UK are going down all the time. You could always set up in business like Troutie, who must be busy as he didn’t reply to my email..

If you’re looking for a carear you might try junkyard?

you mean scrapyard or breakers yard?

do you want to stay in Innsbruck?

wages for ‘handwerker’ are generally lower in teutonic lands than in the UK unless you move across to switerland. you’ll get screwed over on the health front, though.

i worked in germany as a chippy for eight months and was earning 1600€/month, take home 1100€. in the UK i was earning £800 in a normal week, £600 in a bad one and over £1000 in a good one.

i found i was working a lot longer each day, too. 7-6 in De but half day friday, 8-4 in the UK. also the work attitude in De is different.

“Erst die Arbeit, dann das Vergnügen”

i quit.

now guide in summer and got a start with a stage company chippying the rest of the year. money is good, too, for De, but i’m now self-employed.

not constructive, i know, but a similar situation to yours…

No I mean Junkyard… he what spells badly and works in careers advice (IIRC)

in the UK i was earning £800 in a normal week, £600 in a bad one and over £1000 in a good one.

Christ, I’m in the wrong line of work.

m 26 and currently working in Innsbruck, AT. The life here is great and lifestyle etc but the pay is a big problem for me. I was on 24,000 pound plus bonus in the UK and here im on 21,000 euro without bonus

You ought to be comparing like-for-like, its what you earn vs what you spend that matters.

Cougar – Member

in the UK i was earning £800 in a normal week, £600 in a bad one and over £1000 in a good one.

Christ, I’m in the wrong line of work.

I wouldn’t get out of bed for £600 a week 😉

Im an electrical engineer but still dabble as a sparks to keep my hand in….i also work for a building firm that employs plumbers, air con installers and mechanical engineers and works is slow right now. We get many calls from struggling tradesmen who are finding permanent work hard to come by. I have friends who 5-6 years ago earned good money as tradesmen and the work was pretty much on tap but this has changed and many of them will take work for a good deal less than back then. I think you can earn good money in any trade but its the hours you have to put in that are the problem.

thanks for your valid points.

ALPIN, thanks for your reply. interesting to here from someone in the same type of situation.

for comparison i am paying out the same as what i did in the uk. so 900 a month in uk and 900 euro here.

my day also is a little shorter on fridays but i really do not mind to work longer if i am chasing money if that makes sense.

i used to come to work earlier and leave later to ensure i made that extra 1000-1500 bonus per month.

my life here is good. i ride dh so its the perfect place. its just i want to ensure in 4 years or so time i want to be able to support and provide yet still have a very comfortable life for family.

now i believe also that although its hard to come across work in the uk, if your good at your job and your well priced you will mostly stay above the rest if you use your skills.

for eg. my brother works for a firm mon-fri earning his salary, yet he installs bathrooms which he has managed to organise tilers, gas engineers, etc etc to all come in once his installed and take the majority of the cash. Also does a weekend call out service which then leads on to more private work.

in the last 2 months alone he has managed to buy him self a brand new vito and kit it out just from private weekend call outs.

so if you do want to work and willing its there. well in our area i guess. hence the idea of retraining into something with amazing potential.

regards

nick

how much are you paying for your health care? is the system similar to that in germany?

if your good at your job and your well priced

if you’re well priced it means you are cheaper and therefor earning less per job.

i left the UK and moved to DE due to the economic downturn and i was sitting on my arse for two months getting bored.

plus, the riding is better here in Bayern than in Essex.

yes i believe it is with the krankenkasse.

hmm..

so your still in DE?

where in Bayern are you? / were you?

Minga.

yeah, Krankenkasse, but private or public?

if i were in the public (gesetzliche) kasse then i’d be paying around 500-600€ /month. i’m private and pay €128. prices vary. it’ll depend on your health and current and previous medical state. shop around, it might be worth it.

i would have thought you’d get a decent price since you are young and (i assume) healthy with all the biking, etc.

If you’re looking for a carear you might try junkyard?

it was advice that worked on so many levels 😆
Very briefly.
The construction industry is on it’s arse overall. For everyone doing well I can show you people struggling
Retrain in x weeks is pointless IMHO. you would not get a job as you have no real experience and people with experience are looking for work. The short courses usually only get the technical certificates but they do not allow you to practice [ generally some City and guild number] – pointless.
Long term electrician is reckoned to be the shortage one 10-15 years as you need more brains to do that [ gas is also equally challenging]. Any old num nut can be a brickie or a plasterer. You should be able to do any you choose.
With the minimum qualification and only 8 weeks training how do you think you will compare in the market place with someone with actual experience, a better qualification etc? It will be hard to enter the market with only qualifications and no experience. Every year colleges churn out folk with NNVQ 2 with no work experience [and no skills shortage in that area , childcare, hairdressing, construction, motor vehicle] so even within the qualified and no experience pool it is flooded and they will work for less than you seem to expect.
Short of getting employed as an adult apprentice I am not aware of any route that will get you the appropriate qualification and have you work ready.
So get a job paying about £600 for two years then cream it in if you get lucky .
That said Good luck I deal with statistics you might be the one who can say I gave crap advice.

Become an NDT technician and go self employed.

Google it.

tbh if i went the path of say a nvq type thing, i would be hoping to try and go in on say year 2 apprentice level money whilst working along side someone, that was what i was hoping for.

i think you would have to either have the knack or just balls to go out straight away and give it a bash without a little experience along side someone.

but thanks for your advice, was pretty sound actually.

………………..

Is there more money to be had going self employed as a NDT technician. just had a look on the british site and they say to expect around 16,000 once you are first completed uni? Or apprenticeship.?

it was advice that worked on so many levels

It was a rare moment of genius, eh? I’ve saved it to show people that I am actually clever and stuff.

NDT tech working on nuclear power stations earn £2k per week. I worked for an NDT company, and the people that i was working with were getting £13 per hour, but were doing 60 hour weeks (As was I)

Only problem is finding somewhere to get experience for your certs. Start with MPI, work through to UT level II, Level 3s get more. Possibly look at getting a RAD ticket.

It can, however be a boring job in poor conditions. Interesting though.