Well, I reckon that at 17yo I would have happily crawled through a pipe of shite like Andy Dufreyne for half a chance of 26k and a trade!

It’s a lot better than YTS offered 😯

Yes, I definitly would have. I was earning £26k at 34, after 16 years working at the same company. I started on £9k a year, as an unskilled 18 year old, in 1996.

Maybe he’s already smarter than us lot, who have been miserable working 40hours a week for the last 15/20/30 whatever years…

As someone else has mentioned, its easy to turn down better paid jobs if you have Friday afternoons at your current job (as I do). Think I’d rather be poor than stay away 5 days a week. Our installers have to drive from Sheffield to London, ready to be on site at 8AM Monday, work the week away then drive him in the Friday rush. Oh, and occasionally they need to drive from London to Glasgow mid week and do half a days work, then back to London for the end of the week. Not much of a family life really…

I’m guessing the tea reason is that he’s got it cushy at home.

A 17yo me would have bitten your hand off, it would have made me think twice about bothering with Uni as well.

In fact where do I sign? I don’t even get that much now and it’s 16years later!

26k….. I’ll do it !!

Why’s that Neil?

Decent trade and 26k is a decent wedge.

What’s not to like.

I’m inclined to agree with Neal. There must be plenty of people out there looking to retrain in a different industry (me included) that would jump at the chance knowing that they aren’t going to take a massive risk by taking a very low paid job in the hope of eventually being able to earn decent money. The only stumbling block you’ll probably get would be the working away 5 days a week as you’ll find a lot more people have family commitments.

Decent trade and 26k is a decent wedge.

What’s not to like.

What you doing now?

Working in sales for a Survey Equipment Supplier.

Love the job, but it doesn’t pay £26k 🙂

I earn 28k of that over 5k is taken off for my pension. I work days/nights/weekends/bh and the jobs crap too. Id love a trade rather than have the ability to shoot water out of a hose accurately. Only thing id need is job security tho thats a biggi for me

I would do it just for the cscs card. Give it a week, you have invested a fair bit in him so far, he will come round maybe. If not can you do the 4 days, seems a sound lad

Working in sales for a Survey Equipment Supplier.

Didn’t you go for prison officer training, or am I thinking of someone else??

Knowing how to you work STR I wouldn’t take it. I worked away a lot in my old job and it ground me down. I see how you are away most weeks and it just wouldn’t suit me. I’d be better off but unhappy, and if working away doesn’t suit him then jumping to something else that will make him happier at the start of his working life is a sensible move I reckon.

Obviously it works well for you, you seem happy enough. But it won’t work for everyone.

What’s not to like.

the Boss 😉

Joke nothing more OP

None taken 😛

@TheArtistFormerlyKnownAsSTR

When I was just 19 I was given the opportunity to earn a good bit more money and work in London for a year. I pretty much hated it.

I went back when I was 24 and loved it.

There’s more to life than money.

Who pays for his accomodation/travel to worksite when your on the road.- assuming as you say you move around alot.

At 17 id certainly have given it some thought

For many of my friends we moved away at 18 to go to university, skint but had a great time.
Is this about his age, personality, career aspirations, salary?

I don’t earn 26k and I’m 41… 🙄
I could earn a lot more with my trade (cabinetmaker) but then I wouldn’t get out on the bike all over the place like I currently do. Same as at 17 really…

How long will the actual working days away be though? Has he had to sign an opt out?

For all the comments above, have you sat down with the guy and actually talked to him – rather than make an offer and wait for acceptance or otherwise?

Money certainly isn’t everything. I chased it when I was 25 and despite a 100% increase in my last salary I only lasted 3 months in the job as it was misery (unseen at the time of interview, and ironically selling bikes)

I’d have a proper chat with the chap and find out what his reservations are. There might be a simple explanation that can be dealt with or at the very least you’ll find out for sure that he isn’t for your business.

I wouldn’t bother chasing him there are thousands out there that would jump at the chance for a trade and a good wage to go with it.

OP – I’m fairly near you, 46 years old, wife and two kids, middle ranking civil servant, would quite like tbe pay rise!

Aye – have you got any more of those £32.5k paid jobs for unskilled labour!

I quite fancy a change from the print trade.

I’m 36, unemployed and have applied for an apprenticeship paying £9k!

See offers all over lol id drop the fire service and my gold plated pension for a trade and 26k as i could do with a pay rise.

Last year i applied for a job/trade training on 19kpa but got knocked back 🙁

At 17 I was pot scrubbing as a kitchen porter earning bugger all. Can’t recall the wage back then, but it would be something like 2 shillings an hour 😉

I would bitten your arm off for it when I was younger, but I wouldn’t do it now, even for double that but that’s because I’m a dad. Maybe he has a smoking hot nympho girlfriend?
£26K is good money for a 17 year old, but it’s good because of the staying away. He’ll get nowhere near that with a local firm.

It’s not really the same as going to Uni,where you are in with a crowd of the same age ,working away can be a tough gig.
I have seen a few crash and burn.
I did it from 21 ,but I don’t think I could have managed being away from home and my mates at 17.
He also sounds like he has an easy life at the moment.

I haven’t read all the posts but £26k for an an apprentice spark is a fair old whack.

He’s saying he can do 4 days, not 5, will he not have an early finish on a Friday anyway so he’ll be home in time for tea?

i resisted the ‘dont know they are born’ for so long but have finally cracked.:

kids these days dont know they are born. that’s a very decent wage for somebody starting out, and looking at the comments above plenty would jump at the opportunity. obviously on a cushy number at home and wants for nothing.

Luxury. Right, my son he’s 17 years old (12GCSE Grade A* under his belt as well) and (used to) live in the NW, 20 weeks ago he move down to Lympstone near Exeter to complete a 32 week training course to become a Royal Marine Commando (this is after extensive exams/tests/medicals and an initial weeks selection down there), hes completed phase one so he’s a Royal Marine and cracking on with phase two to become a Commando. Bloody, bloody tough/grim mentally and physically, its not helping being the youngest in his troop as most of the lads are mid/late 20’s and up to 32 years old. Hes no where near on £ 26K a year, more like £ 18K but I think the long term goals and life style will be better for him. Heaven only knows what will happen down there when he’s 18 years old at the end of this month because they are a fair old bunch of mentalist keg heads when they get some free time and love to play pranks, especially on the younger ones as its quite rare to have an 18th birthday in the training center.

No way at that age did I have the will, determination and focus to do what he’s doing, think he’s got mental strength beyond his years, not many kids his age that I know would last a week down there never mind 32 weeks.

£26k is a good wage but I would imagine it’s that high for a reason, not out of the kindness of the OPs heart. Working away, long hours, not much of a life might be enough to put him off. Looking at the bigger picture, he probably wouldn’t be able to spend much of that £26k and would come out with a good trade so long term it’s a good option, but how many 17 year olds look at the long term?!

I worked away all week when I was 16, started as a tea boy on a demolition site in East London. I had a brilliant time as there were about 30 of us all living in portakabins on site. Being the youngest I was dragged all over London and had my eyes opened somewhat. Two places that stand out the most are the Green Man in Bethnall Green (quite an eye opener) and mid-week matches at Upton Park (mid-late 80s, a different kind of eye opener).

I have not been through all this thread but remember a previous one by the OP.

Don’t you work long night shifts?

Being 17 and away from home with somebody nearer your dad’s age dose not sound that great.

Do you supply him with his own room or does he share with you?

I have worked all over the UK and parts off Europe away from home earning decent money. But when away working nights came up I always refused. I **** hated it. Working away and nights installing data networks we were earning 60k+ with food allowance and own room included. You also spent hardly any of your own money as working night limits spending time. On European jobs you would work for 12 days then return home but UK jobs we would come home at weekends. Money is not what makes a happy life if your mates are having a good time at home.

I have not been through all this thread but remember a previous one by the OP.

Don’t you work long night shifts?

Being 17 and away from home with somebody nearer your dad’s age dose not sound that great.

Do you supply him with his own room or does he share with you?

I have worked all over the UK and parts off Europe away from home earning decent money. But when away working nights came up I always refused. I **** hated it. Working away and nights installing data networks we were earning 60k+ with food allowance and own room included. This was in my late 20s not when I was 17.You also spent hardly any of your own money as working night limits spending time. On European jobs you would work for 12 days then return home but UK jobs we would come home at weekends. Money is not what makes a happy life if your mates are having a good time at home.

In a heartbeat, especially if it was a way into a career that I was interested in.

@TheArtistFormerlyKnownAsSTR, are you looking for CIS guys or permanent? If it’s permanent, I’d be keen to chat to you. Got my C&G 2330, NVQ L3, 17th and just finishing my 2394/95 Inspection and Testing.

Nah….working away all week just crushes your social life and turns you into a piss head. I did it at 18 till I was about 25 and it’s time I’ll never get back. All the lads were chronic alcoholics and ate fry ups and mixed grilles at the local pub each night and just got totalled….. Which is fine when it’s with mates but not a bunch of hairy arsed fitters and sparkles.

I had to give up footy and other pursuits. Plus once you start the life of site working you can get sucked into it for years…. We have a team of pipe fitters who work round the country staying away or driving stupid miles at silly hours and I think to my self Christ I’m glad im out of that game, they work crazy hours but only think about the money.

There’s far more to life than that in my opinion but I had to find out the hard way. What amazes me is all my dole bludging mates who had easy lives back then went on to get cushy IT jobs or nice media roles… And I smashed my bollocks off for years just for a bit of cash.

Sorry, I thought the majority of people went to work for money, not fun

Sounds like you do pay well, and tbh, I think it’s quite clear that the money isn’t the issue here.
But the majority of apprentices do apprenticeships for the training.
Without that, is the role really an “apprenticeship” or more of a “sparky’s mate”?

He’s done his level 2 NVQ and dropped out of college. He wanted to take it up again and do his level 3, but has missed the start of term, so it would be something we’d look at in September. He’d be learning the trade until then

Some colleges take on in January too.
But maybe there’s concerns that if it’s not possible with the role to work 4 day weeks now, how does he know it’ll be possible to get the day release for college in future?

I pay unskilled workers the equivalent of £32.5k p.a. but you wouldn’t believe what a struggle it is to find people, but that’s another issue relating to continuity of work

That’s good money.
Are these actual contracted permanent positions with guaranteed annual salaries , or a projection of estimated earnings from hourly wages?
If so, what are the hours and rates?

When I was a resourcing manager for a big engineering firm we’d hire fitters mates to work on the nuclear powerstations. Work involved long hours, working away from home in the arse end of nowhere.

We’d take on folks with pretty much no skills other than the ability to use a hammer, and we had young lads earning up to 30k a year. Theres no way i would have done that at 17 though.

Life is far to short not to be enjoying it. Unless you are lucky you’ll be working until you’re 70, if it was a son of mine id tell him to enjoy life while he still can..